The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-02-28

nhysician in Europe" His maxim
was "Simplicity is the seal OF truth" "
The modern diagnosis of disease
aims to employ every method whicn
viii reveal the exact mental ano
physical condition Of the Patent.
Psycho-analysis will deveal the
depths of the patients mind as
clearly as the X-rsy shows the bro
ken bone hidden beneath the body
tissues. The pressure of the blood
AGAINST the vessel walls may be &C
cnrately measured and appropriate
means taken to ward off an apo
pIectic attack. The bodily excre-
& lions may be analysed and the etfi-
b Kciency of the excretory organs de-
tertmined. Special apparatus per-
rnita the examination of the eye, the
ear. the nose, throat, bronchi, and
Sthe interior of various other parts
Of the body. Nothing Is taken TOR
granted; the blood is examined; the
& activity Of the stomach is estimated
The validity of the nervous system
E a looked into. The modern physl-
Il Scian finds the disease before ne
treats it. ...
Accurate diagnosis is Of import
E ance to the public health because
an, early and correct knowledge OF
& the presence Of q disease affords op-
ssportunity to prevent its spread. The
case of tuberculosis which Is found
b early has an infinitely greater
k chance of recovery than the one
/ which is found late. Boerhaave re.
K eoenized these facts in general
/ way and applied them, in fact, ac-
I cordine to Rohlfs, he was the tlrst
S who made a chemical examination
of some of the bodily excretions.
Consider the automobile. When
the car is going to stand sun Tor
emore than few minutes the drlVer
! sstops the engine. By doing this ne
saves gasoline, oil, and above ALL
4 useless wear and tear on the ma
chinery. If he lets the engine run
y idle" he has wasted a lot of valuable
& material, shortened the life OF his
and in the meantime the au-
tnmobile hasn't budged an inch.
S The birds build nests for the pro-
& lection of their young against the
weather: the foxes dig holes for Sc
curity, against foes; the squirrels
/ Law by stores of nuts against the
coming of winter; and dogs bury
Z bones against the day when bones
viii be scarce. These are the mani
4 festations of a normal protective
\ instinct arising from an experience
of many, many generations. So far
as is known though, no bird ever
q tried to build more nests than his
neiphbor; no fox ever fretted be-
cause he only had one hole in which
to hide; no squirrel ever died OF
! anxiety lest he should not lay by
enough nuts for two winters instead
Il Of for one; and no dog ever lost any
y sleep over the fact that he didn't
& have enough bones laid aside to pro.
vide for his declining years.
This protective instinct is also
% present in the human mind and when
properly directed is great source
I Of prosperity both to the individual
\ and the nation. In order for man
to store up and lay by, to gain ad-
4 vancement either in honor or materi-
& al things, it is necessary that he take
some forethought Of the morrow,
& but just so soon as he carries this
beyond the normal point the mental
process becomes an exaggerated and
& abnormal one. The normal protec-
\ tive instinct is stimulated by a nor
NAL fear of those events which are
reasonably sure to happen in the
future unless means are adopted
I against them. The moment that
this fear becomes abnormal or ex-
aggerated it over stimulates this pro-
tective instinct and to no good pur-
4 pose because it results in worry.
This worry continues long after the
necessity for the normal stimulus of
fear has passed, with the result that
8 there is an impairment in mental
power and a dissipation of the ner-
yous forces. In other words the
mental engine has been running
: idle" and at the same time deliver
ing no propulsive power. In fact,
3 worry is an abnormal state.
Not all worry is preventable but
for the most part it can be avoided
8 Most of our fears are never realized
1 and as a rule, if we meet our trou'
! bles day by day as they come with
out worrying about them before
they arrive or fretting over then
after they have passed, we will fine
that we have the strength to rist
n above them. Worry undermines tn
health to a certain extent. 1t really
& weakens. the mental forces by tirine
them out by doing nothing. Usual!
the relief from worry rests with tn
victim of this unhappy habit him
e self, but sometimes the real causes
are rot the ones which seem to ex
plain the condition and we must g
deep into our lives or have the as
sistance of those who are skilled II
unraveling mental processes.
The best antidote for worry Is
change of mental occupation, get
ting away from the scenes whicl
provoke worry exercise in the opel
/, air, a good book, pleasant recrea
Z, ton, or temporary change OF occu
nation. As a matter of mental healtl
Sr,on,, c,,Aorar from this unfOrtun