The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-08-26
NEW PAIN CURE

Newcastle-On-Tyne, Aug. NO.
The cure of pain and maaady by
mind, not medicine, has come into
it's own ait the British Medical Asso-
citation.
Professor Robertson, of Edin-
burgh, and DIR. Helen Boyle of
Brighton, were lthe chief figures in
debate in the so-called psychstry
! (study of mental diseases) section
of the association here.
The professor gave an example
where wounds actually had been
produced as we'll as diseases cured
by mere suggestion. In one case
definite blisters were raised ON a
particular part of THE body merely
by suggestion.
French doctors have even treated
pneumonia by mental processes. BY
increasing the cheerfulness and
hopefulmess of bhe patient the cure
was materially assisted. But the
cure dealt principally with what are
called rborderland caes, and chief
among these was melancholia in Its
many forms.
Professor Robertson and others
urged THAT doctors had been made
by their trtaining much too material,
and that they would do much more
good by greater attention TO moraa
and mental cures, even ii they
throw many medicines into the sea.
Apropos of this point, one doctor
said THAT he could make an absolute
certainty Of curing seasicknes mere
ly by psychic means and the
strengthening of tine patients will
power.
DIR. Helen Boyle, who has ''bor-
derland" hospital at Brighton and
has lately been investigating mental
cures in the United States, regarded
unhappiness as among the principal
diseases of humanity. She said:
''It is not normal for a man or
woman to, be unhappy for more than
a short while, and it is one of the
great needs of the times to rub this
into the public
She asked for special beds in the
hospital for unhappy persons, and
such complete absence of red tape
that a doctor should he able to send
the patient to the movies, order a
change of home or temporary sep
araton from a wife or husband, etc.
She quoted particular cases and
indulged in one delightful dig at
husbands who thought that if they
gave their wives a nice little house
and garden that was all woman
could desire.
She gave one strictly medical
piece of advice. Her experience was
that psychic treatment was not of
much use if the patient was very
much reduced in weight. Increase
the weight and cho-therapy be
comes easy and effective.
She argued that if she and her
superstHious husband drifted into
state of bad relationship she would
not be able ITO attempt reconcilia-
tion without a change from the
house where the alienation had
grown up.
She said theI vogue of psyche
analysis was apparent even in the
exhibition Of apparatus, as books on
the subject, notably Bradby's
"Logic of the Unconscious Mind"
sell like hot cakes.
The most interesting among the
demonstrations was the eating of a
complete dinner, from soup to nuts,
by an armless soldier Through the
agency of the jointed apparatus
known as Thompson's machine,
worked by the foot.
The picking up of the spoon and
the conveyance of 6he full spoonful
to the mouth is marvel of eff
cient neatness. 1t was exhibited by
Sir James Camille, who spent most
of the morning in urging the claim
of first aid to he Snecia1 hranch