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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..79ec6a6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65916 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65916) diff --git a/old/65916-0.txt b/old/65916-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 84afb53..0000000 --- a/old/65916-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6720 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Medicine and the Church, by Geoffrey -Rhodes - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Medicine and the Church - -Editor: Geoffrey Rhodes - -Release Date: July 26, 2021 [eBook #65916] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Thiers Halliwell, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH *** - - -Transcriber’s notes: - -The text of this e-book has been preserved in its original form apart -from silent correction of a few minor punctuation flaws (missing commas -and full stops). There are occasional spelling inconsistencies as a -consequence of its multiple authorship. One missing footnote marker has -been inserted at what seemed an appropriate position. Footnotes have -been numbered and relocated below the relevant paragraphs. - - - - -MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH - - - - - MEDICINE - AND THE CHURCH - - BEING A SERIES OF STUDIES ON THE RELATIONSHIP - BETWEEN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE AND - THE CHURCH’S MINISTRY TO THE SICK - - - BY - - SIR CLIFFORD ALLBUTT, K.C.B., F.R.S. - A. W. ROBINSON, D.D. - CHARLES BUTTAR, M.D. - STEPHEN PAGET, F.R.C.S. - BISHOP OF BLOEMFONTEIN. - HON. SYDNEY HOLLAND. - PREBENDARY FAUSSET, M.A. - JANE WALKER, M.D. - T. B. HYSLOP, M.D. - ELLIS ROBERTS. - M. CARTA STURGE. - H. G. G. MACKENZIE, M.A., M.B. - - - EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION, BY - GEOFFREY RHODES - - - WITH A FOREWORD BY THE - LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER - - - LONDON - KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LTD., - DRYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W. - 1910 - - - - -FOREWORD - -BY - -THE LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER - - - FARNHAM CASTLE, SURREY: - _July 4, 1910_. - - Dear Mr. Geoffrey Rhodes, - -The appearance of your volume is very welcome. There is, I believe, -a real need for such a work. You are to be congratulated on the -results of the energy and patience which you have bestowed upon its -preparation. You have a true reward in the support of writers so varied -and conspicuous in distinction as those whose names you have been able -to bring together. - -You are enabling the whole reading world to judge for itself, how the -subject of ‘Spiritual,’ ‘Mental,’ or ‘Faith’ healing, which during -the past ten years has forced itself upon public notice, is being -regarded by able, thoughtful, and impartial minds. There is no -doubt that scientific medical men are not going to pay attention to -evidence of an unscientific character. They will not waste their time -over it. Nevertheless, to phenomena duly attested, and to evidence -scientifically recorded, they will give the most scrupulous attention. -It is the detailed and accurate collection and classification of facts -by those who are trained for the task and expert in its process, that -must precede generalisations upon this new, or shall we call it, -revived, branch of therapeutics. - -Prejudice against it will be found to exist both in ecclesiastic and -in scientific circles. Your book will help to dissipate prejudice by -the spread of better-informed opinion. The time, indeed, is opportune. -The _British Medical Journal_ of June 18, 1910, has published a series -of papers by men ‘who could speak with the highest authority on the -relations between mind and body, as exhibited in the phenomena of -disease.’ ‘Their opinion,’ as the _Journal_ tells us, ‘serves as an -authoritative reminder that there are bodily ills which cannot be -cured by pills and potions, but which yield to methods which, for -want of a better word, may be called “mental”; that cures which, in -a former day, would have been denied by unbelievers and accepted as -miracles by the faithful, really happen, and that they can be explained -without invoking supernatural intervention.’ On the other hand, we -are confident the Church of Christ will never identify itself with -charlatan methods which might delude the poor and the ignorant into the -superstitious idea that they can be more cheaply and effectively healed -by a magic or thaumaturgic ministry, than by the knowledge and skill -of trained and certificated doctors and surgeons. To quote our report -in the Lambeth Conference of 1908, ‘Medical science is the handmaid of -God and His Church’ (N.B. not of His clergy, but of that Body of Christ -in which all true callings unite in serving), ‘and should be fully -recognised as the ordinary means appointed by Almighty God for the care -and healing of the human body.’ - -The temper of our age favours an inquiry conducted in a spirit which -will neither disregard the requirements of science, nor rule miracles -out of court as impossible. We need not be anxious as to the results. -It looks, indeed, as if science were only just now awaking to the -realisation of its possibilities through psychical treatment; and as -if the Church had never yet realised to the full its responsibility -and its power in ministration to sickness, and its influence over the -reason and the imagination. - -‘Suspect everything,’ says St. Teresa, as quoted by Sir Clifford -Allbutt, ‘which weakens the use of our reason; for by such a way, we -shall never attain to the liberty of the Spirit.’ ‘Prayer,’ says the -_British Medical Journal_, in the article quoted above, ‘inspired by -a living faith, is a force acting within the patient, which places -him in the most favourable condition for the stirring of the pool of -hope that lies, still and hidden it may be, in the depths of human -nature.’ Truly, it is a tribute to the intellectual temper of our day -that two such quotations, the one from a medieval saint, the other from -a leading article in our modern medical journal, can appropriately -be adduced in illustration of the spirit in which you have edited -your volume. I trust it will have many readers. That it may promote -the wise and temperate study of spiritual and mental, as well as of -physical, forces and disorders, is my earnest hope and desire. That it -may also tend to correct shallow and superficial delusions on the part -of ignorant persons who imagine that they can dispense with scientific -knowledge, and ignore the facts of mortality in suffering, disease, -and death, is an expectation which I pray may be fulfilled. - -Wishing, therefore, your volume all success, - - I am, dear Mr. Geoffrey Rhodes, - Yours very sincerely, - Herbert E. Winton. - - - - -EDITOR’S PREFACE - - -I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to a host of kind people for help -in compiling this book. First of all to the many clergymen and doctors -who assisted me in finding suitable contributors for the different -chapters, and then no less to the contributors themselves who, in spite -of the exigencies of professional duties, managed not only to write -for these pages but to take part in many editorial discussions often -entailing lengthy interviews and correspondence. - -The Bishop of Winchester’s work in connexion with this book has not -been confined to the Foreword which appears under his name. I have had -the benefit of his Lordship’s advice and help throughout, and he has -spared the time to read all the essays in manuscript. - -My thanks are also due to Sir Thomas Barlow and Sir Clifford Allbutt -for assistance in reading the proofs of the medical chapters. - -Messrs. Macmillan and the Editors of the _Hibbert Journal_ and the -_British Medical Journal_ have kindly allowed me to make extracts. - - G. R. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - FOREWORD v - By THE LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. - - EDITOR’S PREFACE xi - - INTRODUCTION: - - PART I. 3 - - PART II. 31 - - 1. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDICINE AND RELIGION 33 - - By SIR T. CLIFFORD ALLBUTT, K.C.B., M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., - Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge. - - 2. RELIGION AND MEDICINE IN THE HOSPITAL 43 - By Hon. SYDNEY HOLLAND, Chairman of the London - Hospital. - - 3. THE SURGEON, THE CLERGYMAN, AND THE PATIENT 45 - By F.R.C.S. - - MEDICINE AND RELIGION 51 - By CHARLES BUTTAR, M.D., Sometime President of the - Harveian Society. - - THE PATIENT 69 - By STEPHEN PAGET, F.R.C.S. - - THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND DOCTOR TO PATIENT 81 - By JANE WALKER, M.D., Physician, New Hospital for - Women. - - FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY 103 - By THEO. B. HYSLOP, M.D., Superintendent of Bethlem - Hospital. - - MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALING 117 - By H. G. G. MACKENZIE, M.A., M.B. - - OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SICKNESS 175 - By W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A., Vicar of Cheddar and - Prebendary of Wells. - - THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING 205 - By W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A., Vicar of Cheddar and - Prebendary of Wells. - - THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALING 227 - By ELLIS ROBERTS. - - THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY WELL-BEING 245 - By ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, D.D., Vicar of All Hallows - Barking, Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of - London, and Rural Dean of the East City of London. - - PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING 269 - By ARTHUR CHANDLER, D.D., Bishop of Bloemfontein. - - THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 289 - By M. CARTA STURGE. - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -PART I - - - - -MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -I - - -In the Middle Ages practically the only homes of learning were the -monasteries. Here all the knowledge of the time was taught and all -the studies carried on, so that under the same roof the theologian, -the chemist, the artist, and the artificer sat side by side, and -consequently each drew from and modified the study and practice of -the other. In England, at least, the dissolution of the monasteries -changed this order, and though the brilliancy of the Renaissance for a -time obscured the loss to society in general, in the backwater of the -eighteenth century both religion and medicine drifted into distinct -circumscribed professions. The dawn of the nineteenth century saw an -enormous revival of interest and study in both directions, but the -newfound energy with which the two spheres of learning were pushed -forward, proved in the end inimical to the highest interests of the -community, for religion and medicine found themselves carried farther -and farther apart. - -Before the stress of life became as severe as it is to-day, most common -complaints could be overcome by rest and ordinary treatment. But under -modern conditions of extreme complexity healing can no longer be -conducted on such simple lines, and as time has gone on the effects of -this divorce of medicine and religion have made themselves felt. - -In correspondence with a more highly organised state of society, man -has become a more highly organised being. He has developed faculties -in excess of the man of, say, fifty years ago, and the exercise of -these faculties, that depend for their operation on the nervous -system, entails a strain on that system to which it was not exposed -half a century back. The more elaborate the machinery the more ways in -which it may get out of order. Man to-day is prone to a dozen nervous -complaints whose existence our forefathers were happily able to ignore. -Owing to climatic and other conditions that need not be discussed here, -these nervous disorders first forced themselves on public attention in -the United States of America. The overworked business or professional -man has no time in the rushing life of the great growing cities of -America for rest. Carried off his feet by the tide of prosperity, he -becomes the slave of his inventions instead of being their master. -His sense of proportion becomes atrophied and he fails to maintain a -correct balance between thought and action. A purely materialistic -medicine that ignores thoughts and feelings as being outside the scope -of diagnosis is powerless to prescribe for such a case. And it is small -matter for astonishment that patients of this description have been -drifting into the hands of Christian Science and kindred cults in their -search for relief. These systems of philosophy or religion (if such -they can be called) lack, however, that element of completeness without -which no guide of human conduct can maintain its hold. And as it -becomes realised that these irresponsible and often mercenary societies -are propagating views diametrically opposed to the common-sense -conceptions of the patients, their power will be broken and the cures -cease. Meantime Christian Science undoubtedly does overcome some cases -of nervous trouble, but these in no sense outweigh the mischief done -by its followers in denying the sick medical care. We must clear the -ground before we can commence building, and it may be well to examine -briefly the ‘faith and works’ of Christian Science before proceeding to -discuss the relationship between Medicine and the Church. - -Opening Mrs. Eddy’s handbook at random we come across these two -explanatory statements: - -(1) It is not scientific to examine the body in order to ascertain if -we are in health. - -(2) To employ drugs for the cure of disease shows a lack of faith in -God. - -There is nothing new, of course, in these two statements, nor anything -peculiar to Christian Science in them. They are put forward by the -majority of persons with these views, whether they belong to the -Peculiar People or to Christian Science. - -With Christian Science, as with all these unorthodox and irregular -religious healing societies, it is almost impossible to find any matter -that is sufficiently definite to enable one to form any conclusion of -their objects. They talk glibly about having effected cures of various -kinds of diseases, but on their own showing there is absolutely no -evidence to prove that the individual ever had that disease or any -other form of disease. Mr. Stephen Paget has very kindly allowed me -to make one or two extracts from his invaluable work dealing with -Christian Science. He has, at great pains, collected cases of Christian -Science cures as reported in their own official publications. It is -only necessary to read a few of these to see the absolute hopelessness -of getting at the bottom of them, not merely from a medical standpoint -but from the point of view of common sense. I would ask any person of -average intelligence to read the following five testimonies to healing -that Mr. Stephen Paget extracted from Mrs. Eddy’s weekly journal, -the _Christian Science Sentinel_, and inform me if they convey any -impression whatsoever to his or her mind: - -‘_Mrs. R._--Healed of “sense of fatigue, and throat trouble.” Also, -when knocked down by a bicyclist, she “suffered no pain at all, and had -little sense of shock.”’ - -‘_Mrs. E._--Was healed of the pain of a burn. “The healing went on -rapidly, and in a very short time all manifestation of the trouble -disappeared.”’ - -‘_Mr. W._--Cured of drinking and smoking, and of “stomach and throat -trouble.”’[1] - - [1] A good case of a drunkard converted. The healing of the stomach - and throat troubles, of course, followed the giving-up of the drink. - -‘_Mamie D._--“I seemed to have burned my hand very badly.” Healed.’ - -‘_Mrs. P._--“Many physical ailments have been met and overcome by -Truth.”’ - -And yet if they will refer to Mr. Paget’s book they will find hundreds -of similar instances. In an appendix to the second edition of his work -Mr. Paget quotes the whole of the correspondence in connexion with the -absent treatment of the Hon. A. Holland-Hibbert’s mare, in 1900. This -curious correspondence needs no comment. - -The following is an account _in extenso_ of an alleged cure by -Christian Science taken from an article in the _Twentieth Century -Magazine_, published in Boston, U.S.A., October 1909. - -The contribution in question is from the pen of the editor, Mr. B. O. -Flower. I leave my readers to form their own opinion on this remarkable -testimony. - -‘On the morning of the dedication of the Chicago Church, November 14, -1898, I was in my bedroom in the third story of our house (the house is -three stories and basement). I was getting ready to go to the morning -service, and my little daughter, five years old, was playing about, -when suddenly I felt a silence. I instantly noticed that the child was -no longer there and that the window was open.’ - -‘I looked out and saw her unconscious form on the ground below, her -head on the cement sidewalk. Instantly I thought, “All is Love.” - -‘As I went downstairs the entire paragraph in “No and Yes,” page 19, -beginning, “Eternal harmony, perpetuity, and perfection constitute -the phenomena of Being,” came to me and took up its abode with me, -and with it the clear sense of the great gulf fixed between the child -and the lie that claimed to destroy. The child was brought in, and -as she was carried upstairs she cried. As she was laid down, the -blood was spurting from her mouth, and had already covered her neck -and shoulders. I instantly said, “There is one law--God’s law--under -which man remains perfect,” and the bleeding immediately stopped. The -child seemed to relapse into unconsciousness, but I declared, “Mind -is ever present and controls its idea,” and in a few moments she -slept naturally. During the morning she seemed to suffer greatly if -she was moved at all, and her legs seemed paralysed, lifeless. In the -afternoon, all sense of pain left, she slept quietly, and I went to the -afternoon service rejoicing greatly in my freedom from the sense of -personal responsibility.’ - -‘When I returned she sat in my lap to eat some supper, with no sense -of pain, but still unable to control her limbs, which presented the -appearance of entire inaction. At eight o’clock she was undressed -without inconvenience, and there was no mark on her body but a bruised -eye. During the day she had not spoken of herself. At eleven o’clock -when I went upstairs, I found her wide awake and she said: “Mamma, -error is trying to say that I fell out of the window, but that cannot -be. The child of God can’t fall; but why do I lie here? Why can’t I -move my legs?” - -‘The answer was, “You can move them. Mind governs, and you are always -perfect.” In a moment she said, “I will get up and walk.” It seemed to -require one or two trials to get her legs to obey, but she rose, walked -across the room and back and climbed into bed.... She then sat up, ate -a lunch, fell into a natural slumber, and woke bright and happy in the -morning.’ - -The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a solemn warning in connexion with -this question at a recent conference at Lambeth Palace, and the -following statement from the medical side is important. - -‘Christian Science seems to present one fundamental point of difference -from all other forms of spiritual healing. This is, that whereas the -cures said to be wrought at Lourdes and other shrines are attributed -to the direct action of Christ, exercised at the intercession of His -Virgin Mother or His Saints, Mrs. Eddy and her disciples claim, as far -as we understand the teaching--which is not only obscure in itself, but -often inconsistent--to cure disease by the same power of healing that -was given to Christ. In the sacred book of the sect we read: - -‘Our Master healed the sick, practised Christian healing, and taught -the generalities of its divine Principle to His students; but He -left no definite rule for demonstrating His Principle of healing and -preventing disease. This remained to be discovered through Christian -Science. A pure affection takes form in goodness, but Science alone -reveals its Principle and demonstrates its rules.’[2] - - [2] _Science and Health._ By Mary Baker G. Eddy. Boston. 1908. P. 41. - -She tells us that ‘when God called her to proclaim His Gospel to this -age, there came also the charge to plant and water His vineyard.’ -What she calls her ‘sacred discovery’ was made in 1866, and since -then it has become widespread in America and in this country. It does -not commend itself to the Latin mind, which is nothing if not lucid -and logical. Its methods and results are fully discussed by some -representatives of the most advanced medical thought in the present -issue of the _Journal_, and we have nothing to add to what they say. -To anyone who wishes to see the whole case against Christian Science -put most clearly and convincingly from the medical point of view, we -cordially recommend Mr. Stephen Paget’s book on the subject.[3] It is -attractively written, well ‘documented,’ and informed with the true -scientific spirit. - - [3] _The Faith and Works of Christian Science._ Macmillan and Co. - 1909. The book is now in a second edition. - -We need say only one thing more about Christian Science, which, to -speak plainly, is a repulsive subject, inasmuch as it shows, in a way -no other form of spiritual healing does, the depths of degradation -to which the human mind can sink under the weight of superstition. -That it cures cases of the kind that have been healed at all sorts of -shrines--pagan, Christian, Buddhist, Mohammedan--from time immemorial, -it would be idle to deny. That it brightens the lives of some persons -who have no aim in life, and have nothing to do but evoke pains and -ailments by thinking of their health, is also true. But, none the less, -its pretensions go far behind anything that is credible, except by -such as accept Tertullian’s paradox, _Credo quia impossibile_; and, -instead of courting the light as other methods do, it seems to love -the darkness. We have asked over and over again for facts that would -convince a trained mind, but none are forthcoming. Christian Science -may, indeed, be described as faith with the least possible amount of -works and the largest possible number of words. Here are fair specimens -of the kind of facts which forms all the evidence vouchsafed to us -of its healing efficacy; they are taken from the _Christian Science -Sentinel_ of May 28, 1910, p. 777: - -‘A short time ago I was taken sick with fever. My mother asked for -Christian Science treatment for me, and I was almost instantly cured. -I have been reading “Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures,” -by Mrs. Eddy, and have been benefited in business and in health ever -since. I am very grateful for Christian Science, and thankful to God, -whence all good comes. - - ‘FRED. WERTH, Dallas, Tex.’ - -‘Some time ago I was attacked by stomach and bowel trouble. A Christian -Science practitioner was called, and my ailment soon left and I was -again able to resume my duties. I am very thankful for the good done me -and others, and praise God for speaking to us through Mrs. Eddy. - - ‘TILLIE WERTH, Dallas, Tex.’ - -There is nothing new in Christian Science except the colossal impudence -of its pretensions. Mark Twain spoke in ignorance when he said: - -‘The Christian Scientist has taken a force which has been lying idle in -every member of the human race since time began.’ - -We have shown that it was not left to Mrs. Eddy to discover this force, -and that, so far from lying idle, it has been active in temples and -churches, at shrines and tombs, for thousands of years. In one thing -Christian Science has probably a unique record of achievement: beyond -any sect or system that we know of it has succeeded in exploiting human -imbecility and turning airy nothing into solid cash.[4] - - [4] _British Medical Journal_, June 18, 1910. - -‘Every false system of philosophy, of ethics, of morals, and of -religion is floated on the vast ocean of conduct, of character, and of -conviction by some element of truth. This corresponds to a water-tight -compartment in a vessel which is in danger of being sunk, through -dishonest contracts, imperfect mechanism, ignorant seamanship, or the -stress and strain of storm. But for this compartment, the ship would -disappear in the gurgling green of the ocean. In the moral Order, and -in all our controversies, there is this unsinkable truth. It keeps -afloat all with which it is for the time united, until the balance is -lost. Then the system is submerged. But the truth sails on.’