There is a vast amount of loose talk, and innumerable assertions from irresponsible individuals concerning the wonders that have been achieved by Mental Healing, but naturally the scientist and physician, when dealing with such a question as this, has to put aside, not all enthusiasm, but certainly all emotionalism, and then, most carefully sift the evidence laid before him.  The scientist here wants hard, dry, irrefutable facts; the responsible physician requires to know—­by his own careful diagnosis or by an array of tabulated facts—­the condition of the patient before and after treatment—­that is, of the one who claims to have been cured by mental means.  Innumerable claims are thus being made by patients and others, so that it is imperative for the unbiased physician at all events to consider the above question; this in order to give a reason for the faith that is in him, when he is known to be one of those who favour the metaphysical means of healing.  Even the sciolist in the matter knows that in the case, say, of blushing, or blanching of the face, the action of mind over matter—­of the body—­is palpable; all admit that the quality of joy, for instance, will prove a splendid tonic; that despair, on the other hand, will pull down the bodily condition.  But all this, we shall be told, is unconscious action; true, but fortunately we are now aware that by a forceful action of the will we can consciously direct or derivate, as the case may be, currents of nerve-force to any part of the body.  Occultists have known this for many centuries.  Joy, hope, faith:  these are very potent factors in improving the health conditions—­simply because they act upon the sympathetic nervous system, and this latter acts upon the circulation.  Happiness dilates the blood-vessels.  Fear contracts them.  Thus, unbounded faith; renewed hope; sudden joy; enforced will-power; all have a marked effect upon bringing about an equilibriated condition of the circulation—­just the same as a hot bath does, though not so rapidly or so perceptibly.  Further, we must remember that all disease more or less is a stasis, a congestion, somewhere; we have only to dissipate this; to separate the cells; to expand the part, as it were, and “resolution,” as we call it in congestion of the lungs, takes place.  So that it seems to me that we can fairly claim a strictly scientific basis for Mental Healing.  I have always, however, maintained that the attitude of the patient’s own mind has much to do with the result:  in his consciousness there must be faith and hope in order to get the best effect.

Judging, then, of the very remarkable and palpable changes which anyone can see occur on such superficial parts as the face and extremities, I can see no reason that, by an enforced mental action, the deeper parts—­including any hidden diseased part—­should not be altered for good.  I am very confident that it is upon these lines, coupled, as they can always be, with advice as to clean feeding and right living generally, the physician of the future will largely depend for his cures.  Thus we are fully justified in not only trying the system on “functional,” but also for “organic,” cases.

 J. STENSON HOOKER, M.D.