The Washington times., 1917-02-03
POPULAR MEDICINE
BYDR. HIRSHBERG
Intelligent Observation of Rules
of Hygiene win De.
crease Illness.
By DIR. LEONARD Il. HIRsHBERG.

By DIR. LEONARD h. HIRSHBERG.
Fear, according to a poet, is a
cloak which old men wrap about
their love to keep it warm. II II is
such a cloak, physiologicaIly It often
seems to smother the activities of the
human anatomy. Fear, for instance,
is the emotion which holds the stom-
ach and intestines In bondage at one
time and whips them into an excess
of freedom at another.
Cold perspiration, trembling hands
and knees. stiffened hair on end, sick
stomach, pslpitation OF the heart and
bulging eyes are indications of fear
that can be duplicated by the injec-
tion of large doses of thyroid gland
extract.
In reality, this very picture is to
be observed in "exophthalmic goitre," :"
where the individual has q large thy
riod gland and bullfrog eyes from
the overaggressive thyroid.
Affects Bodily Functions.
The emotion of fear can disorder
stomachs and intestines. Persons
who are otherwise well may become
abruptly upset with the fixed opinion
that there is something seriously
amiss with themselves. A strong no.
tion of fear takes possession of
them, which reason, logic, arguments,
knowledge and medicines often fail
to dislodge. The proper explanation
of this condition of fixed fear may
at times be found in what might be
called a cleavage" a deviation"
or a misdirection OF the victims at
tention.
The various notifications of. as
well as the exertioh OF. a persons
will has much to do with his intel
lectual powers and physical well be-
ing. If SO per cent of your atten-
tion is paid to your own troubles
and your own physical and mental
condition, instead of honestly divid-
ing your attention among worldly,
spiritual, family. and a variety Of in
terests, you may be perfectly sane,
but you are a nuisance TO yourself,
your family, and the world.
A Vicious Circle.
otherwise well, suddenly by accident,
association, imitation, or some slight
indiscretion, has his attention called
to some locality of his anatomy. An
unpleasant or a new sensation is felt.
If this lasts a little longer than
might have been expected the emo
tion of fear. linked up with concen-
trated, exaggerated. and undue atten-
tion, may give birth to a fixed idea
that the physical ailment is worse
than it is and will not disappear. In
other words, the mind is focused on
that small discomfort, pain or ache
to the exclusion OF all other realities.
Attention is misplaced almost in its
entirety, and the self-deluded mortal
grows more and more convinced that
he is right and the doctors, psycholo-
gists, and material distractions are
all wrong.
The upshot OF such a sad state of
affairs is a vicious circle. The pa
tient becomes impatient of everything
and every one not willing to pay full
attention to his own selfish intro
spection.
The Other Extreme.
Perhaps the one structure that such
mIsanthropes worry about the most
is the stomach. Like the gasolene
engine of an automobile, the gastric
department of man is very easily dis
ordered.
Any error in the mixture of fuels
which might enter either may be at
the great cost of a train of symp-
toms with which a timid man might
occupy himself all too mindfully.
BeIching gas, which is really ai-
swallowed in fear and then volun-
tarily expelled, is not a rare manifes-
tation Of such self-infiicted fears.
Hiccoughing or the returning of bit-
ter fluids into the mouth also occur
as signs of such fears
Some Grayer Symptoms.
Rumbling. gurgling sounds in the
intestines, distention and gas rorma-
ton, piles and bleeding hemorrhoids
are all evidences to those who can
not properly distribute their atten-
tion between all the benign and ma
lignant possibilities that ulcers or
cancers are present, with a fear of
death as a certain accompaniment.
Against such persons must be
placed a larger group OF ne'er-do-
wells, who are so sure of themselves
and their own capacity for always
getting well" that they refuse 70
pay proper attention to very serious
matters. Better it is to be timid in
good time and thus preventI cancer
or what not than to shut your all
too-observant eyes to possibilities. 1t
il preferable to have an exagger-
ated focus OF attention to be cured
later by proper concentration of at
tention than to ignore "a plain tale
from the ILL.,"
CCopy't, 1917. by Newspaper Feature Eervice.