[5] In the -case of the system we have had under examination this truth is the -power of the mind over the body and the efficacy of faith. Christian -Science undoubtedly cures certain kinds of neurotic troubles, just as -it may do incalculable harm by teaching that scientific medicine is -not only useless but mischievous. If its followers confined themselves -to merely enunciating the truth on which the flimsy superstructure is -founded little could be urged against them. As we have seen, however, -by a careful examination of their official records, they contradict the -cardinal doctrines of the Christian Churches, and encourage a disregard -for all bodily complaints that is not merely foolish in the extreme, -but where the sufferings of others are concerned, distinctly brutal, -and in either case often leads to the most disastrous results. - - [5] Dean Lefroy on _Christian Science_. - -This indictment is a serious one. But then the claims of Mrs. Eddy’s -supporters are so portentous that they cannot be lightly dismissed, -and we must not forget that, as the Bishop of Birmingham points out in -a letter printed further on in this volume, both the Church and the -medical profession have played into the hands of Christian Science by -ignoring the facts that Mrs. Eddy has been occupied in distorting. - -However much it may have been possible in the past for the doctor and -the parson in dealing with the less nervous, more easy-going type to -look upon him as composed of two distinct and separate parts, body -and spirit respectively, having no intimate relationship and amenable -to quite different influences, such a view of men and women is to-day -out of the question. To entertain it for a moment is to court failure. -Mind and matter act and react upon one another, and more than this, -without faith all human enterprise would be stultified. Faith plays no -less important a part in medical treatment than it does in the more -commonplace affairs of life. This aspect of the question cannot be -better expressed than it has been recently by Professor Osler.[6] - - [6] - - ‘_From the Regius Professor of Medicine, Oxford._ - - ‘_Nov. 18th, ’09._ - - ‘Dear Sir,-- - - ‘The question as you say bristles with difficulties, but no doubt - in the stirring of the pool healing in some form or another will be - the outcome. You are of course at liberty to use any writings of - mine.--Sincerely yours, - - W. Osler.’ - - -‘Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith--the one great moving -force which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the -crucible. Intangible as the ether, ineluctable as gravitation, the -radium of the moral and mental spheres, mysterious, indefinable, -known only by its effects, faith pours out an unfailing stream of -energy while abating nor jot nor tittle of its potency. Well indeed -did St. Paul break out into the well-known glorious panegyric, but -even this scarcely does justice to the Hertha of the psychical world, -distributing force as from a great storage battery, without money and -without price to the children of men.’ - -Three of its relations concern us here. The most active manifestations -are in the countless affiliations which man in his evolution has worked -out with the unseen, with the invisible powers, whether of light or -of darkness, to which from time immemorial he has erected altars and -shrines. To each one of the religions, past or present, faith has been -the Jacob’s ladder. Creeds pass; an inexhaustible supply of faith -remains, with which man proceeds to rebuild temples, churches, chapels, -and shrines. As Swinburne says in that wonderful poem, _The Altar of -Righteousness_: - - God by God flits past in thunder, till his glories turn to shades: - God to God bears wondering witness how his gospel flames and fades. - More was each of these, while yet they were, than man their servant seemed: - Dead are all of these, and man survives who made them while he dreamed. - -And all this has been done by faith, and faith alone. Christendom lives -on it, and countless thousands are happy in the possession of that most -touching of all confessions, ‘Lord! I believe; help Thou my unbelief.’ -But, with its Greek infection, the Western mind is a poor transmitter -of faith, the apotheosis of which must be sought in the religions of -the East. The nemesis of faith is that neither in its intensity nor in -its effects does man find any warrant of the worthiness of the object -on which it is lavished--the followers of Joe Smith, the Mormon, are as -earnest and believing as are those of Confucius! - -Again, faith is the cement which binds man to man in every relation -of life. Without faith in the Editor of the _Journal_ I would not -have accepted his invitation to write this brief note, and he had -confidence that I would not write rubbish. Personally I have battened -on it these thirty-six years, ever since the McGill Medical Faculty -gave me my first mount. I have had faith in the profession, the most -unbounded confidence in it as one of the great factors in the progress -of humanity; and one of the special satisfactions of my life has been -that my brethren have in many practical ways shown faith in me, often -much more than (as I know in my heart of hearts) I have deserved. I -take this illustration of the practical value of the faith that worketh -confidence, but there is not a human relationship which could not be -used for the same purpose. - -And a third aspect is one of very great importance to the question in -hand--a man must have faith in himself to be of any use in the world. -There may be very little on which to base it--no matter, but faith in -one’s powers, in one’s mission, is essential to success. Confidence -once won, the rest follows naturally; and with a strong faith in -himself a man becomes a local centre for its radiation. St. Francis, -St. Theresa, Ignatius Loyola, Florence Nightingale, the originator of -every cult or sect or profession, has possessed this infective faith. -And in the ordinary everyday work of the doctor, confidence, assurance -(in the proper sense of the word) is an asset without which it is -very difficult to succeed. How often does one hear the remark, ‘Oh! -he does not inspire confidence,’ or the reverse! How true it is, as -wise old Burton says: ‘That the patient must have a sure hope in his -physician. Damascen, the Arabian, requires likewise in the physician -himself that he be confident he can cure him, otherwise his physic will -not be effectual, and promise withal that he will certainly help him, -make him believe so at least. Galeottus gives this reason because -the form of health is contained in the physician’s mind, and as Galen -holds confidence and hope to be more good than physic, he cures most in -whom most are confident’; and he quotes Paracelsus to the effect that -Hippocrates was so fortunate in his cures not from any extraordinary -skill, but because ‘the common people had a most strong conceit of his -worth.’ - -Faith is indeed one of the miracles of human nature which science is -as ready to accept as it is to study its marvellous effects. When we -realise what a vast asset it has been in history, the part which it -has played in the healing art seems insignificant, and yet there is no -department of knowledge more favourable to an impartial study of its -effects; and this brings me to my subject--the faith that heals. - -Apart from the more specific methods to be dealt with faith has always -been an essential factor in the practice of medicine, as illustrated by -the quotations just given from Burton. Literature is full of examples -of remarkable cures through the influence of the imagination, which -is only an active phase of faith. The late Daniel Hack Tuke’s book, -‘The Influence of the Mind on the Body,’ is a storehouse of facts -dealing with the subject. ‘While in general use for centuries, one -good result of the recent development of mental healing has been to -call attention to its great value as a measure to be carefully and -scientifically applied in suitable cases. My experience has been that -of the unconscious rather than the deliberate faith healer. Phenomenal, -even what could be called miraculous, cures are not very uncommon. Like -others, I have had cases any one of which, under suitable conditions, -could have been worthy of a shrine or made the germ of a pilgrimage. -For more than ten years a girl lay paralysed in a New Jersey town. A -devoted mother and loving sisters had worn out lives in her service. -She had never been out of bed unless when lifted by one of her -physicians, Dr. Longstreth and Dr. Shippen. The new surroundings of a -hospital, the positive assurance that she could get well with a few -simple measures sufficed, and within a fortnight she walked round -the hospital square. This is a type of modern miracle that makes one -appreciate how readily well-meaning people may be deceived as to the -true nature of the cure effected at the shrine of a saint. Who could -deny the miracle? And miracle it was, but not brought about by any -supernatural means.’[7] - - [7] _British Medical Journal_, June 18, 1910. - -If, then, faith is so important an adjuvant to ordinary medical -treatment, we see at once that religion that stands for faith -in its highest and purest form should represent a tremendous -recuperative force. We have said that medicine and religion had become -estranged--the one given over to a rigid materialism, and the other so -busy with men’s souls that it forgot their bodies altogether. This book -is a humble attempt to bridge over the gulf. There is a great movement -that has its roots in history that is already written and that will go -on into the far distant future, around about us. It is a movement that -stands for Idealism and Optimism. It is the harmonising of all kinds -of human experience into one great philosophy. Scientific medicine is -coming to reconsider its position and to realise its responsibilities. -This synchronises with a broadening of the basis of Christian teaching. -Without abandoning any of the cardinal tenets of their faith, the -churches are coming to see that Christianity is a much more wonderful -truth than they had ever dreamed; and, instead of there being any -conflict between Christianity and science, science, like all work for -the good of humanity, must be an integral part of the Church’s service -to mankind. - -Medicine and religion had a common origin in pagan temples, and we -have already seen that in medieval times all such learning was the -monopoly of the monks. Healing by means of influence on the mind of -the patient is no newer a branch of the art than surgery or treatment -by drugs. History abounds with instances of cures effected at shrines -by means of relics, and by saints. Of all modern pilgrimage shrines -the one in the Pyrenees is by far the most famous. That cures actually -take place at the Grotto of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at -Lourdes is undeniable. The cases have been medically diagnosed and the -certificates may be examined in the Record Office at Lourdes where -such documents are preserved. Whether such cures differ in character -from other cures by what is termed suggestion is an open question. In -fairness to those who believe them to be due to the direct intervention -of the Almighty it is perhaps only right to give here the opinion -of Mr. Butlin, the President of the Royal College of Surgeons, who -recently said: - -‘When such cures take place in the presence of vast masses of people, -although it may be possible to explain all the steps through which -the emotion has produced the “cure,” how can we be surprised that the -people fall on their knees before God and bless His holy name for the -miracle which He has wrought? - -‘I defy anyone to read Zola’s story of the cure of Marie le Guersaint, -written by a sceptic (Zola’s “Lourdes”), without being moved by it and -without feeling convinced that all true Catholics who were present, -priests and people, with the unhappy exception of the Abbé Pierre -Froment, truly believed that Almighty God had been moved by the -intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception to display His -divine power by instantaneously restoring the health of the poor girl -who had lain paralysed upon a couch for seven years. In the eyes of -all who witnessed it, it was a miracle, for every medical man who had -seen her had, with one exception, believed her to be suffering from -a damaged spinal cord. There is therefore no excuse, in such a case -as this or in ninety-nine out of one hundred cases which are cured by -faith, to impute dishonesty and deliberate deception to the priests -and the people who proclaim such cures to be the work of God. From the -little I have seen of the priests actively engaged in the grotto at -Lourdes, I can feel no doubt that the most of them honestly believe -that the cures which they have seen are genuine. I would no more think -of accusing them of deliberate deception than I would accuse my own -relative of it.’[8] - - [8] _British Medical Journal_, June 18, 1910. - -We have spoken of a great movement, that tends to bring into closer -co-operation all human effort and to consecrate it to one ideal--the -service of mankind. - -We are here more particularly concerned with a smaller movement -that exists within the greater. It has made itself felt at Church -Conferences and at Medical Councils. It is a movement to bring the -medical profession and the Church into a closer practical connexion to -fight disease. That such an intimate co-operation is not only desirable -but possible, the thoughtful chapters contributed to this book by -eminent authorities go to show. As regards the general principle -underlying this joint work for the sick, the Archdeacon of London -recently gave expression to what would appear to be the feeling of the -leading ecclesiastics and foremost physicians in his charge to the -clergy of his archdeaconry in the following words: - -‘Religion and medical science should always co-operate, while the -ultimate responsibility must lie with the accredited physician.’ - -When the scheme for the present volume was drawn up over a year ago, -it was felt that some authoritative statement was needed to guide the -public in thinking out the topical questions of Spiritual Faith or -Mental Healing. There has, in recent years, been an endless series of -books issued from the European and American presses on this subject. -Some of these publications being obviously the hand-books of societies -whose name spelt their own condemnation, thinking people passed them -by, but, on the other hand, much literature of a very misleading -character has been placed on the market and purchased by many in the -belief that they were learning from it the official views either of the -Church or of the medical profession, or of both. The qualified medical -practitioners of this country do not lightly decide to give expression -to their views on therapeutics in books issued to the general public, -and whenever they circulate opinions it may be taken for granted that -they are the result of patient investigation of facts and of carefully -thought out conclusions deduced from those facts. If one may be allowed -to indicate in a general way the position taken up by the doctors who -have written for the following pages, it is one of scepticism towards -quasi-miraculous healing as a practical means of combating disease, but -at the same time it is an attitude of extreme cordiality towards the -minister of religion--in his capacity as a messenger of hope and expert -in peace of mind. Of all the weighty evidence that has been gathered -together to build up this book, the opinion of Sir Clifford Allbutt -forms no unimportant section. Few of us can escape sickness altogether, -and although some illnesses may be blessings in disguise, nevertheless -our desire for health is only second to our desire for life, and it -is right that it should be so. ‘The highest spiritual life depends on -the best bodily health,’ Sir Clifford Allbutt tells us. The Bishops at -Lambeth admitted with regret that ‘sickness has too often exclusively -been regarded as a cross to be borne with passive resignation, whereas -it should have been regarded rather as a weakness to be overcome by the -power of the spirit.’ That there exist potentialities of healing apart -from physic to-day no one can refute, but it is to be feared the Church -and the medical profession have much lost ground to recover, through -having in the past ignored those psychic forces that are now the object -both of scientific inquiry and of theological study. The marvellous -chemical discoveries of the past few years have revolutionised -scientific conceptions. New theories of matter and of energy are -being framed to explain the result of new researches. The wonders of -radio-activity have converted the scientist from a materialist who -believed in nothing unrevealed by test-tube or microscope, into an -idealist prepared to argue from the unseen to the seen. Just as there -are in the world of physical science forces whose existence we are only -now beginning to recognise and whose capabilities are still unknown -to us, there are undoubtedly psychic forces in man that are capable -of development, but of whose exact nature we at present are ignorant, -although we can trace their effects.[9] - - [9] The biologist who used to expect to discover the source of life - by dissection and analysis would be rather astonished at the modern - tendency among scientific men to substitute doctrines of ‘energies’ - for ‘atoms.’ As Dr. Putman has pointed out, the modern physicist - scarcely feels the need of atoms for the world of his conception. We - may even go a step further. ‘Energy’ is ‘immaterial,’ ‘consciousness’ - is ‘immaterial.’ May they not accordingly have a common denominator? - -‘In the case of vital truth ... it may be necessary for a writer to -say some hard things,’ but criticism, prompted by no petty spirit, -but by a noble desire to bring out the best, will never be resented -by right-minded people. Two great and noble professions are about to -make a combined attack on sickness and suffering. They have too great a -sense of their responsibility to enter upon such a campaign lightly. -Much counsel is needed before the allies can give battle. - -The respective spheres of action of the cleric and the doctor have to -be mapped out; so that all the efforts of the one may support and never -hamper the other. - -It will be seen that the medical contributors, not unreasonably, -seriously deprecate any attempt on the part of the minister of religion -to invade the province of medicine. Such intrusion is none the less -dangerous because it may be unintentional. All ‘treatment,’ whether it -be by means of drugs, surgery, or hypnotic suggestion, must necessarily -be a matter for the doctor and those working under his immediate -direction: and for them only. In so far as he may be concerned with -physical disabilities the priest must inevitably defer to the physician. - -At the same time the value of spiritual ministrations in sickness is -emphasised on every page of this book. - -‘Probably no limb, no viscus is so far a vessel of dishonour as to lie -wholly outside the renewals of the spirit,’ says Sir Clifford Allbutt. -But we may go further than this in certain directions. Remembering -that the health of mind and body are mutually dependent, and that -troublesome thoughts may bring sickness in their train, we see that -there may exist sicknesses that are not amenable to medical treatment -only. These are among the ills that the _British Medical Journal_ has -told us cannot be cured by pills and potions alone. - -Dr. Jane Walker writes pertinently on this, under the heading of ‘The -Relationship of Priest and Doctor to Patient.’ As she points out, when -a character has to be remoulded, it is the priest rather than the -doctor who can best help the patient. - -‘A true and philosophic religion raises the mind above incidental -emotionalism and gives stability,’ says Dr. Hyslop: this is the -stand-point adopted by all the eminent theologians who have written for -this book. - -Mental and physical pain is part of the evil in the world. It makes -a great difference, however--it may be all the difference between -sickness and health--whether we allow trouble to break down our -self-control and weaken our will, or whether we face it boldly with a -supreme serenity of spirit, strong in a knowledge of greater things. - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -PART II - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -II - - -In the course of gathering opinions from various authoritative sources -on the subject dealt with in this book, I received communications -from Sir Clifford Allbutt, the Hon. Sydney Holland, and a well-known -surgeon, which, though they do not constitute separate treatises, are -so important, not only in view of the distinction of the authors, but -of the broad survey of the subject that they afford, that I venture to -print them as part of the general introduction. - -In the case of Sir Clifford Allbutt’s paper I have supplemented it by -an important extract from one of his recent writings. - - -THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDICINE AND RELIGION - -The response you are good enough to desire can be but brief, crude, -and, I fear, too blunt; but I have not time for careful consideration. -I can only indicate a few points which occur to me offhand, and taking -much for granted. For instance, I must avoid any discussion of those -antinomies which meet us at every side of human conceptions, and be -content to accept the common uses. The chief of these (for the moment) -is that of the material and spiritual; without forgetting that they -melt at their borders the one into the other, and that we meet with -corresponding ambiguities, yet I must take them as distinct fields of -human life. In our interesting personal conversation you may remember -that I expressed the opinion that, on the whole, our prayers must not -be for material but for spiritual things. And, speaking on the whole, -sickness is a material thing. In the stories of our Lord’s miracles -it has always struck me that He regarded His miracles--I must use the -word for brevity--apologetically. The disciples were not to tell any -man of them; or again, a miracle was performed under a compelling sense -of the overwhelming faith of the pleader, which was the main thing. -Faith, prayer, were to be for the needs of the soul, not of the body. -For instance, the father seeing his child in diphtheria would please -God better--so the experience of His world tells us--by spending his -first hour in seeking the physician with his antidote rather than -in prayer for a divine intervention. And when time came for prayer -he would pray not for a suspension of natural law but for unity of -his own will with that of the Father, and for the child’s spiritual -welfare. Into the origin of evil do not fear that I shall enter; it -is one of the antinomies which I have said that we must avoid, at any -rate at present: I can only now say that disease is a material effect -to be combated by material means, and not by religious processions or -intercessions. - -This being my view, I would try to eliminate notions of the priest as -medicine man; they are essentially pagan, though to this day they more -or less unconsciously influence our thoughts on the present subject. - -But, it may be said, strange healings do take place under religious -influences; and this is true. And at no time in history were such -miraculous cures more frequent and wonderful than in the temples of -Aesculapius or of Serapis. Modern cures, whether of the Eddyites or at -Lourdes, or the like elsewhere, when compared with those of the Roman -Empire fall into insignificance. Now a careful study of all reported -cures of this miraculous or miraculoid kind, a study illustrated for -us many years ago by Charcot, proved to him, and proves to the expert -observers of to-day, that they all--palsies, convulsions and the rest, -often inveterate cases--are and have been cures of one disease, and of -one only, namely hysteria; a malady which in its protean manifestations -mocks all and any particular diseases. I say this of the genuine -cases; but the majority of such wonders recorded turn out on inquiry -(like the ‘Grimsby’ case) to be grossly exaggerated or wholly false. -The ‘miraculous cures’ then, so far as they are genuine, are cures -by suggestion: they take their place with cures of the same kind of -disorder by panic, such as an alarm of fire; by ‘hypnotism,’ or by -any other over-mastering impression which startles or transports the -balance of the bodily functions from one centre of equilibrium to -another higher and more stable one. - -So much for the ‘miracles’; which owe nothing to any sacerdotal magic, -and to the physician are part of a familiar experience, and of a -familiar interpretation. But giving up the hysterical cases--which, -by the way, is to give up a good deal--and admitting that disease is -in the body a material thing, and one not properly matter for the -pleading of prayer, except in the spiritual sense of submission to -the Divine order, between these positions is there a sphere in which -spiritual influences--whether by a clergyman or a Biblewoman or a -gentle friend--may so infuse peace and confidence into a sick man as -to promote even in the body a renewal, a conversion, or an economy of -energy which should make for recovery? Certainly; and here, I think, is -the restricted, if still important, sphere of religion as medical. - -To consider this aspect of the matter we must go back for a moment to -certain principles. From the letters of Teresa--that noble saint--we -may learn much of the greatest value to us in the present inquiry. -We may learn from her to distrust the ‘ecstasies and melancholies’ -which--as she said--were ‘the perils of conventual life’; she roundly -denounced all that ‘letting one’s self go, outside the control of -reason,’ which has its origin in ‘sick brains.’ - -‘If I were with you,’ she wrote to a certain Prioress, ‘you would -not have so many extraordinary experiences.’ Now Teresa not only -apprehended, but thoroughly understood, that the highest spiritual life -depends upon the best bodily health. She tells us that she supported -her own vigils with plenty of meat (_viande_) and sleep. High and -holy thought demands the greatest effort of the healthiest body, of -the brain most finely balanced and best nourished. The piety of the -sick-bed is at best a passive piety, which on recovery is pushed aside -again by the custom of the world; but herein it is that in sickness -the soul flags and droops upon itself, and that the support of other -sympathy is more precious. The sympathy we all depend on in health we -need most when enfeebled by ailment. There is no delusion more terrible -than that which lets a man run up a score of sins and negligences to be -repented of under the discouragement of a sick-bed. In this melancholy, -this debility, this disappointment, perhaps this remorse, energy is -wasted which is sorely required for the conflict with disease. And even -the man of religious life likewise--if in less degree, as one who has -accumulated more inward light--is also disheartened to perceive that -the fountains of spiritual contemplation are then less copious, and -aspiration a wearier effort. He too needs help, if not to make, yet -to reinforce, the happier conversations of his fuller life. In health -the mind in solitude droops and wastes, and the sick-bed is a kind -of solitude; the thousand and one stimulating impressions of common -life cease, the impressions wane which should keep the mind and soul -awake, and fill the wells of energy. On the sick-bed, therefore, -short times of encouragement and sympathy, periods not long enough to -exhaust the scanty stores of energy, are precious; and if the physician -be jealous--as it has been said--of the priest, it is lest he should -expend these stores more in priestly functions than in ‘angels’ visits’ -of love and hope which would unite and reinforce the vacillating and -fading forces. Thus also prayer at the bedside and the short communions -should be of love and hope, not particular requests for material relief -or cure. The kindly physician himself may be a vehicle of much of this -encouragement; but--as I said to you before--he should avoid even the -semblance of attending to anything beside his own business of material -aid and general human sympathy. The most pious patient, openly or -inwardly, resents the divided mind. The instinct of self-preservation -is not lost even in those nearest to God. - -So when all is said and done on this subject I fear that matters for -me remain much where they were before; but they may lead to a more -intimate understanding of the several parts of the spiritual and -the medical visitors, and to a completer sympathy between them. If -still it be urged that an imposing ceremony may, by a measure of the -‘suggestion’ so effective in the many-coloured hysteria, come to our -aid in more noxious maladies, if no more than on the fringe of them, I -should repeat that the advantage would be so indefinite, so relatively -small, and so well to be attained by ordinary spiritual visitation, as -not to be worth the peril of the moral perversion which hangs only too -closely around these good intentions, the peril of imposing upon, even -of bamboozling, the patient. We must remember the saying of Lavoisier, -‘Medicine came into the world with a twin brother, called charlatanism.’ - - Clifford Allbutt. - - * * * * * - -Extract from Sir Clifford Allbutt’s paper in the _British Medical -Journal_, June 18, 1910: - -‘Spiritual gifts may or may not consist in the insertion of a new -entity, they certainly do consist in a reanimation and remodelling of -thinking matter in the uppermost strands of the brain, and probably of -some other, perhaps even of all the other, molecular activities of the -body. Probably no limb, no viscus is so far a vessel of dishonour as -to lie wholly outside the renewals of the spirit; and to an infinite -intelligence every accession of spiritual life would be apparent -in a new harmony (συγγυμνασία) of each and all of the metabolic -streams and confluences of the body. On this conviction it is that -the hopes and methods of faith healing depend. Conversely, every man -who watches his own life must know this, as in time of weariness -or pain he grieves over the drooping of his soul, that the highest -spiritual life depends on the highest bodily health; but this health -means, not health only of the belly, not only health of the heart -and common brain, but also of the rarest and most exquisite textures -of the cerebral web. If in a rude health of the grosser body these -subtlest parts have not been exercised and cherished, the total harmony -is diminished; highly efficient as, on lower planes, the particular -body may be, it is defective in comprehensions, it is an inconsummate -body. To this “materialism” of the body, even on its most spiritual -planes of structure, we must not close our eyes lest in our search -beyond knowledge we walk contrary to knowledge. “To pray well,” said -the noble Teresa, “one must eat well and sleep well.” If into the last -analysis the Pauline division between the carnal and the spiritual -cannot be carried, if under the relations of other times and of other -ideas we have to re-interpret it, yet still in its broader contrasts -it points out a plain way of life and conduct--one so plain that the -perplexities of the middle terms may be left to the casuist. - -‘It must be granted then, in respect of faith healing, that spiritual -influences, divine directly, or indirectly through human mediation, -may to some unknown power radiate from these highest currents downward -through the more and more “material” planes, arousing them less and -less as they have become more and more statical in order. - -‘Once more; it is said that in his “subliminal self” man possesses a -substance peculiarly divine, or a substance or means through which -we may reach divine communion, or through which especially divine -purposes may be fulfilled in us. It is true that we do not know even -approximately the content of the individual man, the materials racially -and personally acquired, the products of past experience, racial and -personal, built sensibly and insensibly into his personality. May we -not each of us be compared with a ship which began its voyage with no -inconsiderable rudimentary equipment, then, calling at many a port, has -gathered many kinds of stores and treasure? Of some of these stores, of -some variety of them, the supercargo has a recollection, especially of -those in frequent use; but, for the most part, the bills of lading had -been lost. Unlike a cargo, however, these contents are not a passive -burden, but a system of coefficients; some on planes which we commonly -call material, some on spiritual planes, some working on the surface, -some working stealthily within; so that much tact and insight are -necessary to unveil and to re-animate those agencies in whose abeyance -disorder or ineffectualness may happen to consist. And the influences -which are to effect these revivals must be akin in nature to these -kinds respectively; some must be solidly material--such as splints -or drugs--some must be religious, moral, and even intellectual, yet -inspired by emotion, by appeal to hope and joy; and their instruments -must be devotion, sympathy, gladness, reasonable persuasion, and even -surprise.’ - - -RELIGION AND MEDICINE IN THE HOSPITAL - -No one who has been connected with one of our big general hospitals -can doubt for a moment the advisability of the collaboration of the -physician and the clergyman, each helping the patient from his own -standpoint. It must not be imagined that I advocate any usurping of -the duties of one by the other, but in the cure of certain types of -disease, and certainly in the cure of diseases that are primarily -diseases of mind or character, the doctor should welcome the minister -of religion as a valuable ally. In fact none can doubt that the -minister of religion can bring a power to bear on the mind of a -patient, which the doctor cannot. - -Whatever his own personal belief may be, the medical man can of course -only view religion from a philosophic or ethical stand-point. It is -difficult for him to concern himself with dogma. The clergyman can -help by administering suggestions of hope and encouragement. These -suggestions can and do often come from other sources with equal -results, but I think by virtue of his office the clergyman is specially -qualified for the work. - -There can be no doubt that cures of certain kinds of diseases have -been effected by Christian Science and kindred faith-healing cults, -all of which cures come under the head of healing by suggestion. I do -not think that healing disease by suggestion is specially a Christian -work, it can be achieved in many ways. But I think the average medical -man likely to be more willing to seek the aid of a duly accredited -minister of religion than a so-called ‘Spiritual Healer’ who is subject -to no authority. But above and beyond all this I think the quieting -and encouraging influences of religion are of the greatest value in all -illness, and I believe a greater use might be made of such power. - - Sydney Holland. - - -THE SURGEON, THE CLERGYMAN, AND THE PATIENT - -Possibly the gravest shock that a human being may receive, so far as -it concerns himself or herself, is to be told that fatal disease is -present in the system. So great may be the actual shock that many a -medical practitioner shrinks from inflicting it, and purposely avoids -direct allusion to the certainty of dissolution. Whether this is -justifiable or no, depends very largely upon the susceptibilities of -the patient and the tact of the doctor. But the word ‘operation’ is, by -some, almost as much dreaded as the word ‘death’; in fact even more, -as it always implies to the lay mind the infliction of hours of pain, -and days of discomfort, though this is far from being the truth in most -instances. - -‘Rather let me die than make me undergo an operation’ is the not -infrequent remark of the highly-strung sufferer. And then comes in all -the sympathy, tact, and good breeding of the surgeon. He will gently -explain matters, will show how the disease is such that nothing short -of removal of the growth holds out the least chance of life or the -avoidance of later severe pain, and will state, what is the truth, -that the operation, short and sharp, will give years of freedom from -suffering even if it does not completely remove all trace of the -trouble. How bewildered the patient will feel! He has been hoping -against hope that his malady is only a slight one, and that it may be -‘dispersed’ by some magic of physic, and now his hopes have been rudely -mocked and shattered. Surely here, if ever, help from an outside source -is needed and should be welcomed. But such help must be rational, based -on truth, and fearing not the consequences. - -Supposing the disease is cancer, what awaits him if the sufferer flies -to the quack and is befooled till all hope of successful treatment -is gone? Or rushes to the Christian Scientist, who, with seeming -_bona fides_, avers there is no such thing as a cancer cell! The -eye that has seen it a hundred times under the microscope, and can -recognise it amongst a hundred other varieties, does not exist in the -purblind conception of such a ‘Scientist,’ for the cell is matter, -it cannot exist, and neither for the same reasoning, if consistency -is maintained, can the eye which sees the cell exist, for it also is -material. - -And still as the growth increases there is the lurking certainty ever -protruding itself that after all the surgeon was right, and the days -are slipping by. Would that friends could be true and friends indeed, -and not in ignorance hinder these circumstances, not mere blind leaders -of the blind. - -It is here if anywhere the enlightened clergyman and the surgeon may -join hands for the good of spirit and body. And then when a decision -has been arrived at calmly and deliberately, and the time of the -operation has been fixed, there is still work for both the minister -and the surgeon to do. A quiet talk and prayer the evening before the -ordeal, how it has often soothed the trembling soul, and invoked a -night of rest and refreshment, enabling the patient to meet the trials -of the morning calm, because mentally and physically there has been -repose. - -And the surgeon with his cheering word, and the anæsthetist with his -quiet reassuring manner and conversation, both tend to allay any fresh -alarm at that which is perhaps the most trying moment of all--the -placing oneself unreservedly in the hands of the operator. - -Surely, surely here is a period when the efforts of the spiritual are -to crown the success of the material. - -And then, observe how the quiet and confidence, engendered by the -combined efforts of pastor and doctor, continue during convalescence, -causing that period to be shortened in many a case. - -In a hundred different ways members of the two professions may work -hand in hand, but each should be able to mutually esteem the other and -give to each his proper place and function. They ought never to despise -one another, because they ought never to encroach on one another’s -province. - -Till the clergyman recognises that it is his duty to understand -something of elementary physiology, if he is going to be a benefactor -to spirit and body, and the medical practitioner is willing to admit -that there are spiritual forces which can be brought to help the -perfection of his work, so long is it the opinion of the writer that -the sufferer who looks to both of them for aid will fail to receive -his full due of assistance. May the time soon come when the rising -generation of all classes may be so taught at school, and in church, -that they will come to understand something of the composition and need -of the tripartite nature of man, and may the day speedily dawn when the -enlightened clerical and medical professions mutually work for the good -of the whole, spirit, soul and body. - - F.R.C.S. - - - - -MEDICINE AND RELIGION - -BY - -CHARLES BUTTAR, M.D. - -SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE HARVEIAN SOCIETY - - - - -MEDICINE AND RELIGION - -BY CHARLES BUTTAR, M.D. - - -Widespread interest has been taken of late in what is called ‘Spiritual -Healing,’ or ‘Healing by Spiritual means’; interest which is manifest -from the popularity of such books as ‘Religion and Medicine,’ and -‘Body and Soul,’ no less than from the thoughtful articles contributed -to this volume by many eminent authorities. Yet it may be observed -that, although some of these contributors belong to the profession of -medicine, it is doubtful if many medical men are acquainted with the -objects and purpose of Spiritual Healing, and probably few of them -regard the movement seriously. It is unwise, however, to adopt an -attitude of indifference towards the aspirations of earnest men, so -that it seems well to attempt to define the position of medicine with -regard to such methods of healing, to investigate the cures alleged, -to utter some warning as to possible dangers, and to inquire how far -the results justify the movement, and to what extent it is possible -to adapt the processes of Spiritual Healing to recognised forms of -treatment. - -Spiritual Healing has been hailed with enthusiasm by certain members -of the Church of England, under the impression that it constitutes a -resumption of the early powers of Christianity as evidenced in the -miracles of healing ascribed to Christ and His Apostles. A theological -discussion as to the possibility of miracles occurring at the present -day is outside the scope of this article, but it would be well to -define the standpoint from which the medical man approaches all -investigations connected with disease. - -The researches of scientists are conducted by the methods of -observation, experiment, and induction; it is the medical man’s duty -to observe symptoms, to experiment as to their cause, to investigate -possible remedies, and to apply these to the relief or cure of disease. -In recent times much has been done towards elucidating the influences -of mind upon body and its diseases; but so far questions connected with -the Spirit have been regarded as outside the scope of medicine. - -The minister of religion, on the other hand, has been content hitherto -to leave questions of physical health to be dealt with by the doctor; -he has not interfered to any extent in mental questions, and his chief -concern has been with what is called the ‘Spirit.’ It would seem a -little difficult to define the attributes of Spirit, or to draw a -sharp line of division between spirit and mind; but, however this may -be, spirit has usually been considered as opposed to matter, and no -influence over the material diseases of the body has been ascribed -to it. Whatever views the Church may have held as to the miracles -of healing mentioned in the New Testament, she has to some extent -kept them in the background; and it is possible that they might have -remained there, but for the success obtained by certain irrational -cults that have sprung into being, with the object apparently of -abolishing both parson and doctor. The foundation on which all these -sects are based would seem to be a passage in the Epistle of St. James, -chap. v. verses 14, 15, which reads as follows: ‘Is any sick among you? -let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, -anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith -shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.’ - -Again this is no place to go into theological discussions, such as -whether ‘elder’ can be taken to mean ‘priest,’ the views to be held -on anointing with oil, and so on. But it may be suggested incidentally -that the term ‘elder’ is hardly likely to be accepted by either the -Church or the medical profession as applicable to a person untrained -both in theology and in medicine, whose claim to authority rests on his -own assertion, and whose methods are only too liable to drift into what -is known as ‘quackery.’ Even the Peculiar People, who rely upon the -same text in support of their tenets, retain, I believe, some meaning -of authority in the word ‘elder’; and their position seems logically -sounder than that of the believer in a self-styled ‘Spiritual Healer.’ - -As regards the procedure of the Spiritual Healer, it would appear to -consist in laying hands on the affected part of the body, at the same -time offering up extempore prayers of a very impassioned character for -the recovery of the sick. The treatment takes place in as impressive -surroundings as possible, and at times a priest is called in to anoint -the patient with oil. It is doubtful to what extent the practitioners -of Spiritual Healing claim what are called ‘special powers’; but it -seems certain that the possession of these powers is sometimes alleged. -Unlike the Christian Scientist, the Spiritual Healer does not despise -medical assistance, though it is probable that at the present time his -treatment is sought chiefly by those to whom medical methods can offer -no further hope of cure. - -It has been indicated already that the first great difficulty -experienced by a medical man, in discussing such a treatment as -Spiritual Healing, is the definition of terms. Accustomed to deal with -more or less concrete facts, a doctor has some sort of mental picture -of an infectious disease, as the reaction of the physical body to the -invasion of a germ or its poison; he can see and feel a tumour, and -determine its relation to anatomical structures, though he may not know -as yet the cause of its growth; he has learnt by experience the results -of the removal of new growths. - -In the region of the mind also he has investigated many phenomena; he -is able to attribute many insane states to toxic influences; he has -studied to some extent diseases known as ‘functional’--a class that is -becoming numerically less with the advance of knowledge; but he is not -able to grasp to the same extent the meaning of the word ‘Spirit.’ The -medical man recognises in many cases the influence of the temperament -or character of the patient upon the course of the disease, and would -prefer to treat one who takes a hopeful view of the future; just as he -desires quiet cheerful surroundings, and the avoidance of conditions -that tend to irritate or depress. In so far as the ‘Spiritual’ attitude -of the patient conduces to his peace of mind, its assistance would -be welcomed by every practitioner of the healing art. But to regard -this ill-defined attitude as not only influencing the character of the -patient, but also as having a direct effect on all the ailments to -which the body is subject, is a view that can hardly be accepted so -readily. For example, it would seem to be inconceivable that Spirit -could have the slightest influence on a parasitic skin disease such as -ringworm. - -This is an instance of a simple ailment due to a local extrinsic cause. -Numerous other conditions might be mentioned, such as congenital -malformation, aneurysms, valvular affections of the heart, and -strangulated hernia in which curative influence of the Spirit is -difficult to imagine. Even if a single well-authenticated miracle in a -case of any of these affections could be produced, we should still be -met by many difficulties; such as the question why a solitary sufferer, -possibly not highly distinguished for his spiritual attributes, should -be selected for the manifestation of this power. And all rational -people would admit that the occurrence of such a miracle in a case -of strangulated hernia would not justify other patients in postponing -operation in the hope of a repetition of this bloodless cure. - -Thus there are limitations to the field of operation of Spiritual -Healing. - -In view, however, of the hopes raised amongst many good Christians -that the Church may take part once more in healing the sick, everyone -would wish to avoid offending the susceptibilities of enthusiastic -and religious people. Still it is by members of the Church that the -question of Spiritual Healing has been brought forward, so that -it should be for the Church to define her meaning and wishes. In -the nature of things it seems impossible to define ‘Spirit’; and, -perhaps, it would be wiser not to attempt the impossible, nor to -endeavour to yoke spiritual forces to purely material conditions such -as bodily diseases. But if certain cases are produced as cures by -spiritual means, and if the co-operation of the medical profession -is desired in investigating such cures, the Church must be prepared -to accept scientific methods of inquiry, methods which do not permit -of assumptions except as tentative explanations, to be given up when -they fail to explain phenomena, or when they are replaced by simpler -explanations. - -If it should appear that the results of Spiritual Healing are -attributable to ordinary activities of the human mind, and that no -difference exists between cures by this means and those resulting from -ordinary mental influences of the nature of ‘suggestion,’ then the -Church must be prepared to abandon all miraculous explanations in these -cases. From the medical point of view the main thing to be insisted -upon is that all alleged cures must be submitted to the ordinary -examination by observation, experiment, and induction. - -At the present time the whole question of Spiritual Healing is in so -nebulous a condition that it is not easy to obtain suitable cases -for investigation. Much has been said and written on the matter; -comparisons have been made with the cures said to be effected at -Lourdes; even the Venerable Bede has been quoted as an authority on -medicine. But when a request is presented for the production of actual -cases for investigation by trained medical men, it is found that the -sources of supply are few and very limited. - -An examination of some of these cases appears to reveal the fact that -so far no actual cure of any definite gross organic disease can be -recorded. It must be remembered that to avoid any loophole for error -the requirements of a really scientific investigation are somewhat -severe. In the first place the diagnosis of the disease must be -absolutely certain. This frequently necessitates microscopical or -bacteriological examination. A medical man is not always infallible in -his opinion of cases; and it may happen that a condition that has been -thought to be cancer turns out to be merely a comparatively harmless -inflammatory thickening. Such a condition might have recovered by -natural processes without any treatment; to attribute such recovery to -any particular treatment that the patient might be undergoing at the -time would be rash; to use such a case as an advertisement for that -treatment would be dishonest. - -In the second place, a fair comparison must be made between the results -obtained by the method under investigation, and by other means of -treatment. Warts may disappear rapidly under many forms of treatment, -or with no treatment at all. To attribute the disappearance of warts to -Spiritual Healing would be very unsafe argument. - -Thirdly, a careful distinction must be drawn between the cure of a -disease and the relief of subjective symptoms. - -It is in this matter of subjective symptoms that Spiritual Healing -appears to have obtained the greater part of whatever success it can -boast. There is some evidence that under this treatment pain may be -relieved, and there is little doubt that patients attain a calmer, -happier and more confident frame of mind, however hopeless their -disease may be. Their outlook on life is improved, their thoughts are -directed into other channels, and the pain is forgotten, or hindered -from rising into consciousness. - -Yet there are certain dangers connected with the process, to which -attention should be called. It is well to remember that, in cases such -as incurable cancer, false hopes are being raised, and the patient -is deluded into a vain belief that he will recover. How far this is -justifiable is a matter for philosophical discussion; moreover it -is true that most doctors allow their patients to delude themselves -with the same vain hopes. Still, it might be better that ministers of -religion should strive for the spiritual welfare of their charges, -rather than help directly to maintain these delusions as to physical -conditions. - -More important still is the possibility that treatment, that might be -effective in the early stage of a disease, may be postponed until too -late, in order that a trial may be given to Spiritual Healing. It is -all very well to say that ordinary medical means are recognised and -that the follies of the Peculiar People and of the Christian Scientist -will be avoided; but it must be remembered that a literal reading of -the text of St. James undoubtedly may suggest to a deeply religious -person that medical methods are of minor importance. ‘The Prayer of -Faith shall save the Sick’: is it not possible that the sufferer may -possess a grain of that faith that will remove mountains? And in -the end that small focus of malignant disease, that might have been -eradicated by the surgeon’s knife, has extended and disseminated itself -until all hope of cure is gone. And such results are more likely to -follow while this treatment remains in the hands of untrained laymen. -There is great danger that an earnest person, with limited knowledge -both of theology and of medicine, may come to regard himself as -superior to theologian and physician, owing to the fervour of his -faith, combined possibly with a belief that he is endowed with special -powers. It is on practical points such as these that the medical man -is entitled to expect an expression of the views of the Church; and in -this connexion it is permissible to hope that in the examination of -‘special powers’ the authorities of the Church will be content to be -sceptics, in the true sense of the word, until irrefutable proofs of -the possession of these powers are produced. - -In attempting to inquire how far the results obtained by Spiritual -Healing justify the movement, the medical man is met by the difficulty -that exists in obtaining evidence. It is true that there is a Society -whose objects are stated thus: - -1. For the cultivation, through spiritual means, of both personal and -corporate health. - -2. For the restoration to the Church of the Scriptural practice of -Divine Healing. - -3. For the study of the influence of Spiritual upon Physical well-being. - -Investigation of the literature published by this Society does not -throw much light on the methods by which these objects are pursued. -A pamphlet entitled ‘The Principles of Spiritual Healing’ seemed to -arouse hopes of elucidating the problem. Yet the author says, ‘I do -not know how “life” is affected by spiritual means, I observe that it -is so.’ There is no attempt to define spiritual means. Again, it is -asserted that no one will ever find, at meetings of the Society, a -parade of successful cases. Is the statement, then, of members of the -Society to be the only evidence vouchsafed to inquirers? And how far is -the second object of the Society to be carried? It must be remembered -that the Scriptural practice of Divine Healing was unassociated with -the ordinary medical treatment. In ‘The Principles of Spiritual -Healing’ it is asserted that miracles of healing did not cease; they -have only become less frequent because faith is less intense. The -second object of the Society is to restore to the Church this practice -of healing; and it is difficult to see how the dangers suggested -earlier in this article are to be avoided. - -The fact of the matter is, that it is useless to attempt to adapt -the processes of Spiritual Healing to recognised forms of treatment, -until the exponents of the method cease to soar on the wings of the -imagination, and descend instead to the more prosaic levels of reason. -Nevertheless, there is no doubt that theologians equally earnest, but -far more rational than the founder of the Society to which reference -has been made, are anxious that something should be done by the Church -to assist in the work of restoring the sick to health. These men do -not aspire to work the miracles of Christ and the Apostles by laying -on hands and anointing with oil, but they wish to retain for the -Church some portion of the command ‘Preach the Gospel; heal the sick.’ -This wish is entitled to respectful consideration by the medical -profession, and most certainly will receive it from broad-minded -medical men. But inasmuch as the trained physician must be paramount -in his own province of mental and bodily disease, it is the duty of -the minister of religion to recognise that he is subservient in purely -physical matters of health. By all means let him visit those of his own -faith who are sick. Let his object be to inspire these patients with -hope, directing the sufferer’s thoughts away from his disease to higher -things. The laying on of hands and the anointing with oil may well be -dangerous, unless used in a purely symbolic sense; for in the minds of -the more ignorant such proceedings tend to occupy the same position as -the treatment for King’s Evil in former times; and admirable though -the spirit of reverence may be, it is not good to attribute miraculous -powers to the object revered. - -Therefore, let the clergyman be content, for the present, to leave -the untrained practice of methods of suggestion to quacks; and -investigation of so-called cures to the medical profession. At the same -time, let the medical man avail himself of the services of the minister -of religion in cases in which exhortation is likely to be of use; for -in the field of functional nervous conditions, and slight mental -disturbances, the help of a priest of forceful character, reasonably -controlled, may be of great service. - -In concluding this article a summary of the suggestions offered for -consideration may be made: - -(1) The main function of the minister of religion should be concerned -with what is called the spiritual side of man, and not with purely -material conditions, such as disease. - -(2) If ministers regard the Scriptures as imposing upon them duties -in healing the sick, they should be content to be subservient to -the physician in material conditions that are not included in their -training. - -(3) In dealing with phenomena as specific as diseases, the Church -must be prepared to accept scientific explanations. It is useless to -complain of the materialism of doctors in connexion with material -physical disorders. - -(4) It is not unlikely that the effects of spiritual healing will prove -to be merely results of a form of suggestion. - -(5) Results that can be described as curative will be found, probably, -only in what are known as functional and neurotic conditions. - -(6) It is most unwise to countenance untrained laymen in carrying on -spiritual healing in the name of the Church; for in the end the Church -may find herself dragged at the heels of quackery. - -(7) While much can be done by ministers of religion in encouraging -sufferers from disease, or in distracting the attention of -neurasthenics, and while such assistance should be welcomed by medical -men, yet the Church should beware of attempting to attract believers -by means of thaumaturgic displays of healing, which are open to -explanation in other ways. The Church should not enter into competition -with bone-setters, osteopaths, physical culture quacks, and other -undesirable persons. - -(8) Opinion on so-called ‘special powers’ should be suspended until -alleged instances of their existence have been thoroughly investigated -by competent trained experts. - - - - -THE PATIENT - -BY - -STEPHEN PAGET, F.R.C.S. - - - - -THE PATIENT - -BY STEPHEN PAGET, F.R.C.S. - - -The Bishop of Birmingham wrote to me, last year, the following letter. -He gave me leave to publish it in the second edition of a book of mine -about Christian Science: and he gives me leave to publish it again here: - -‘... I should wish to make a little more of your admissions as to -Mental Therapeutics. Thus--If, as you admit, there are so many -functional disorders; and they are curable by mental influences; and -religion is a great mental influence; and this influence (“Quietism”) -is much needed in such and other cases--I should demand of the Church -that it should recognise, far more explicitly, this field of legitimate -curative power, and control it, and claim it by showing the power to -use it. The neglect of this sphere of influence by the Church plays -into the hands of Christian Science. (All this could be associated with -the revival of unction.) - -‘Also, I think the medical profession likes--in public--to ignore all -this, and thus in its turn plays into the hands of pseudo-theology. -My criticism is that I want your “admissions” made the basis of a more -positive claim both on the Church and on the medical profession. - -‘My own experience in the case of well-to-do people when sick or -dying is that the medical profession is very much inclined to exclude -religion in any form from sick beds till it cannot be of any use. -I do most seriously want to reform (1) the Church, (2) the medical -profession, in the light of what you admit.’ - -This wise letter says all, to my thinking, that need be said as to -the duty of the doctor towards the cleric, and the duty of the cleric -towards the doctor. It says not a word about the signs and wonders -alleged by the Society of Emmanuel in London: and I hope that Dr. Gore, -by his silence, condemns them, as not worthy of credence. I hope, also, -and am sure, that in a few years we shall hear less about that Society. -Meanwhile, I should like to say something about one aspect of this -matter of ‘spiritual healing,’ which has not received so much attention -as it deserves. We have heard all about the cleric, all about the -doctor: and we are in danger, I think, of forgetting the patient. We -have been tempted to believe that the patient, somehow, belongs to the -cleric and the doctor. That we may clear our minds of this mistake, -let us put ourselves in the patient’s place. Most of us, I suppose, -know that place: I have been there half a dozen times. It is the -centre of a great planetary system of kind people. Home love, and the -affection of my friends, and the pleasant goodwill of the servants, and -the wisdom and the gentleness of doctors and of nurses, and all prayers -for my recovery, wheeled round me, each in its appointed course. There -I lay, and was watched, like a big baby: and these activities of the -spiritual life encircled me, day and night, till I got better. The -point is, that it all came naturally to everybody. It was the habit -of the home, it was our usual way of doing things. My friends did not -suddenly begin to care for me: the doctors and the nurses did not -suddenly begin to be gentle: the maids were not stung by the splendour -of a sudden thought for my comfort: the use of prayer on my behalf was -nothing new. Everybody was kind to me, because everybody in the house -always is kind to me. They made me comfortable, and one prayed for me, -because they are always making me comfortable, and one daily prays for -me. All of us, except myself, were doing what we always do: and I was -being what I always am. - -Illness, nine times out of ten, no more changes a man than sleep and -exercise change him. As by a long sleep, or a long day in the open air, -we gain tranquillity, insight, and self-judgment, so, by an illness, -we gain, if we will, a like measure of self-improvement. The same good -thoughts come to us, as we lie idle in a sick-bed, which come to us as -we lie idle, in holiday time, on a hillside. An illness, apart from its -drawbacks, is in reality a sort of holiday, a dull but not unprofitable -vacation, something halfway between a real holiday and what religious -people call a retreat. There is no sudden change in the patient’s -mind and outlook: only, there is more inlook, more self-doubt, more -quietness of vision. - -One day, I shall put myself in the patient’s place, and not come out -of it: I shall not get well, but die. On that occasion, the love, -sympathy, goodwill, medical attendance, and prayers, will be the same -as before. They will swing round me once more, each in its proper -sphere, these familiar angels and ministers of grace defending me. But, -as I begin to stop, so they will begin to stop. It will become absurd, -for my friends to call and ask after me; absurd, for the household to -devise plans for my comfort; absurd, for the doctors to try to feel -what is left of my pulse; absurd, for anybody to pray for my recovery. -Spiritual processes are blessed with plenty of common-sense: they leave -off, when it becomes downright foolishness to go on. Let them leave -what remains of me, and start again round another centre. - -They who desire, extravagantly, to put ‘spiritual healing’ among the -methods of the Christian ministry, seem to me to be losing sight of -this fact, that common-sense is an essential part of the spiritual -life. Common-sense tells me, that as I was intended to live, so I -am intended to die. I cannot see any reason, human or divine, why I -should live to old age, and die of that. I would rather not: anyhow, -I see no reason why I should. God, who brought me into the world by -my mother’s pain, will some day put me out of the world, by my own -pain. He is in no sense more on the side of life than on the side of -death. I have been looking at the ‘Order for the Visitation of the -Sick’ in the Prayer-book and I am quite sure that nobody now could -write anything half so sensible or so majestical.... _Know this, that -Almighty God is the Lord of life and death, and of all things to them -pertaining, as youth, strength, health, age, weakness, and sickness. -Wherefore, whatsoever your sickness is, know you certainly, that it is -God’s visitation._ And the prayer for a sick child, also, seems to me -a very sensible and beautiful piece of writing. I find, also, a prayer -for a sick person, ‘when there appeareth small hope of recovery.’ I -have heard it read over one at the point of death, when there was no -hope at all of recovery. ‘We know,’ it says, ‘that, if Thou wilt, -Thou canst even yet raise him up.’ I hope that I shall not, when I am -dying, hear this phrase. It rings false, to my thinking: it offends -the natural dignity of a dying man. We doctors are blamed, now and -again, for not telling the truth to patients hopelessly ill: but here -is the Prayer-book, at the last moment, hardly more straightforward. -All the same, this Order for the Visitation of the Sick is admirable; -and I desire to contrast it with the following instance, how Christian -Science treats the dying: - -‘Mrs. ---- is a widow, and an old friend of mine. In February 1905, -her only child, a boy of eleven, was in the last stage of a hopeless -illness--mitral valvular heart disease, with rheumatism and dropsy. I -had an opportunity of a few minutes’ talk with the Christian Science -“practitioner”--a sweet, gentle, earnest woman--and asked her if -she really thought she would do any good. “Oh yes,” she replied, -with a smile of confidence; “I have never known a failure.” “But,” I -suggested, “the boy is very seriously ill:” and I explained the nature -of his complaint. Still confidently smiling, the practitioner replied, -“We have had worse cases than this.” I told her the best medical advice -had been taken, and the doctors had all given the boy up. Upon which -the lady remarked, with gentle emphasis, “_God_ has not given him up.” -That of course was conclusive, and I left her to do her best. I went -away at ten o’clock, and then the Scientist seated herself by the -patient, read to him from the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s book, and exhorted -him in some such language as this: “You must not think you are ill, my -dear little boy. You are _not_ ill: you _can’t_ be ill. God would not -make you ill. He made all things good, but not illness”--and so on, -and so on. The boy, I am told, heard her patiently but wearily, and at -one-thirty he died. Then the practitioner gathered up her books and -papers and went away, and that is the end of the story.’ - -Here we have Christian Science in a favourable light: all the same, it -is not a pleasant picture, these falsehoods told to a dying child. If -it be not true that God ‘makes illness,’ and if it be not true that God -‘gives us up,’ then I attach no meaning at all to that Name. - -Let us put ourselves at that point of the case where there appeareth -small hope of recovery. The doctors have given the patient up. God, -in their opinion, has done the same. The cleric will not say that, -not in so many words: _Yet_, he says, _forasmuch as in all appearance -the time of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and prepare him, we -beseech Thee, against the hour of death, that after his departure -hence in peace, and in Thy favour, his soul may be received into Thine -everlasting Kingdom_. The cleric does not pray for the patient’s -recovery. He does not expect anything to happen, save the patient’s -death. He will not point-blank deny the possibility of a miracle: but -he neither asks for anything to happen, nor, so far as I can see, wants -anything to happen: he only cares to be sure that the patient, who is -fast going, shall go the right way. - -It is here, on this edge of time between life and death, that the -professional spiritual healer loves to perform. He desires to make -something happen: he will not take it for granted that nothing will -happen. - -His position is logical, and may be held in absolute sincerity. Only, -he is bound to tell us what, in his experience, does happen: and he is -bound to tell us of every case of failure, or partial failure. And we -are bound to examine, test, cross-examine, criticise, analyse, watch, -and almost spy upon every scrap of his work; and that in a spirit of -hard and well-nigh brutal indifference to his belief in himself as a -channel of divine intervention. What else does he expect of us? What -else are we here for? - -Among a pile of letters and pamphlets on my table is a tract called -‘New Eyes in answer to Prayer.’ It gives the case of Mr. Evison, of -Grimsby. He had something the matter with his eyes. At last, ‘while -walking out with a friend one day, I put my hand in my pocket for -something, and dropped it on the ground: on stooping down to pick it -up, the remaining pieces of my eyes dropped out of their sockets on to -the ground. They were about the size of the kernel of a nut.’ So he -went to a ‘Divine Healing Home,’ where he was anointed with oil in the -name of the Lord. Ten days later, as he was praying in his bedroom, he -felt two warm fingers touch his empty sockets, and they became warm. -Later, at a prayer meeting, his eyes ‘came wide open,’ and he saw -perfectly. Next day he testified to his recovery; and, says the tract, -‘When this testimony was given by Mr. Evison, there were fifty-seven -cases of blindness restored in answer to prayer.’ - -I feel sure that the writer of this tract thought that he was telling -the truth. And I am no less sure that a great deal of ‘spiritual -healing’ is just as worthless, just as untrue, as these Grimsby -miracles. Till the alleged wonders of spiritual healing, and its -unpublished failures, have been all submitted to keen scrutiny, and to -every severest and most searching test that can be devised in science, -nobody who knows anything about pathology can take much interest in -them. So I come back to the Bishop of Birmingham’s wise eirenicon. - -It is a great pity that the work of the cleric and the work of the -doctor should ever clash; for they are ordained (the Prayer-book again) -for the mutual society, help, and comfort that the one ought to have of -the other. Only, if they are to be friends in ministering to the sick -and the dying, they must be friends always. If, in social life, they -do not get on well together, they will not work together well in the -sick-room. If the doctor makes stupid jokes against religion, and the -cleric doses his parishioners with quack medicines; if the doctor is -dull to the wonders of faith, and the cleric is dull to the wonders of -science: if neither has the grace to recognise and honour and openly -praise the good works of the other--how shall they adjust themselves, -in the presence of impending death, who thus waste the opportunities of -daily life? - - - - -THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND DOCTOR TO PATIENT - -BY - -JANE WALKER, M.D. - -PHYSICIAN, NEW HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN - - - - -THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND DOCTOR TO PATIENT - -BY JANE WALKER, M.D. - - -In considering the subject of Religion and Medicine, we shall be helped -by looking back to the beginnings of things, when people first realised -that illnesses existed, and that certain of them were curable. They -knew nothing of internal anatomy or physiology, nothing of the origin -and treatment of disease, nothing of its infectious, communicable -character. The treatment, or, at any rate, the healing of disease, -must have been by means of what seemed to be mental influences in -those early ages. Why, our very word ‘Influenza,’ revived within -comparatively recent years, shows how vaguely and imperfectly was -understood a disease which now we recognise as having a definite train -of symptoms, but of which we still know so little that we speak of it -merely as an _influence_. - -The idea of mental influence in disease was first scientifically -formulated about twenty-five years ago, and was provided with one of -those queer names which we now use more or less glibly, with a sort -of comforting feeling that we understand the subject, when we have -successfully mastered the spelling and pronunciation--the scientific -name _psychotherapeutics_, or, in plain English, _mind cure_. These -investigations were undertaken in France, to start with, at Nancy -University, by Liébault, who published, in 1866, ‘Treatment by -Suggestion,’ and by Bernheim, and simultaneously in Paris by Charcot, -and they were primarily to observe sundry methods of treatment used -at that time in an unscientific manner, such as animal magnetism, -mesmerism, hypnotism, &c. Liébault’s book, which was taken little -notice of at the time, gave a full description of the methods he -pursued, which more or less coincide with those followed by doctors -who practise Treatment by Suggestion and Hypnotism at the present day. -He lived a retired life, and practised entirely amongst the poor, who -were devoted to him, but, at the same time, regarded him as an amiable -enthusiast. Liébault finally retired on a very small competency, not -acquired from his practice, which was altogether unremunerative. - -As a result of this gathering up of all these so-called occult methods -of treatment into the more or less exact science of Psychotherapeutics, -have come into prominence many cults--or sects, shall we call -them?--such as Mental Healing, Faith Cures, Peculiar People, -Metaphysical Healing, Christian Science, each of which is overlaid with -doctrines of a more or less dubious kind. The growth of these various -bodies of late years has been extraordinarily rapid: to mention two of -them only, Christian Science and New Thought are now enthusiastically -practised and believed in by many thousands of people, both here and -in America, and hundreds of churches have been provided and erected in -their names. - -It must not be lost sight of that Christian Science, as well as New -Thought, which has been described by Mr. Dresser, one of its chief -exponents, as being ‘a common-sense, rational phase of the Mental -Healing Doctrine,’ ‘are dealing with genuine _facts_ in the sphere of -Mental Therapeutics’; but these facts are entirely independent of the -theories by which either school attempts to explain them. - -The spread of Christian Science was viewed with considerable alarm by -many influential members and dignitaries of our own Church, and this -feeling was brought to a head at the Pan-Anglican Congress in 1908, -when a large meeting on the subject was held at the Albert Hall, which -is fully reported in the handbook of the Pan-Anglican Congress. - -Following on the Pan-Anglican Congress meeting came the Pronouncement -of the Bishops assembled in Conference at Lambeth, in July 1908. The -report of this Conference is published by the S.P.C.K. as a pamphlet. -On November 16, 1908, an important conference on Spiritual Healing -was held at Sion College, which was presided over by Prebendary -Pennefather, who said that the Church had too long neglected that -part of her teaching and ministry. Mr. Hickson gave an account of the -Society of Emmanuel, and stated that they desired to revive in the -Church the use of the gift of healing committed to her by our Lord. - -The Rev. Francis Boyd explained the objects and work of the Guild of -Health. They held that bodily healing was not of primary importance, -that sanctification might indeed be gained through sickness, but -that a fuller sanctification might be gained by those who sought -to be made whole by a more real and vital union with our Lord. The -Guild of Health, Mr. Boyd proceeded to say, recognised three systems -of healing--physical, mental, and spiritual--though there was not -necessarily any opposition between them. They felt, however, that -Spiritual Healing was the only system which concerned the Church. They -were quite alive to the dangers of over-estimating the value of bodily -health, and only desired to further it so far as it ministered to the -perfection of the whole nature of man. After some further discussion, -a resolution was passed that, ‘In the opinion of this Conference, -the time has come to form a Central Church Council in the diocese of -London, for the consideration of questions connected with Healing by -Spiritual means.’ - -At the outset, we must take exception to Mr. Boyd’s three systems. I -very much question whether there is more than _one_ system, and I am -convinced that physical and mental are one and the same. And I would -go so far as to say, that the disastrous mistakes that have been made -in the past, and which are still in operation to-day in the treatment -of one large section of sick people, viz. the insane, largely owe -their origin to this arbitrary division. And, by a curious irony, the -branch of medical science where there is the most marked predominance -of materialism is this very department of mental diseases. This is all -the more curious when we reflect, what occult influences have been, -in all ages, supposed to work upon the insane. The obnoxious word -‘lunatic’ is a proof of this. The moon was by some supposed to have a -deleterious effect on the intellect; insane persons were spoken of as -‘moonstruck’; the periodicity of the mental attacks was also supposed -to have some relation to the lunar interval. Indeed, the whole subject -of insanity bristles with occult and mysterious theories. The really -hopeful treatment of insanity began when it--a mental disease--was -treated, not by mental, but by physical methods, and the more mental -and physical are taken together as one and the same, the more rational -and productive of good, in the best sense, is our treatment likely to -be. Indeed, the whole indivisibility of the three systems is nowhere so -well shown as in the arbitrary division of Religious Insanity. Surely -if we try to turn the minds of the sufferers from any considerations -of religion, by removing their Bibles, by preventing them from any -religious discussion, or from taking part in any religious ceremonies, -we are helping to keep up the evil. People, as we put it, become -insane on religious matters, not only because they have been dwelling -on the subject unduly, but because it is naturally of the greatest -importance, and absorbs more attention than probably anything else in -the world. Now, as the more purely physical, as distinguished from the -more or less occult methods of regarding the insane, has become the -more enlightened and modern view of the subject, so has the spiritual -method of dealing with it come into prominence. Spiritual ministrations -to the insane may be thought to be useless, or, at any rate, to be -fraught with little practical utility. Comparatively recently a man who -had charge of a country parish was appointed chaplain to Broadmoor, -which is the asylum for insane criminals. A friend, on being told of -the appointment, said to him, ‘Why, whatever will you say to them? You -can only talk to them of their sins.’ ‘Talk to them of their sins!’ he -said; ‘I shall never mention them.[10] I shall talk to them of Hope.’ - - [10] ‘The Society of the Crown of Our Lord’ was formed for the - purpose of supplying spiritual ministrations to the insane. - -I have thought it advisable to dwell rather at length on the question -of the insane, because it really rather fairly represents my point of -view on this subject. Whether you agree with me or not, it is better -that I should state quite fairly and straightly my position, which has -only been reached by honestly striving after truth, and by looking -fully into the subject for the purposes of this paper. In talking about -Spiritual Healing, we are hampered at the start, because we have only -actual knowledge of physical things, i.e. of things as they appear to -us here. We have to define spiritual things in physical terms, because -they are the only things we know and understand. Time and space do not -exist in the spiritual domain. Take just one word in illustration of my -meaning, the word _Rest_. Our present state of being here has certain -peculiarities. Labour involves rest from labour, and if the limits of -rest and labour are exceeded, the result is ruin to man’s moral and -physical being. Disease is sure to follow the inactive mind or body, -and then comes a time when ‘we cannot do the things we would.’ But -these things do not exist in spiritual language. ‘They rest not day and -night, but cry “Holy, Holy, Holy.”’ When we pray ‘Eternal rest grant -them, O Lord,’ we have no thought of a period of rest as we understand -it, but rest in and with God. - -We are far too apt to think that suffering is an evil--it is not -necessarily so; on the contrary it may be a blessing, because it is -often a direct means of advance towards perfection. Far too much -attention is paid at the present day to temporal benefits. ‘Get rid -of poverty, of suffering, and the world will be virtuous and happy,’ -but this is not so. The people who starve and brutally ill-use their -children are not the very poorest; they are usually well-to-do in -the world. There is a great deal too much of considering poverty as -a _real_ cause of suffering. Christ’s mission of redemption was not -primarily a mission for the relief of suffering. If He bids us to take -up our cross, He also bids us, as a quite essential corollary, to -follow Him. Indeed, taking up our cross is useless, if we do not follow -Him. Pain, far from being shunned, should be welcomed and embraced, -because it brings us nearer to the sufferings of our Blessed Lord. It -is not, of course, mere pain in itself that lifts and cleanses: it is -pain rightly and courageously borne, from whatever motive. If this -be true, the modern revolt against all suffering--and here I quote -from the late Miss Caroline Stephens’s article on ‘Pain,’ published -in the _Hibbert Journal_ for October 1908--‘is obviously suicidal. To -extinguish all suffering, were that possible, would be to deprive the -world of a leverage as all-pervading and effectual towards spiritual -elevation and purification, as is gravitation towards stability.’ - -Pain and evil are not interchangeable terms, but are quite different. -Evil cannot be innocent, though pain can be, and often is. When the -disciples said, ‘What hath this man or his parents done that he should -be born blind?’ they formulated the usually accepted idea at that time, -and an idea, moreover, that dies very hard. The whole treatment of -disease in the Middle Ages was based on it. - -If we quite briefly consider our Lord’s miracles, they were _signs_ -of His Divine mission, not proofs, and in performing them, He felt -limitations; for we are definitely told that in Capernaum ‘He did no -more mighty works, because of their unbelief.’ These signs were sudden -manifestations of His power, and as such they are preferably called -Divine Healing. They showed the very highest degree of spiritual power, -but there was nothing really new. Christ was the perfect manifestation -of eternal things, and eternal things are obviously never new. Perhaps -the fact that our Lord thought it worth while to show his power in -bodily healing was intended to teach us that to keep our bodies in -health is an important religious duty, and more than that, that all -hygienic social work undertaken is an important part of the duties -of religion. Both nursing and doctoring bring us very near to part -of the work of Christ, for He went about doing good to the sick, and -He symbolised this, not only by His healing words, but by the simple -medicines and nursing of the Good Samaritan. But just as illness is -by no means caused by evil or ill-doing, so it is equally clear that -goodness does not of necessity bring health. The question of bodily -health has no connexion with spiritual conceptions at all. If it were -so, the persons who are the strongest physically would be the most -spiritual; but we know, of course, that this is not so. Take St. -Catherine of Siena, one of the greatest of saints, statesmen, and -scholars that the world has ever known. She healed others, but she -died herself of a lingering, painful disease, at the early age of -thirty-three. Also St. Paul, who prayed the Lord thrice that the thorn -in the flesh which tormented him might be removed. And the Lord’s reply -has been a help and comfort, and a lesson to countless thousands ever -since. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee, for My power is made perfect -through weakness.’ And what we so very often see now, persons bereft -of all that makes life dear, in suffering of mind or body maybe, yet -rise above their weakness, and carry through such reforms and such -noble acts as they never could have done had they been allowed to -remain in bodily health and comfortable and happy surroundings. Indeed, -St. Paul’s affliction was the means of his converting the Galatians, -for his illness compelled him to stop with them for a time, and in -writing to the Corinthians from them, he could truly say, ‘Most gladly, -therefore, will I rather glory in my weaknesses that the strength of -Christ may cover me.’ To repeat, it is our duty, as far as can be, -to keep our bodies in health, though we can most of us conceive of -circumstances when to lose our life may be indeed to save it. - -In a sermon preached for the ‘Guild of Poor Brave Things,’ the present -Bishop of London, who is the president of the Guild, said: ‘What made -more impression on me as an undergraduate at Oxford than all the -sermons I ever heard in chapel was a young don, insisting, at the -risk of his life, on ministering to an undergraduate dying of a most -infectious disease.’ - -After all, St. Paul’s life, as narrated by himself, can hardly have -been considered as hygienic. ‘Of the Jews five times received I forty -stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, -thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; -in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in -perils of my own countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in -the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils -amongst false brethren; in labour and travail, in watchings often, in -hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides -those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me -daily, anxiety for all the churches.’ In comparison with this, the -‘Don’t-worry Gospel’ of the Christian Scientists seems utterly beside -the mark. Health is undoubtedly good, but it must sometimes be cast -away in the service of others. - -Of course there is a philosophical difficulty in the whole position -of the relation of religion to medicine. In a manner they are, as it -were, at loggerheads from the outset. The Church is bound to teach -that it matters not how long or how short a man’s life is, if it is -rightly spent, whereas the doctor’s point of view must be to keep the -man alive at any price. And although we may feel that, under certain -circumstances, the medical attitude might be modified, it is the only -safe one in the present state of our knowledge. Euthanasia seems, -on the surface, a most humane and comforting suggestion, but it is -allowing us finite beings to take into our own hands things which are -beyond our comprehension. We all know of instances where it must -have been thought that death would be preferable to life; but apart -from the presumptuous thought of mere human beings, look how often -the maimed bodily frame ‘rises on stepping stones of its dead self to -higher things.’ A man struck with blindness, for example, may be living -a full and perfect and whole life, in spite of his maimed condition, -because he puts out all his powers and lives at the top of his bent. -Such a man is in the highest state a healthy being. The unwhole man is -one who is always in terror of his life, and who does not accept with -faith and cheerfulness, and in a life of prayer, the ills that are -laid upon him by a wise and Divine Providence. It is true that there -are more things wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Yes, but -even our prayers have necessary limitations arising from our imperfect -knowledge, and when St. James declared that the prayer of faith shall -save the sick, he spoke at a time when scientific investigation was -non-existent, and when people must have been sorely distressed by -their total inability to overcome the diseases from which those around -them were suffering. But for us, whose physical knowledge is so much -more exact, to refuse to accept the remedies which hard and patient -toil has discovered, under God’s help and guidance (there whether -we recognise it or not), is both presumptuous and foolish. Spiritual -Healing--i.e. a quasi-miraculous process--_must_ die a natural death, -even if the agony is prolonged. It is simply pandering to charlatanism, -and by its exaltation of the Health of the Body, is almost pagan in its -effects. It is, moreover, an emphatic expression of individualism at -a time when co-operation in every direction is the natural and right -trend of affairs; for truly never did we feel so strongly as now, -that no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself--as true -of nations as of individuals. It is, therefore, in the highest sense, -reactionary, and a sentimental attempt to put the clock back, which is -doomed to failure. Take one item, which is wrapped up in this idea of -Spiritual Healing, and that is Demoniac Possession. This was an ancient -belief, as is shown by some of the miracles narrated in the Gospels, -and there is an attempt to revive it in the present day, and with that, -a practice of Exorcism as a cure for it. ‘But,’ and here I quote from -‘Religion and Medicine,’ ‘it is a significant fact that as education -spreads, belief in demoniac possession dies out, and the greatest -strongholds of the belief to-day are in non-Christian countries.’ -A possible explanation of this is, that in Christian countries, -spiritual forces have been actively at work for many generations, and -that this spiritual activity has weakened the power of the forces -of evil. There is, too, no blinking the question that the behaviour -of insane people, or even of people supposed to be insane, might be -explained on the theory of demoniac possession. For example, how often -one sees people generally good and kind, and even truly religious, go -suddenly into a fury of temper or violence of some kind; or in delirium -we know that quite sweet, innocent people say dreadful things which one -would think they could not even _know_. No doubt to some people the -temporary possession by some evil spirit is a more comfortable theory -than that it is a revelation of the natural man in us, when discipline -and training are in some way relaxed, and that such is our _real_ -nature let loose. - -The dangers of a belief in, and of practising _consciously_, Spiritual -Healing are great, as far as doctors are concerned. It simply puts -a premium on ignorance and laziness, and is disastrous to exact -knowledge and scientific investigation. Spiritual healers assert that -to dwell on the abnormal and pathological prevents their work on the -normal. But who is to say what is the normal, till abnormalities have -been weighed and considered? No, to people like myself who practise -medicine, it is a dangerous and uncertain weapon to employ. Far be it -from me to say that the spiritual side of medicine should be ignored -altogether. We know that our prayers, rightly offered, are a help to -our patients--we _know_ that the ordained Sacraments of the Church are -a help to them. Moreover, we know very well that there is no royal road -to the treatment of disease. We know well how many cases there are in -our various hospitals and infirmaries, that have baffled all the skill -of diagnosis and treatment that has been vouched to the world up to the -present time. Is it rational to believe that such cases will be healed -by a glance, or a touch, or a word of any merely human person, however -holy, who is manifestly ignorant of any ordinary scientific knowledge? -No, Spiritual Healing as a cult, as a part of the sacramental life of -the Church, will cease to exist, but all that has come out of it will -be quickened and strengthened. We shall feel greater need of prayer -and intercession, and we shall feel more and more the real value of -meditation. - -That the medical profession is fully alive to the importance of the -question, in spite of its difficulties, may be inferred from the -following extract from the _British Medical Journal_, November 6, 1909: - -‘We welcome the discussion at the Harveian Society, as a sign that the -profession is more fully realising the value of certain potentialities -of healing and relief, which an ingrained materialism passes by on one -side. All around us spiritual or mental healing is going on. It is our -duty, as it is our interest, to study the process scientifically, to -define its limitations both in regard to the conditions to which it -is applicable and to the persons who can successfully apply it, and -to recognise perhaps more fully than before that man is a compound of -body and spirit, both of which have to be taken into account by those -who undertake the treatment of disease. The first step to be taken, -if the profession is not to surrender a large part of its sphere -of usefulness, is that medical practitioners should be trained in -psychology as well as in physiology. In saying this we do not wish to -be understood as pinning our faith entirely to experimental psychology. -A careful study of the works of the great masters of the human heart -is at least as important as the estimate of time reactions and the -accuracy of visual impressions.’ ‘A careful study of the works of the -great masters of the human heart’--this rings true, and makes one -hopeful, in spite of the confusion in terms that exist in regard to -Psychic Healing and Spiritual Healing. - -Spiritual Healing may be defined as a change in a person’s point of -view. It may be a question of building up character, or of development -of spiritual attributes. In both cases, it is essentially a matter of -instruction. And the teaching will be effective in proportion as the -teacher is possessed of sincerity and sympathy. I am anxious to be most -emphatic in saying this, because so much misunderstanding has arisen -of late on all sides, owing to misconceptions on this point. Spiritual -Healing can only, in quite a secondary way, be a physical process. -Again, take the case of a man who becomes blind in a way that prohibits -any idea of his ever recovering his sight; he may develop into a -miserable, discontented being on account of his affliction. He comes -under the influence of some teaching, of some person, or of some sudden -religious inspiration. He is healed. Can he see again? No, but he has -risen superior to his blindness. He is a _whole_ man once more. This -is all that he and his lay friends know. He _may_ even enjoy better -physical health than he did while his blindness oppressed him. Or, -again, there may be morbid physical conditions directly or indirectly -attributable to a morbid temperament, sleeplessness due to wrongdoing, -or chronic dyspepsia due to worry. In such cases as these, the doctor -may do little or nothing. The malady is only incidentally a physical -one. Here ‘Spiritual Healing’ in the true sense is the only remedy, -and every liberal-minded medical practitioner would desire it for the -patient. - -Practically, as I have repeatedly found from experience, priest and -doctor can combine to the great advantage of the patient. Medical -practitioners need have no fear that, with wise and experienced -priests, they will find their special province interfered with; on the -contrary, their hands will be strengthened, the patients calmed, and -their fortitude increased. It has been my lot many times to find the -irritable patient resentful of her illness, and of God’s dealing with -her, brought to a calm, hopeful, restful frame of mind, and that by the -ministrations and prayers of a wise and tactful priest. - -Perhaps St. Catherine of Siena expresses what is meant by all this in -speaking of praying for others. ‘It is toil for him ... to hold him in -the presence of God.’ And it is here that the priest can so greatly -assist us in our labours on behalf of those weak or sick ones who have -been entrusted to our care. - - - - -FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY - -BY - -THEO. B. HYSLOP, M.D., - -SUPERINTENDENT OF BETHLEM HOSPITAL - - - - -FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY - -BY THEO. B. HYSLOP, M.D. - - -_The Tendency for Insanity to increase on Account of the Stress of -Life._ - -That there is a tendency for insanity to increase on account of the -stress of competition and all the complexities of modern civilisation -few will deny. The burden of taxation upon the nerve tissues and the -drain upon their stores of energy must necessarily go on increasing as -the uses for the physical mechanism of the body and limbs diminish and -become replaced by the more complex nervous activities essential to -brain and mental avocations. The influences of rural and urban life, -trades and occupations, &c., as favouring the occurrence of insanity, -have been dealt with in an exhaustive manner in various reports, -treatises, and innumerable papers, and the result has been to apprise -us of the fact that the percentage of individuals who are incapable by -reason of mental perversion or defect from taking active and useful -parts as citizens far exceeds our previous conceptions as to the extent -of the degeneration in our midst. - -It is well-nigh impossible to obtain a complete census of the physical -and mental states of the people. Statistics furnish us with so many -fallacies that for present purposes I prefer to omit them, and deal -only with broad issues which seem to have direct bearings upon the -mental health of the community. - -It is now an accepted fact that civilisation, with its tendencies -towards the aggregation of individuals into dense communities, favours -the occurrence in those communities of overcrowding, pauperism, crime, -and degeneration. For those designed by habit and heredity to rural -life, migration to cities where the struggle for life is continued -under totally different circumstances is disastrous, and for them -the step from country to town is but one of the commonest of all the -steps towards mental and physical deterioration, the accidents of -civilisation finding in them merely the readiest victims. - -The necessity of this migration, as determined by the state of -agriculture, makes it none the less an evil, and it is a symptom in the -evolution of an essentially agricultural race which is fraught with -extreme danger to the maintenance of its nervous and mental stability. - -The problem, however, has a different aspect for those who by habit and -heredity are trained for city life, and certain it is that increased -facilities for travelling are tending to decentralise our cities and -thereby render the city dwellers healthier and more fit to cope with -the drain upon their nervous energies. As a physician, it would appear -to the writer that the problem of Sunday observances in town and -country have different bearings on the health and physical fitness of -the people. There is no doubt that periodic decentralisation of town -dwellers is essential to the maintenance of bodily health, and it is -also true that physical exercise and change from mental to physical -functioning and _vice versa_ is essential to all--i.e. if the balance -between the mental and physical powers is to be adequately maintained. -It is, of course, to be understood that to a physician the preservation -of this balance is his first care, and to him is entrusted the function -of aiding in the proper observance of all that is in agreement with -biological and, therefore, natural laws. To him there is a great -difference between ‘observance’ and ‘belief’; and he sees in them -either mutually co-operative or mutually destructive factors for good -or ill respectively. - -If religious observances, under determined conditions, are found to -be useful and essential for the sane in mind and body, they are also -likely to be so, under conditions otherwise determined and arranged, -for the insane. Many insane patients are totally incapable of attending -any religious function. Some must be prohibited; others may be -encouraged. As an asylum physician the writer may state that a generic -case of religious excitement or enthusiasm may most advisedly even be -restrained from religious functions until at least the acute symptoms -have subsided. There can be little doubt that no religious officer -would be likely to succeed in accomplishing much for patients without -an accurate knowledge of insanity and the mental experiences of those -whom he seeks to influence. The fact that mental aberration forms a -special study and phase of life increases his difficulties and limits -his possibilities. Where there is apparent failure both inside asylums -and without, such failures may very possibly be attributed to the -deficiencies of the doctrine, the discipline of the religion itself, -the organisations peculiar to it, or the functionaries associated with -it in our day. If the Christian religion is a true philosophy, it is -the duty of all who profess Christianity to assist in the practical -application of its precepts, where such can be judiciously and safely -applied, taking religious things perforce as they find them, and -utilising their own special knowledge to the best possible advantage, -according to the conditions they find. - -Is a person with deep religious conviction better equipped to face the -stress of life than an unbeliever? An answer to this question was given -by the writer in a paper read at the annual meeting of the British -Medical Association held at Leicester in 1905. In stating that ‘a true -and philosophical religion raises the mind above a mere incidental -emotionalism’ he used the word ‘religion’ in its literal sense, as -derived from _re_ and _lego_, to gather and consider, as opposed to -_negligens_. He in no way extended its connotation so as to include -demonstrations of incidental emotionalism, superstition, or fanaticism. -Religion and moral obligation he considered to be almost convertible -terms, both equally compatible with intuitionalism, utilitarianism, -or any other ‘ism’ derived from the study of the laws of life and -mind. Moral laws are generally principles of thought and action, which -an intelligent being must apply for himself in the guidance of his -conduct, and the translation of such general principles (expressed -either in general abstract form or in the form of a command) into -particular actions. Conformity with such precepts of morality may with -reason be regarded as a safeguard against the ‘lusts of the flesh.’ - -Religious enthusiasm in itself cannot justly be termed an evil. -Rather does it embody the most healthy and preservative development -of our social forces. Like many other tendencies of the mind, it is -subject to exaggeration, misapplication, and a predominance of the -emotions over the intellect. The typical cases of religious insanity -directly developable from sectarian and even undenominational religious -enthusiasm, from religious meditations, exercises, devotions, or -superstitions, are by no means so common as they are supposed to be -by the uninitiated observer. The true point lies in this, that very -many mental cases bear a strongly marked religious or at least moral -aspect. The psychology of the subject will show, for example, that -acute depression--a predominant phase of abnormal emotional life--leads -almost necessarily to a religious interpretation. And this is even more -the case with many actual sense perversions. Such, I mean, as have -ever been associated with the ideas of the supernatural. - -These are not necessarily caused by religious over-excitement or -enthusiasm. They may assume the appearance of it, because, being -the deepest and most real feelings, desires, and convictions of the -perverted organic life or of the moral reaction which accompanies it, -they cannot well be expressed or described except in strong moral -terms. Over and over again does this appear, and often among those -least likely to be suspected of any religious predisposition. That -these feelings should be clothed according to the prevailing ideas and -creed of the patient is an essential reproduction of the mind. But, -after all, this only relates to the form of their appearance, and there -are many things which lie deeper. - -Religious excitement is not infrequently assigned as a cause of -insanity. The writer has stated elsewhere his belief that the -philosophy of the infinite, far from being a source of aberrations -of thought which may be deemed insane, is the ultimate point of our -mental evolution, and that a true and philosophical religion raises the -mind above a mere incidental emotionalism and gives stability. With -no religion and no moral obligation the organism is apt to become a -prey to the lusts of the flesh and their consequences. Gasquet observes -that religion may either produce or tend to hinder unsoundness of mind; -that it may cause certain symptoms of insanity or modify them; and, -lastly, that it may be employed as a means of moral prevention and -treatment. He believes that every form of religion, however widely it -may differ from our standard of the truth, if it enforces the precepts -of morality, is a source of strength to the sound mind that sincerely -accepts it. - -Clouston has justly observed that far more depends upon the brain that -goes to church than upon what it may obtain in the church. That is to -say, there must be the predisposition to break down, the religious -influence being often merely an accident. It must also be remembered -that religious over-enthusiasm may be merely a symptom and not a cause. - -Much misconception through misquotation has arisen in connexion with -the writer’s views as to the therapeutic value of prayer. Reference -to the context of his views expressed before the Society for the -Study of Childhood will show that reference was made to the _habit_ -of prayer in childhood, and its therapeutic value was there urged -more as a preventive than as a curative agent. It was urged that the -mental hygiene of childhood was not to be determined by any special -denominational method. - -Such limited methods may result in the fixity of an idea or belief -quite compatible with usefulness in any sphere of activity, but they do -not deal with the broader and deeper question of the preservation of -the mental health of the individual. The exaggerated importance of the -denominational question, which has engendered passive resistance, ought -to give way to the question of mental health and engender a strong -and active resistance to all that tends to narrow or circumscribe the -mental life of the infant. It ought to be our object as teachers and -physicians to fight against all those influences which tend to produce -either religious indifference or intemperance, and to subscribe as -best we may to that form of religious belief, so far as we can find -it practically embodied or effective, which believes in ‘the larger -hope,’ though it condemns unreservedly the demonstrable superstition -and sentimentality which impede its progress and power. As an alienist, -and as one whose whole life has been concerned with the sufferings of -the human mind, the writer believes that of all the hygienic measures -to counteract disturbed sleep, depression of spirits, and all the -miserable sequelæ of a distrait mind, he would undoubtedly give the -first place to the simple _habit_ of prayer. Let the child be taught to -believe in an anthropomorphic God the Father, or in an all-pervading -medium of guidance and control, or in the integrity of a cosmic whole, -with its transmutations, evolutions, and indestructibilities. It -matters little, for they all lead in the same direction. Let there -but be a habit of nightly communion, not as a mendicant or repeater -of words more adapted to the tongue of a sage, but as a humble -individual who submerges or asserts his individuality as an integral -part of a greater whole. Such a habit does more to clean the spirit -and strengthen the soul to overcome mere incidental emotionalism than -any other therapeutic agent known to him. Our schools are as gardens -for the cultivating, judicious pruning and sustaining young life -by gardeners who have, or who ought to have, full knowledge of the -tender plants under their care. Our churches are to the moral welfare -of the community as our schools are to the intellectual. The church -has been aptly termed ‘God’s Garden,’ where the art of living good -lives and the making of character is helped by specially appointed -gardeners. It is needless to say, however, that the light of reason or -sanity, as bestowed upon us by Nature, is the light to which all other -considerations must give way lest we in our turn too soon pass the -borderland of knowing things as they are. - - - - -MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALING - -BY - -H. G. G. MACKENZIE, M.A., M.B. - - - - -MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALING - -BY H. G. G. MACKENZIE, M.A., M.B. - - -I. _Spiritual Healing in the Light of Modern Medical Science_ - -I have been asked in this chapter to put together some recent -expressions of opinion by members of my own profession on the subject -of ‘mental’ and ‘spiritual’ healing. No attempt whatever is made to -give an exhaustive summary. It will be sufficient for my purpose if I -can make clear to the non-medical reader-- - -(1) That there is nothing new in the elaborate and confident -pretensions now being thrust forward by a variety of ‘healers.’ - -(2) That, so far from scientific medicine ‘standing helpless in the -presence of a new phenomenon,’ she is in possession of a very large -amount of clinical material on which quite definite conclusions have -been formed; and, as always, she is perfectly ready to consider and -investigate any new evidence which might tend to mitigate the force of -such conclusions. - -Now, there are obviously two main lines of investigation. We may -consider (1) the _à priori_ reasonableness of the claim that certain -bodily diseases can be cured by ‘mental’ or spiritual processes, or we -may proceed to (2) an _à posteriori_ investigation of cases of alleged -cures. A third method of investigation, that which is, of course, -adopted in _all_ cases of scientific treatment of disease by new -methods, viz. the tabulation of all cases treated, with the diagnosis, -extent of disease, immediate and permanent results, negative as well -as positive, noted in each case, is not usually possible, since no -psychic or spiritual healer whom I have ever met seems to consider such -tabulation at all necessary or even desirable. - -In the first place, I submit a somewhat long quotation from an -admirable paper[11] by one of the greatest medical authorities in the -English-speaking world, Professor W. Osler. - - [11] _The Treatment of Disease_, by W. Osler, M.D., F.R.S. London: - Henry Frowde. 1909. - -‘An influenza-like outbreak of faith-healing seems to have the public -of the American continent in its grip. It is an old story, the oldest -indeed in our history, and one in which we have a strong hereditary -interest, since scientific medicine took its origin in a system -of faith-healing beside which all our modern attempts are feeble -imitations.... Once or twice in each century the serpent entwining -the staff of Æsculapius gets restless, contorts, and in his gambols -swallows his tail, and all at once in full circle back upon us come old -thoughts and old practices which for a time dominate alike doctors and -laity. As a profession we took origin in the cult of Æsculapius ... -whose temples were at once magnificent shrines and hospitals.... Amid -lovely surroundings, chosen for their salubrity, and connected with -famous springs, they were the sanatoriums of the ancient world. The -ritual of the cure is well known, and has been beautifully described -by Pater in Marius the Epicurean.... The popular shrines of the -Catholic Church to-day are in some ways the direct descendants of this -Æsculapian cult, and the cures and votive offerings at Lourdes and Ste. -Anne are in every way analogous to those of Epidaurus.’ - -Osler goes on to speak with much tenderness of the apparently -ineradicable nature of the credulity evinced not merely by the -multitude but by persons educated widely, if not well, in the matter of -the healing of disease. It is indeed a portentous fact. The slightest -acquaintance with the history of therapeutics, the most casual -examination of the evidence of alleged cures, the faintest stirring of -the reasoning faculty, as the votary asks himself whether the foremost -pathologists who work continuously with the best available material in -an institution devoted to the scientific study of cancer will not be -more likely to arrive at a correct estimate of the probability of cure, -by means other than extirpation, than a quite uninstructed _masseur_ -who has taken to ‘spiritual healing,’ these, one would suppose, would -be sufficient to check the growth of credulity which we see in such -evidence around us. Yet the reader will probably feel that Osler is not -going beyond the warrant of easily ascertainable fact when he says: - -‘We must acknowledge its potency to-day as effective among the most -civilised people, the people with whom education is the most widely -spread, yet who absorb with wholesale credulity delusions as childish -as any that have enslaved the mind of man.’ - -Professor Osler’s conclusion is worth quoting: - -‘Having recently had to look over a large literature on the subject of -mental healing, ancient and modern, I have tried to put the matter -as succinctly as possible. In all ages and in all climes the prayer -of faith has saved a certain number of the sick. The essentials are, -first, a strong and hopeful belief in a dominant personality, which has -varied naturally in different countries and in different ages: Buddha -in India and in Japan, where there are cults to match every recent -vagary; Æsculapius in ancient Greece and Rome; our Saviour and a host -of Saints in Christian communities; and, lastly, an ordinary doctor -has served the purpose of common necessity very well. Faith is the -most precious asset in our stock-in-trade. Once lost, how long does a -doctor keep his clientele? Secondly, certain accessories--a shrine, -a grotto, a church, a temple, a hospital, a sanatorium [Osler might -have added the admirably devised entourage in such places as ‘Physical -Culture’ Institutes and ‘light cure’ establishments], surroundings -that will impress favourably the imagination of the patient. Thirdly, -suggestion in one of its varied forms--whether the negation of disease -and pain [as among the ‘Eddyites’], the simple trust in Christ of the -Peculiar People, or the sweet reasonableness of the psychotherapeutist. -But there must be the will-to-believe attitude of mind, the mental -receptiveness--in a word, the faith which has made bread-pills -famous in the history of medicine.’ We must, however, recognise the -limitations of ‘mental healing.’ ‘Potent as is the influence of the -mind on the body, and many as are the miracle-like cures which may be -worked, all are in functional disorders, and we know only too well that -nowadays the prayer of faith neither sets a broken thigh nor checks an -epidemic of typhoid fever.’ - -The following extract is from an article in the _British Medical -Journal_ of March 13, 1909. The article begins by quoting from a paper -by Dr. Allan Hamilton (U.S.A.) to the following effect: - -‘In all this agitation, it would almost seem as if the intelligent -physician had never made use of psychotherapy, but that he was a -mechanical giver of drugs and took little or no interest in his -patients. If the new critics of the medical profession, who have been -so active of late, would take the trouble to investigate, they would -often find, among the great and successful men of all times and of -to-day, that the human side is very strongly developed, and that their -patients are studied from every point of view, and treated accordingly.’ - -‘We would add,’ says the writer of the article in the _British Medical -Journal_, ‘that the intelligent application of the physician’s -knowledge of the influence of the body on the mind is the one -condition of success in the difficult art of dealing with patients -and reinforcing the curative power of Nature or, what comes to the -same thing, enabling sufferers to work out their own deliverance from -the thraldom of functional disease. All really great physicians have -used this force, sometimes, it may be, unconsciously, but often with -deliberate intent. It is the power of influencing the mind of the -patient or, in other words, of exciting confidence in his gift of -healing, that makes what is called “personal magnetism.”’ - -At this point I may be permitted to offer one or two observations. - -(1) To speak quite strictly, it is not a question of _‘à priori’ -possibility or impossibility_. As Huxley pointed out, twenty years -ago, few things can be said to be _impossible_ except mathematical -misstatements or manifest contradictions. Thus 2 + 2 cannot possibly -yield any result but 4. A square circle, a raised depression, are, in -the strictest sense of the term, _impossibilities_. But, with regard to -an enormous number of alleged phenomena popularly styled _impossible_, -what is really meant is either that they are not impossible at all, but -only in some high degree improbable, or that we have not sufficient -knowledge to enable us to say whether or not they are impossible. In -any case, before accepting them, we are bound as honest men to demand -evidence which may be thoroughly sifted. The sort of stuff which we -usually get, when we ask for such evidence, will be instanced at a -later stage. - -(2) Again, to speak quite strictly, I do not know that anyone would -care to draw a hard-and-fast line between what is ‘functional’ and -what is ‘organic.’ These terms are extremely convenient, but we must -remember that they are only terms. There is an oft-recurring danger, -against which we all require to be continually on our guard, of falling -into the old error of the realists. ‘Animate and inanimate’ (assuming -that the recent claim to have demonstrated in metals a process of -reproduction analogous to those observed in protoplasm is endorsed, as -seems probable), ‘genus and species,’ ‘animal and vegetable,’ these -and many others are eminently useful classifications, and the border -line between each and its opposite varies from comparative precision to -extreme vagueness. But in no case are they absolutely precise in the -sense in which the distinction between an integer and a vulgar fraction -is precise. And in the matter of the terms ‘functional’ and ‘organic’ -we must walk very warily indeed. Is epilepsy a functional neurosis or -an organic disease? Analogy suggests organic changes. No such changes -have been constantly demonstrated by _post mortem_ evidence; partly, -of course, because _post mortem_ examinations of cases of death in -the epileptic or epileptiform condition have been extremely rare, -and are not very common in cases where there is a well-authenticated -history of attacks; but partly because our investigations into the -minute anatomy of many morbid conditions are at present barred by the -limitations of microscopic vision. We have no right whatever to assert -dogmatically that there is no organic change in a tissue because we -cannot see it under a magnification of 1000 diameters--though for a -variety of reasons, which all pathologists will recognise, it is not -altogether _probable_ that a magnification of 10,000 diameters would -in such cases demonstrate a constant change. In any case, if we are -told by a spiritual or psychic healer that he cures cases of, let us -say, old-standing chronic nephritis or cirrhosis of the liver by his -own peculiar methods, our reply must be, not that this is impossible -because we are dealing with organic disease, but rather that-- - -(1) If he claims to act mentally or spiritually on the higher centres -of the brain and so to reach the diseased tissues, a cure is in the -highest degree unlikely, for a reason which will be given at a later -stage; - -(2) If his method is avowedly quite empirical, and he only professes -to exercise a power which he does not even dimly understand, we must -respectfully ask for evidence, which can be examined and tested to the -satisfaction of a competent and impartial mind. - -Now, as to the influence of ‘suggestion,’ whether or not accompanied -by other methods, e.g. hypnotism, magnetism, electricity, &c., on -(so-called) functional conditions, modern medical science speaks with -no uncertain voice. - -At a meeting of the Harveian Society held last October, much -interesting information was produced. - -A paper of great and permanent value was read by Dr. Claye Shaw on the -‘Influence of Mind as a therapeutic agent.’ It is impossible in the -space at my disposal to quote more than two brief extracts from his -paper. He thus defines ‘suggestion’: - -‘Suggestion is the insinuation of a belief or impulse into the mind of -a subject by any means, or by words or questions, usually by emphatic -declaration; also the impulse of trust and submission which leads to -the effectiveness of such incitement.’ - -On the effects of treatment by suggestion, Dr. Claye Shaw writes: - -‘It is with such conditions as chronic inebriety, opium, or the drug -habit, that suggestion is most powerful; with acute insanity I have not -seen it successful, and, though it has been fairly tested in asylum -practice, it has not obtained general recognition as a therapeutic -agent.’ - -A considerable number of medical men, alienists and others, took part -in the discussion which followed the reading of the paper. - -Dr. Bramwell cited many well-authenticated cases where a cure or marked -amelioration had followed treatment by suggestion in cases of this kind -which had resisted all other treatment. Among these were instances -of neurasthenia (‘la grande hystérie’), claustrophobia, morphomania, -tendency to suicide, a morbid fear of cats. Dr. Seymour Tuke said that -he had found ‘suggestive treatment marvellously effective in cases -of inebriety in which the will was under some sort of control,’ but -that he was ‘unable to make encouraging report of the use of hypnotism -and suggestion amongst insane patients.’ [A useful and discriminating -testimony.] Dr. Lloyd Tuckey had cured ‘many cases of genuine -dipsomania, which could not be reached by drugs, by hypnotism--as well -as other intractable conditions, such as three cases of Menière’s -disease.’ Dr. R. H. Cole said that, twenty years ago, when he was -a House Physician, he first tried to hypnotise patients. Later, he -went to Paris and attended the ‘Salpétrière and Bernheim’s cliniques, -but was greatly disappointed in what he saw.... In his experience of -mental diseases he had only seen it do good in one insane patient. -It had never had any effect in his experience upon people with fixed -delusions, but it would cure dipsomania.’ Dr. T. F. Woods had treated -4000 cases, and he described a few of them in which he had obtained -remarkable results. One was that of a woman, with severe asthma and -delusions that she was going to be cut in pieces, who was cured by -suggestion at one sitting, and had kept well ever since. Another case -of severe sciatica, which had resisted every line of treatment for -eight months, was also cured rapidly. He did not find it necessary to -induce hypnotic sleep. Dr. E. A. Ash thought that ‘genuine hypnotism -(the state of somnambulism) was unsatisfactory in practice. Only a -small proportion of cases could be hypnotised, and these in his -experience did no better than those treated by simple suggestion. He -quoted two cases of nocturnal enuresis, one of which he had failed -to cure by hypnotism, whilst the other was cured by suggestion, and -a case of blepharospasm, which had been cured by suggestion, with -light massage on the eyelids, although a similar case treated only by -suggestion had not been relieved.’ Dr. W. H. Blake described ‘a series -of cases in which he had used hypnotism with the utmost benefit.... His -most remarkable cures had been effected in a case of asthma, for which -the patient was accustomed to drench himself unavailingly with drugs, -and in a severe case of dipsomania.’ - -Here we have grouped together the expression of the opinions of trained -minds of responsible medical men. The differences are comparatively -slight. The agreement is remarkable. Not one of them (though in one -case as many as 4000 records are in his hands) claims to have cured -what are usually called organic conditions. The whole question is as -to the best way in which suggestion can be brought to bear on patients -whose lives are in many cases rendered miserable by persistent, but -none the less ‘functional,’ ailments. - -Moreover, we observe that the result of years of patient clinical -investigation is to lead them to treat every variety of psychic -therapeutics as a form of ‘suggestion.’ In no case is there so much -as a hint that a new force, viz. ‘spiritual healing,’ has appeared, -different in kind not only from other varieties of suggestion but from -the countless cults of spiritual healing, which have flourished and -disappeared in the past or the relics of which still survive in many -continental and eastern shrines. - -Now, with regard to ‘spiritual healing’ in its present manifestation -in our own country the general attitude of medical science is well -described in an article which appeared in the _British Medical Journal_ -of January 9, 1909. The article begins by describing some meetings -of different societies, in some cases mutually antagonistic, but -all existing for the purpose of advancing the claims of healing by -‘spiritual’ means. It goes on to say: - -‘If all or any of them can show that they have discovered a new force, -or a new method of applying one already known, to the cure of disease, -rational medicine will welcome a new weapon. As we have often said, -the wise physician understands the action of the mind or the spirit -on the body, and uses it for the benefit of his patient. A man who -firmly believes in his doctor’s skill, or in the efficacy of the -treatment to which he is subjected, is in the best possible condition -for the operation of curative forces. On the other hand, a patient -who believes that nothing can cure him helps to seal his own doom. -Avicenna well said, _Plus interdum prodesse fiduciam in medicum quam -ipsam medicinam_. The “lady of the highest rank,” who is reported to -have said that she would rather die under the care of Sir Henry Halford -than recover under that of any other physician, must have been a living -tribute to his skill. - -‘The fact cannot be too much insisted upon that there is nothing in the -least new about faith healing. It is as old as medicine and religion, -which in the beginning were one, as they still are among many savage -tribes. Faith can move mountains, and it matters little on what it is -based or how it is excited. As John Hunter has told us, the touch of -a dead man’s hand has charmed away a tumour. But there are limits to -its action, and while willing to accept faith as an adjuvant, no one -who knows anything about disease will admit that by itself it can heal -any but ailments the origin of which lies hid in the unknown recesses -of the nervous system. By all means let us know the full power of -the spirit over the body. Only let us have facts that can be fairly -and fully tested. A scientifically trained doctor takes nothing on -trust, and there can be no useful co-operation between medicine and -spiritual healing unless the facts of each case are fully disclosed. -That is the point where science and faith part company; the former is -as importunate as Arthur Clennam at the Circumlocution Office, and -the wonder workers are as painfully surprised at this as the youthful -Barnacle was at the persistence of “the fella that wanted to know, you -know.”’ - -Let us dispose at once of one simple question of fact. Modern medical -science has given the ‘spiritual healers,’ who claim to cure any -and every disease by touch or prayer or unction, an absolutely -fair hearing. Evidence is asked for, and, if it is forthcoming, is -patiently investigated, no matter how antecedently unlikely may be the -pretensions which such evidence is brought forward to support. - -The general attitude of mind of the supporters of the ‘spiritual -healers’ is shown by the following illuminating extract, quoted by Sir -H. Morris in the course of a recent lecture on ‘Looking back’: - -‘We have no difficulty in believing that ulcers that have a malignant -aspect may be healed by the hope that comes from a potent suggestion. -We have ourselves known of more than one case in which every clinical -sign of malignant disease of the stomach was present, and in which a -cure was effected by means that could only have derived their potency -from suggestion.’ - -People who are prepared to accept this _without clearly ascertained -and properly sifted evidence_ will accept anything. They simply -believe what they wish to believe. When one widely advertised ‘case of -spiritual healing’ breaks down on investigation, another is put forward. - -Indeed, for the most part they have no idea as to what constitutes -evidence in these matters. In many cases the unsupported statement of -a patient, as to the diagnosis pronounced by a medical man, is calmly -accepted by them as though there were no need of further investigation. -We have heard, perhaps, more than enough of a highly placed dignitary -of the Church who believes (no doubt quite sincerely) that he was cured -of cancer by the ministrations of one of these ‘healers,’ after an -absolute diagnosis as to the existence of an inoperable tumour had been -made by a leading specialist. The repeated denial by the specialist in -question, that he ever supposed the condition which he examined to -be cancerous, makes no difference. The patient continues to announce -as a fact what is almost demonstrably untrue; and his followers will -no doubt continue to accept his statement in preference to first-hand -evidence, so long as this particular cult survives. - -But, for those who are not blinded by ignorant credulity, the following -extracts from a letter from Dr. Combe Atthill may be of interest. Dr. -Atthill’s experience could, of course, be paralleled by any medical man -of long practice: - -‘Shortly after I retired from practice, some ten years ago, a -well-known clergyman wrote to me, saying that members of his -congregation were being much disturbed by the advent amongst them of -a lady professing herself to be a faith healer, and saying that her -conversion was due to the fact of my having told her that she was -suffering from a dreadful disease, and that her sole hope of cure lay -in the performance of a very dangerous operation. She refused to submit -to this, and instead placed herself in the hands of “the healer,” and -was cured. He concluded by asking me to give him particulars of her -case. - -‘I had no recollection of any such patient, but, as the name was given, -I traced her, and found the following particulars recorded in my case -book. - -‘I had only seen the lady once in my own house, when she stated that -she was well past middle life, and for more than a year had been -weakened by a well-known condition. - -‘On my telling her I must examine her she replied that she could not -submit to it that day for sufficient reasons, so I arranged that when -she was in a condition for examination she would let me know, and I -would call on her and examine her. I made no diagnosis, and gave no -opinion as to the nature of the case. I said no word about performing -an operation. - -‘Instead of writing to me to call on her, she went to London. No doubt -an examination would have revealed the fact that no disease ever -existed. - -‘It is impossible to deal with patients of this class. Their mental -equilibrium is disturbed; they distort what the doctor may say, and not -infrequently invent and circulate statements he never made.’ - - -II. _The Society of Emmanuel_ - -Special attention has been directed of late to the claims of the -‘Society of Emmanuel.’ This society appears to profess adherence to -the tenets of the Church of England, though, except for Dr. Mylne -(formerly Bishop of Bombay), no well-known churchman, lay or cleric, -seems to be a member of the executive. The names of some ladies of -title are given in the list of the General Committee. The president -and principal ‘healer’ is a Mr. James M. Hickson. The objects of the -society are closely akin to those of other similar societies, except -that they have a distinctly ‘Church’ flavour. For instance: - -‘To develop the Divine gifts left to His Church by the Master, -especially the gift of healing by prayer and laying on of hands, with -the object of using these Divine gifts ... for the healing of the body.’ - -A perusal of its literature reveals the usual pretension to cure and -to have cured any and every disease. Nothing like a tabulated list of -cases treated appears anywhere. The society has now opened a ‘Hospice,’ -where free treatment (by prayer and laying on of hands, &c.) is given -by the aforesaid Mr. Hickson. - -For some time the _British Medical Journal_, the official organ of the -British Medical Association, called attention to widely advertised -‘cures,’ and asked for information which would make it possible for an -investigation into the true facts to be carried out. The results were -hardly satisfactory. Here are some of the cases: - -(1) In the _British Medical Journal_ (May 1, 1909) the following case -is given as recorded in _The Healer_ (the organ of the Society of -Emmanuel): - -‘The patient fell and injured the patella, which had previously been -broken four times--two doctors expressed the opinion that he would -never have full use of the knee again. It was very painful and quite -callous (_sic_) at the time of the first treatment by prayer, but in -twenty minutes he was able to bend it without help; the following day -to walk about the house, and after four visits to resume ordinary -duties.’ - -Inquiries failed to elicit any details which would enable investigation -to be made. - -(2) From the _British Medical Journal_ of June 5, 1909: - -‘Mr. Hickson is reported to have said that he has another case of -“cancer of the throat” under his care; the patient had undergone two -operations before going to him, and is now apparently getting well. We -should be glad to have particulars of so interesting a case, but we -doubt whether they will be forthcoming.’ - -Apparently they were not. But the case was identified without -difficulty. A clergyman, the vicar of a country parish in the Oxford -diocese, was under ‘treatment’ by Mr. Hickson at this time for what -was undoubtedly cancer (epithelioma) of the larynx. A friend of mine -who saw him in the summer described him as being quite certain that he -was being cured, though he looked extremely ill and could hardly speak -above a whisper. A few weeks later the patient died. If Mr. Hickson -has anywhere publicly announced the failure of his ‘treatment’ in this -case, after having stated that the patient was ‘apparently getting -well,’ no such announcement has come under my notice. - -(3) In its issue of June 12, 1909, the _British Medical Journal_ -published a quotation from the _Evening News_, which ran as follows: - -‘The following account of a cure of cancer is furnished by a lady -member of the Society of Emmanuel: “The patient was a Bishop of the -Church of England. The doctors abandoned all hope of a cure. Then Mr. -Hickson took the case in hand. He arrived on the morning of the day -on which the sufferer had to undergo an operation. Mr. Hickson prayed -with him and anointed him, followed by a laying on of hands (_sic_). -In the afternoon the surgeon arrived and made his examination. He was -greatly surprised. ‘The case puzzles me,’ he said. ‘There is a mark -of a new wound, but the cancer has gone!’ The cleric in question is -now perfectly well, and was with us the other day, but I believe the -surgeon has not yet recovered from his surprise.”’ - -The usual request to Mr. Hickson or any member of the Society of -Emmanuel to furnish details of this truly miraculous cure, which could -serve as a basis of investigation, followed, but no reply came to hand. -Again, I ask, has Mr. Hickson publicly repudiated this account of his -healing powers? - -(4) The following is an extract from an article in the _British Medical -Journal_ of May 22, 1909: - - -‘SPIRITUAL HEALING AND CANCER. - -‘One of the most serious difficulties in arriving at a correct -conclusion as to the curative powers claimed for spiritual healing -is the intangible nature of the evidence. For instance, most of the -patients on behalf of whom prayers were asked in the earlier numbers -of _The Healer_--which is published by Mr. J. M. Hickson, and which, -we suppose, may be regarded as the organ of the Society of Emmanuel -of which that gentleman is the president--are vaguely described -as suffering from “rheumatism,” “loss of nerve power,” “spinal -trouble,” “internal weakness,” “low vitality and great weakness,” -“heart trouble,” “internal trouble.” Some, indeed, are said to be the -subjects of “locomotor ataxy” and “consumption,” but no particulars -are given by which the diagnosis can be checked, and it is difficult -or impossible to trace the result of the treatment. In a report of the -past year published in the number for November 1908, Mr. Hickson does -give some details of a few cases. The two following taken at random -may be given as specimens: “Priest. Cancer in bowel. Specialist, -who examined him nine months ago under an anaesthetic, said that an -operation was impossible, and that he could not live for more than -about three months. He then sought help through Divine Healing, when -he was anointed with oil in the name of the Lord, and Mr. Hickson laid -his hands on him in prayer, after which he was examined by the same -Specialist, who found that a process of absorption was taking place. -He is now quite well.” “Lady’s Maid. Age about 28. Suffering from -rupture, which gave great pain. One year under treatment at Middlesex -Hospital, and, while waiting for an in-patient’s bed for operation, -was advised to seek help through Divine Healing. After three visits -to Mr. Hickson, two months ago, she is now quite well and strong, with -no pain or swelling. Her mistress also reports that serious defects of -her character are no longer apparent and her whole spiritual nature is -quickened and her duties are better done.” - -‘These cases are sufficiently definite to be tested, and we should be -glad if Mr. Hickson would supply us with the information necessary -for the purpose. We should undertake not to publish the names of the -patients or any particulars by which they could be identified. We -should place the results of our investigation honestly before our -readers.’ - -Result: No reply. If the first of these cases is the one already -referred to, it will be observed that the clear and definite denial of -the specialist in question goes for nothing; also that, like all other -stories of the kind, this has lost nothing in the telling. - -(5) The article goes on: - -‘In the meantime, we have succeeded in tracing a case more remarkable -than either of the two just cited, and the result is very instructive. -It was related in the third number of _The Healer_ (March 1908, p. 9) -by the Right Rev. L. G. Mylne, D.D., formerly Bishop of Bombay, in -a paper entitled “The Anointing of the Sick for their Healing.” It -has already been quoted in the _British Medical Journal_ of January -9, 1909, p. 109; but, to enable the reader to form a correct judgment -on the subject, it must be repeated here. Bishop Mylne said: “In the -latest up-to-date book on cancer, which is in the hands of the most -scientific men of to-day, there is a case quoted which is, I have no -doubt, correctly said to be a unique one of _abortive_ cancer. The -case is fully described from a medical point of view--how a patient, -stricken unquestionably with cancer, was found to have, in place of the -tumour, something which could only be called abortive cancer, the like -of which was never heard of before. I happen to know the whole history -of the case from the brother of the patient, himself a medical man. -It was this: The patient had been suffering from a serious affection -of the throat. He went to one specialist after another. Three eminent -men told him without hesitation that he was suffering from a cancer -growing on the vocal cords, and that nothing but their total excision -could save his life. He was a hard-working priest of our Church, and, -of course, the operation meant that he would never utter a word again. -However, his life had to be saved. The doctors came; the throat was -laid open; the operator had his knife in his hand to excise the vocal -cords. He stopped dead. Instead of applying the blade of the knife, he -took hold, between his thumb and the handle, of all he found there, and -peeled it off, just like the skin of a fruit. Between the diagnosis -and the operation the patient had been anointed with oil in the name -of the Lord. That is one of not a few cases which some of us know -about, but it is by far the best defined one I know of, and one that is -actually celebrated in medical circles; not, of course, being quoted as -an instance of what may be done by anointing, but as a case unique in -surgical experience.” We went on to say that we should be glad to have -fuller particulars, and we respectfully invited Bishop Mylne to furnish -us with the name of the “latest up-to-date book on cancer” from which -he quoted. - -‘In the meantime, we had been put on the track of the case by a -distinguished physician, and had obtained a report of the case from -the surgeon who operated. All, therefore, that was wanting was the -name of the book from which the quotation purported to be taken. -We communicated with Bishop Mylne on the subject, and we have to -acknowledge the courtesy with which he received our request for -information and the pains he took to procure it for us. _His Lordship -was, however, unable to gain the consent of those to whom he applied to -help in any way in supplying an answer to a very simple question._[12] -As the matter is one of general interest not only to the medical -profession but to the whole of mankind, we think it right to give the -true facts of the case, of course without disclosing the patient’s -identity. - - [12] The italics are mine. The Bishop is one whose statements, made - on behalf of ‘spiritual healing,’ have been accepted by persons at - any rate adequately educated. He writes a preposterous account of ‘an - abortive cancer,’ and professes to quote from ‘the latest up-to-date - book on cancer, which is in the hands of the most scientific men of - to-day.’ On being asked to give the name of the book, he says that he - cannot ‘obtain the consent of those to whom he applied.’ - -‘The operator was Mr. Butlin, who has been good enough to give us -permission to publish the following account. He saw the patient, who -was at that time thirty-seven years of age, in 1890. There was then a -very white patch, flat and sessile, on the middle of the left vocal -cord, looking like a papillary growth. A month later the surface seemed -to be ulcerated. The patient was seen by other well-known specialists, -who, like Mr. Butlin himself, were puzzled as to the nature of the -disease. Tubercle, papillary growth and malignant disease were in turn -considered, but no definite conclusion was arrived at. The patient was -treated in various ways for four months before it was thought right to -open the larynx. Mr. Butlin then operated in the presence of an eminent -specialist, a distinguished surgeon, and another medical man, a friend -of the patient.’ - -Somewhat to curtail the account, let me simply say that when the larynx -was opened it appeared that they had to do with a case either of what -is known as leukoplakia or a rather rare form of papilloma. The latter -seemed on the face of it to be the more probable, though evidently -Mr. Butlin did not think so. Whatever it was, it was certainly not -malignant. It was scraped away without difficulty: no signs of -infiltration were observed, and, when last heard of, the patient’s -recovery seemed to be complete. The rest of the article in the -_British Medical Journal_ consists of some criticisms of Dr. Mylne’s -proceedings, which certainly do not appear to me to err on the side of -severity. - -The Society of Emmanuel has at last consented to allow the British -Medical Association to carry out a full investigation into its alleged -cures. The report will be interesting reading. Incidentally, it will be -instructive to note how many of the above cases have been submitted to -the investigators. - -Meanwhile, the danger is a real one. Probably an investigation into the -facts of the ‘cures’ reported by other ‘psychotherapeutic’ societies -would yield much the same results as have attended the inquiries into -the claims of the Society of Emmanuel. Not one of them, so far as I -know, even attempts to put its work on a scientific basis; and all -claim implicitly, if not explicitly, that they possess a power to cure -the most malignant organic diseases as well as functional neuroses. - -If this cult is allowed to spread among the ignorant and credulous -(and it seems to me that, _pari passu_ with waning faith, the most -childish credulity is rapidly increasing in our midst, often appearing -in the most unexpected places), a golden opportunity will be offered -to plausible impostors, without even the pretence of a scientific -training, to set up as ‘healers’ and reap a rich harvest of gain. A few -startling successes will be widely advertised, and the huge tale of -failures quietly ignored. But a more serious danger lies behind. - -I take the following from the _British Medical Journal_ of May 1, 1909: - -‘A man with some slight symptoms of bladder trouble consulted an -eminent specialist, who discovered a small growth which could easily -have been removed. It was arranged that the patient should undergo an -operation. In the meantime he fell among Christian Scientists, who -persuaded him that he was quite well. And, indeed, for a time the -symptoms almost ceased. But the insidious disease remorselessly went -its way, till the unfortunate patient was past all surgery.’ - -If it be said that the societies I have mentioned repudiate all -connexion with Christian Science, I reply that by their fruits must -they be judged. Both Christian Science and the various associations -for spiritual healing profess to heal any and every disease, and offer -proofs of their claim, which, whenever they have been tested, have been -shown to be utterly without foundation. - - -III. _Spiritual Healing on a Scientific Basis_ - -In a book which has recently appeared, ‘Body and Soul,’ by the Rev. -Percy Dearmer, we have a serious and able attempt to put ‘spiritual -healing’ on a scientific basis. Considerations of space do not permit -me to deal as fully as I should wish with this really interesting -book, but, if I may try to put the general argument into a single -paragraph, Mr. Dearmer’s contention is as follows: - -Bodily functions and bodily health are regulated and sustained by -what may be called the lower nerve centres in the medulla of the -brain. It is by the exercise of these centres, which in turn control -the circulation, the secretion of various glands, &c., that the body -combats disease. This work is continually going on and we are for the -most part quite unconscious of it. But, says Mr. Dearmer, ‘we now know -that these centres are in direct connexion with the higher centres of -the cortex of the brain.’ I should think we do. So did our ancestors a -hundred years ago. Their knowledge of the work of such centres as the -vasomotor, the respiratory, the heat-regulating, &c., was fragmentary -and imperfect to the last degree, but not one of them had any doubt -that myriads of nerve fibres connected the cortex with the medulla. -Let us, therefore, know how to stimulate the cortex, and all disease -(organic as well as functional) can be cured. Hence, when our Lord -cured Bartimæus’s blindness, and when a ‘healer’ cures locomotor ataxy, -they are performing a function quite as natural as in the case of a -doctor who cures malaria with quinine or restores the use of muscles -in musculo-spiral paralysis by the use of the interrupted current. - -This sounds plausible enough. There is nothing very new in it; indeed, -when we come to analyse it, we shall see that, so far as general -principles go, there is nothing which was not perfectly familiar in -Sydenham’s day, or which the most materialistic practitioner of our -own time would not admit without a moment’s hesitation. But, of the -limitations of his process, Mr. Dearmer only seems to have a confused -idea. Let us take one of the instances which he adduces in illustration -of his argument. He is speaking (p. 33) of the familiar phenomenon of -blushing. ‘When a person blushes,’ says our author, ‘the small arteries -are relaxed and dilate, the amount of blood in them is increased, and -this hot red fluid flows in such quantities through the capillaries -of the skin that the skin itself becomes hot and red. It is strange -that the thought “He says I am a pretty girl” should cause the small -arteries to behave in this way; but the physiological explanation is -simple enough. These arteries are supplied with muscles which regulate -them, and all muscles are worked by nerves. The thought in the higher -conscious centres has somehow seen fit to hitch itself on to the -arterial muscles, just as when we telephone to a friend in the City -the exchange connects us on to his office. _Now, supposing it to be -possible to cure a man, say of indigestion by thought, the process -would be the same._’ - -‘Supposing it to be possible to cure a man of indigestion by thought,’ -this is a statement which no one would wish to dispute. But I -expect Mr. Dearmer would be surprised to hear that the analogy of -the excitation of the vaso-dilator centre, which causes blushing, -can be applied to only a few varieties of indigestion. Roughly, the -commonest causes of indigestion might be said to be: (_a_) anæmia, -or an insufficient supply of blood to the mucous membrane of the -stomach; (_b_) an imperfect secretion of hydrochloric acid and the -digestive fluids owing to structural defects in the glands of the -stomach, usually a hereditary condition; (_c_) a dilated organ; (_d_) -some pathological condition of the accessory large glands, e.g. liver -and pancreas; (_e_) dyspepsia, owing to faulty balance of the nervous -system. Any one of these five is fairly common, but only in the -last is there a shred of evidence for supposing that suggestion or -any other factor which would cause the higher, and through them the -lower, nervous centres to show a healthy activity, would bring about -amelioration or a cure, while there is much evidence against any -supposition of the kind. - -Mr. Dearmer elsewhere lays it down that healing by excitation of the -‘undermind’ is only possible where the case is ‘curable.’ If, he says -in effect, the case is incurable, then anything like spiritual or -faith healing or suggestion will fail to bring about a cure [will the -faith-healers kindly take note of this admission?], _but so will any -other more material means_. To this one may be permitted to reply: - -(i) In many acute infections, e.g. scarlet fever, typhoid fever, -cholera, where complete recovery may be expected if (_a_) the infection -is not too virulent, (_b_) the resisting power of the tissues is -vigorous and unimpaired, suggestion in any form--hope, the desire -to live, the unexpected arrival of a much-loved friend, &c.--will -most certainly assist the patient to battle with the disease. But -these factors will always operate without the elaboration of a -psychotherapeutic philosophy, and really I do not like the idea of -encouraging the adoption of a solemn form of prayer, unction, and -the laying on of hands, when all the evidence to hand points to this -‘treatment’ having in acute infections just as much value as (but -no more than) the realisation on the part of the patient that, if -he dies at that particular time, his business will be left in an -unsatisfactory condition and perhaps in incompetent hands. - -(ii) In the case of what are usually termed chronic ‘organic’ -conditions, honours are no longer even. Let us take four crucial -examples. - -(_a_) Malignant tumours. - -Certainly we have no warrant for supposing that in any, except cases -of the extremest rarity, the ‘undermind’ can possibly effect a cure. -But in a very large number of cases which are taken sufficiently early -and are otherwise favourable, extirpation by the surgeon’s knife can -and does save the life of the individual and prevent recurrence of -the tumour. I say again that an attitude of hesitancy on this subject -by those who, like Mr. Dearmer, approach the question in a scientific -spirit, and their quasi-acceptance of the alleged cures of cancer by -spiritual and other healers, which hopelessly break down when anything -like impartial investigation is brought to bear on them--all this is -likely to be productive of infinite harm. In the case of cancer or -sarcoma a day’s delay may make the whole difference between hope and -despair. - -(_b_) A class of disease of which a good example is tuberculous -affections of bone. - -Here we have to do with what is strictly a non-malignant condition. -That is to say, there is always a fair ground for hoping that surgery -may operate like auxiliary steam power in the battleships of the -Crimean period. Help nature (or the ‘undermind’) enough and, other -conditions being favourable, a tolerably satisfactory result may be -expected. But, really, clinical experience in all civilised communities -for the past fifty or sixty years must be allowed to have some value; -and the value surely lies in this, that the experienced surgeon knows -more or less exactly when to excise or scrape and when to refrain. -That anyone should prefer to this the services of some unqualified, -inexperienced ‘healer,’ who bids his patient trust in prayer, unction, -or whatever his method is, telling him that if his faith is sufficient -the largest sinus will be cleared up and the most distressing ankylosis -broken down, simply strikes me with amazement. If the ‘healers’ really -wish us to believe their claims, let them produce a properly codified -list of cases which can be thoroughly investigated. - -(_c_) Diseases in which certain drugs are empirically known to act with -marked success, e.g. malaria. Here, properly graduated quantities of -quinine _can_ and _do_ effect an absolute cure. There is no evidence -whatever that suggestion in any form can do the same. - -(_d_) What may be called progressive organic conditions, e.g. cirrhosis -of the liver. - -I entirely agree that, in the conditions of which this is an example, -scientific medicine can only hope to ameliorate and render life more -tolerable to the sufferer. - -But here I come to close grips with our author, whose close and fair -reasoning it is a real pleasure to follow. In a very large proportion -of the diseases from which people die, the pathological condition -consists in the deposition of fibrous tissue in some organ or part of -the general system. The causes and clinical varieties are endless, but -the result the same. To instance only a few, we have: - -(_a_) Granular kidney, i.e. chronic Bright’s disease. - -(_b_) Cirrhotic liver. - -(_c_) Arterio-sclerosis, resulting in cerebral hæmorrhage -(stroke--apoplexy--paralysis). - -(_d_) Locomotor ataxy. - -(_e_) Tuberculous peritonitis with adhesions. - -Now, in all these, the fibrous tissue is first deposited as an -effort on the part of Nature to repair the damage done by an acute -or chronic inflammation. But, unfortunately, not only does this -fibrous tissue take the place of normal cells, whose activity is of -the utmost importance in preserving the health of the individual, but -it invariably tends after a time to contract; from which contraction -further damage and the gravest results are likely to ensue. It will -be observed that in its simplest form a fibrotic change is of the -nature of real repair. Thus, after a deep cut or extensive injury to -the skin, we all know that a ‘scar’ results. This affords admirable -protection to the damaged area. Nor does the subsequent contraction -seriously matter. Care has to be taken to allow for it in the treatment -of extensive burns, and considerable allowance is made for contraction -in the suturing of skin incisions made in the course of an operation. -But except when the scar is on the face, where it is objectionable -for cosmetic reasons, a contracting superficial scar is seldom a -cause of serious inconvenience. But the case is very different in -the kidney or the spinal cord. Contraction there causes an extensive -destruction of delicate cells, and, by cutting off the blood supply, a -great impairment of function, if not actual necrosis, of an infinite -number of cells which were not directly affected by the preceding -inflammation. And so the vicious circle goes on. - -Does Nature make no effort to play the part of the spear of Achilles -and ‘heal the wounds which she herself has made’? Only to a negligible -extent, on account of the vicious circle just alluded to. So we have -the curious phenomenon that in the skin and round the broken ends of a -fractured bone (for what is called callus is really only fibrous tissue -with special bony elements superimposed) fibrous tissue is very slowly -but more or less steadily absorbed; while in the places where such -absorption would be of the utmost value to the individual it hardly -takes place at all. - -Now, the reader will observe that this fibrous tissue is, in the first -instance, laid down by the activity of leucocytes acting, to some -extent at any rate, in obedience to impulses from the circulatory -centres of the medulla, to which Mr. Dearmer quite rightly attaches -considerable importance. They make up, in fact, his ‘undermind.’ I can -only say that, so far as any pathological evidence which we possess -justifies us in coming to a definite conclusion, we can but suppose -that a stimulation of these lower centres to greater activity, by -excitation through suggestion of the higher ones, would lead to a -further deposition of fibrous tissue, to the great detriment of the -general condition of the patient. Any attempt at subsequent absorption -seems to be practically negligible. - -So, in the case of blind Bartimæus, Mr. Dearmer’s contention that our -Lord acted by suggestion is almost demonstrably untrue. At least, it -is only even remotely probable on the supposition that Bartimæus was -suffering from snow blindness, toxic amblyopia, or one of those rare -conditions following on such a sudden, but transitory, disturbance of -the nervous system as sea-sickness. And since snow blindness is for -obvious reasons unknown in Palestine, and since he certainly did not -use tobacco, and probably, like most Jews, hated the sea, this does -not seem to be a likely explanation. If, on the other hand, it was a -case of corneal opacity following trachoma, cataract, or glaucoma, -or some condition resulting in atrophy of the optic nerve, it may be -safely affirmed that the method of healing was emphatically not that so -carefully worked out by Mr. Dearmer. - - -IV. _The ‘Neurotic’ Theory of the Miracles of the New Testament_ - -The whole question of our Lord’s miracles of healing, regarded merely -as so many faith cures, has been discussed in an admirable essay -contributed by Dr. R. J. Ryle to the _Hibbert Journal_ of April 1907. -He had before him no such systematic attempt to defend this view -as that made by Mr. Dearmer, but only the rather loose theorising -of certain ‘Modernists’ who, however competent they may be to deal -with textual criticism, are hardly in their element when reviewing -pathological probabilities. Dr. Ryle quotes Professor Harnack as saying: - -‘That the earth in its course stood still, that a she-ass spoke, that -a storm was quieted by a word, we do not believe, and we shall never -again believe; but that the lame walked, the blind saw, and the deaf -heard will not be so summarily dismissed as an illusion.’[13] - - [13] _What is Christianity?_ - -Others write to the same effect. ‘Progressive criticism,’ says Dr. -Ryle, ‘has adopted, with much assurance, the opinion that the diseases -which were healed were what doctors commonly speak of as functional -diseases of the nervous system, and that the production of a strong -mental impression was the means by which the miracles of healing were -brought about. Upon this point there seems to be a practical unanimity -no less decided than that which has been reached among critics of -the liberal school upon the other two points. Thus Dr. Abbott tells -us that the mighty works were simply “acts of faith-healing on a -mighty scale.” The “Encyclopædia Biblica” lays it down that “it is -quite permissible for us to regard as historical only those of the -class which, even at the present day, physicians are able to effect -by psychical methods.” Principal Estlin Carpenter (in the “First -Three Gospels”) says, “The real force which worked the patient’s cure -dwelt in his own mind: the power of Jesus lay in the potency of his -personality to evoke this force.” - -‘The writers have adopted what may be called, for brevity, the Neurotic -Theory. It is for them to show by an actual examination of the records -that the ministry of healing which is admitted “to stand on as firm -historical ground as the best accredited parts of the teaching,” -consisted in the curing of neurotic patients by strong mental -impressions. Have they done so?’ - -Dr. Ryle has, of course, no difficulty in showing that they have done -nothing of the kind. - -‘It is not too much to say that no one of the writers who has pinned -his faith to the Neurotic Theory has made any attempt to carry it out -in detail. We are offered a number of quite commonplace allusions to -the power of mind over body, and we find a complacent conviction -expressed in several ways by several writers to the effect that a -certain class of disorders, which are vaguely alluded to as “nervous,” -are promptly curable by emotional methods. But we do not find any -recognition of the fact that only a small portion of the diseases to -which human flesh is heir are nervous diseases; and that of nervous -diseases, again, only a very small and unimportant group admit of cure -in this way. - -‘What the critics have to do if they wish to convince their readers of -the Neurotic Theory of the miracles of healing is nothing less than -this: - -‘1. They must show that the diseases which Christ is said to have -cured were of the kind which experience proves to admit of psychical -treatment. - -‘2. They must show some good grounds for the assertion that the way in -which the cures of the healing ministry were effected was the way by -which at the present day such cures are effected, when what has been -called moral therapeutics has been the method employed.’ - -The difficulty is obvious. If our Lord was merely a faith healer, the -results of long and laborious investigations into many faith-healing -systems, all presenting very much the same features both in methods of -treatment and effects, justify us in assuming that the number of cures -would have been strictly limited. - -‘But then, quickly enough, would follow the discovery that the powers -of healing were available not for all, but only for a small and limited -group of disorders; for in any casual collection of sick people, though -there might be perhaps here one and here another suitable patient for a -faith-healing exhibition, the majority would be unsuitable. What, then, -of the failures? - -‘The difficulty here referred to has not been wholly overlooked, and it -is worth while to notice how the attempt has been made to meet it. “Did -a kind of instinct (asks Dr. Abbott) tell Him that the restoration of -a lost limb was not like the cure of a paralytic, not one of the works -prepared for Him by His Father?” and again, “Experience and some kind -of intuition may have enabled Him to distinguish those cases which He -could heal from those (a far more numerous class) which He could not.” - -‘The suggestion would not commend itself to a medical reader as a -very happy way out of the difficulty. The naïve supposition that -in cases of disease which require unusually minute and scientific -investigation diagnosis was made “by a kind of instinct” or “some -kind of intuition” is quite on a par with the innocent conception of -the nature of diseases of the nervous system which Dr. Abbott shows -elsewhere. Dr. Abbott would hesitate to allow that Jesus had a kind of -instinct to guide Him safely concerning the Davidic origin of a psalm -or the date of the taking of Jerusalem. Why should he imagine that he -was less likely to be at fault in the presence of equally difficult -problems of another kind? The assumption of an infallible capacity -for discrimination, which could arrive at correct conclusions without -the use of any of the methods and appliances of scientific medicine, -is merely to substitute one kind of “supernaturalism” for another. -A miraculous faculty of diagnosis is no easier of acceptance than a -miraculous cure. A “kind of instinct” is an absurd supposition.’ - -Dr. Ryle then examines in detail certain of the healing miracles as -related by the Evangelists. The result is to leave the intelligent -reader in no doubt that in nine out of ten of the cases of ‘paralysis’ -brought to Him, our Lord would have been, on the ‘neurotic’ hypothesis, -no more likely to effect a cure than (to take Dr. Abbott’s example) in -‘the restoration of a lost limb.’ His clear account of the case of the -man with the withered hand, which the non-medical reader will be able -to follow without difficulty, is worth quoting in full. - -‘In the story of the man with the withered hand it is probable that we -have to do with another case of paralysis; and if so, we may assume -with considerable confidence that the case was one of “infantile -paralysis.” This is the affection to which at the present day nearly -all the instances of “withered hand” or of “withered leg” are owing. A -child who has been in good health, or has suffered perhaps from a few -days of feverishness, is found to have lost power in an arm or leg. -The limb hangs flaccid and motionless. The muscles are found to be -wasting when the limb is examined a week or two later, and the limb to -be cold. For a month or two there may be a little recovery of movement. -This soon stops, and the arm or leg remains ever after more or less -powerless and shrunken and cold. Normal growth is largely checked, -and, in addition to the actual atrophy and arrest of development, -various contractions and deformities become established as time goes -on. After death the muscles are found to have become much diminished -and shrunken, and throughout a certain portion of the spinal cord, -corresponding with the affected limb, destructive changes are found to -have occurred where the normal structure of ganglion cells and nerve -fibres is replaced by the remains of the inflammatory process which -has been the cause of the palsy. Such is the ordinary history of a -withered hand. Here the very word “withered,” which aptly describes -the condition of the limb, is the most appropriate description of the -result of the process which has taken place. If such was the pathology -of the case described in Mark iii. 1, it is needless to say that, -although it belongs to the group of the nervous diseases, it does not -belong to that class of nervous disease which admits of treatment by -moral impression or emotional shock.’ - -If this is accepted in the case of what may truly be described as -‘nervous diseases,’ then _à fortiori_ the improbability of the view -taken by ‘progressive criticism’ is enormously enhanced when we come to -consider the healing of the blind, the ‘woman with an issue of blood,’ -and others where the nervous system was not primarily, if at all, -affected. - -The conclusion of the whole matter seems to be this. Medical science -has at her command a vast accumulation of clinical material on which -she is able to form a clearly reasoned judgment. There is no such -thing in Medicine as a ‘chose jugée.’ No single verdict ever found -but is open to revision if the evidence is satisfactory. But we do -claim that it should be recognised, by all who have the interests of -truth at heart, that the limits of ‘psychotherapeutics,’ ‘spiritual’ -or otherwise, are, according to our present knowledge, sufficiently -well defined, and that nothing has yet been brought forward to warrant -anyone in making an exception in favour of any one society or method. - - -V. _Clergy and Doctors_ - -So much may be said on the critical side. - -A few words, for many are not needed, may be added as to the positive -advantages of a clear understanding between the Church and scientific -Medicine, as to the spheres in which both may hope to operate in -fulfilment of a genuine desire to cure or alleviate bodily disease. - -(1) The clergy have an unrivalled opportunity of taking the lead in -educating public opinion on the subject. In no other religious body in -the world is the ministry of so high a class, not merely socially (a -small matter) but intellectually, morally, and spiritually, as in the -Anglican Communion. As a result, I know no body of men better able to -come to sane and balanced conclusions on any subjects, the details of -which are within their own experience. They touch life at many points. -Their calling brings them into contact with vast numbers of people, -and they usually show in their dealings with others a broad-minded -tolerance and shrewd common-sense which is beyond praise. I do not -hesitate to say that, if I were accused of a crime which I knew I had -not committed, I should feel safer if the trial were conducted before -a jury of Anglican clergymen than before men drawn from any other -profession; but in this matter of ‘spiritual’ or ‘psychic’ healing -they have not risen to the occasion. An article in the _Church Times_ -of February 18, 1910, lies before me. A dogmatic gentleman (or lady, -perhaps--the style is essentially feminine) writes the most confident -nonsense on the subject of the ‘Gift of Healing’ that ever filled two -columns. Here is an extract, not by any means the most precious gem -from the entire chaplet, but a fair example of the whole: - -‘The gift of healing is simply a human gift ... like the gift of -music or any other gift, and also, like music, present in some people -more than in others, though probably present in some degree in nearly -everybody.... The gift transcends all knowledge, it cures diseases -considered incurable. Consumption, cancer, blindness, deafness, -cripples (_sic_), &c., this is within our practical experience to-day, -so that it stands to reason that the art of curing by medicine will -gradually disappear as the gift of healing grows and develops. Not -so the scientific knowledge of the doctors, which will be used more -and more where it ought to be used, and that is _in the prevention of -disease_.’ - -Comment would be quite superfluous. But what follows is instructive. -In the next issue of the _Church Times_ the irrepressible Mr. Hickson -and the ‘Warden of the Guild of Health’ rush into print with some -rather vague assertions about the ‘spiritual nature’ of this gift. -There is an extremely sensible letter from a doctor, pointing out with -great moderation that, if there is any evidence for those confident -assertions, he would be glad to know what it amounted to. No clergyman -seems to have thought it worth his while to disclaim agreement with the -wild statements of the writer of the article. - -In the first place, then, I would appeal to the clergy to inform -themselves as to the limitation of ‘spiritual healing,’ according to -the immense mass of evidence which has been collected and does enable -us to lay down those limitations with sufficient accuracy for the -practical purpose of life; and to act as wise advisers to their people -in this matter. - -(2) The clergy will do well to remember that a great deal of bodily -_ill-health_ may exist quite independently of bodily _disease_. These -cases are commoner than cases of organic malady. There is plenty of -scope for ameliorative work in connexion with them. At the risk of -being thought egotistical, I may be allowed to quote a case which -recently came under my own observation, and which is typical of a large -number of others. - -A young man, who was clearly very far from being of a neurotic or -hysterical type, came to me complaining of severe pain in the region of -the heart. It had, according to his account, been gradually increasing -for some time. It frequently came on after he had run upstairs, and on -one occasion had been intense after running to catch a train. It was -sometimes accompanied by violent palpitation and breathlessness, and -had no relation to food. Would I tell him if his heart was all right? I -examined the heart and could find no trace of any abnormal condition. -Nor could I find any evidence of anything in the abdomen which would -be likely to account for the pain. I told him that his heart was -absolutely sound and that there appeared to be nothing to suggest -disease anywhere. A rather careful diet would do him no harm. If it -did not do any good, it would be easy enough to prescribe a tonic, but -I did not think it necessary. I never expected to see him again. Five -months later, however, he called and explained with much gravity that -he had come to thank me for ‘curing his heart.’ I then remembered the -case, and was fairly staggered. ‘But bless my soul,’ I said rather -brusquely, ‘there never was anything the matter with your heart.’ ‘No,’ -he replied, this time with a quiet smile, ‘I know there wasn’t. All I -can say is that from the time you told me it was all right, the pain -disappeared, and I have never had any return of it. But, look here, -when it was there, _the pain was real_.’ - -I have no doubt it was. To label all such cases as ‘hysterical,’ -‘neurotic,’ and so on (in the ordinary connotation of these terms) -is utterly unscientific. This young fellow was a sensible, cheerful, -rather unimaginative youth without a trace of ‘_neurasthenia_’ about -him. Yet, by coming to believe that his heart was diseased, he had -quite unconsciously so excited the higher centres that the vagus nerve -returned exactly the impressions to the brain which would be conveyed -by various morbid organic conditions. - -Now, in such a case as this (and the number of them must be very large -indeed) the parish clergyman has a great scope for quiet, useful work. -Let him urge the patient not to dwell on his supposed condition, but -go at once to a competent practitioner and find out what exactly -(if anything) is the matter. The clergyman will find that (if he -has the patient’s consent) the doctor will make no difficulty about -affording him the fullest information about the physical condition of -the patient, and from their co-operation the happiest results may be -expected. - -(3) Conversely, there are many cases where a sympathetic doctor would -be only too glad to be in touch with a parish clergyman. Occasionally -we get at the hospital a note from a clergyman, saying that X. Y. is to -call at the Out-Patients’ Department to-day, and that the writer would -be glad to know in confidence what is the matter with him. I only wish -we had more. If there is no objection raised by the patient, there is -no difficulty whatever about entering into the fullest particulars, -and in those cases (and they are far from infrequent) where the -patient complains of ‘worries,’ a sympathetic adviser on the spot -will probably do more to bring about an improvement in the physical -condition than all the compounds of iron, strychnine, &c., in the -hospital pharmacopœia. The full consent of the patient is, of course, -an indispensable preliminary. When this is obtained, the rest is easy -enough. - -(4) In the same way, when there is a suspicion or fairly clear evidence -that health is being undermined by some evil habit, the sympathetic -clergyman, who knows the patient well, can do far more for him than the -most skilled doctor who has probably only seen him once or twice. Why -any clergyman should want to babble about a special ‘gift of healing’ -in dealing with these most distressing cases, considering what the -evidence on the subject of a ‘gift of healing’ is, I cannot conceive. -The unostentatious, healthy influence of a cultured Christian gentleman -has a potency which no manipulation or ritual is in the least likely -to enhance. If he will equip himself with the necessary information as -to the ‘patient’s’ actual physical condition, he can set to work to -exercise his influence, with the knowledge that he will probably effect -more, so far as a permanent result goes, than all the self-styled -‘healers’ who ever supported scientific misstatements with bad logic, -or clouded with frothy verbiage what intellect they possess. - - - - -OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SICKNESS - -BY - -W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A. - -VICAR OF CHEDDAR AND PREBENDARY OF WELLS - - - - -OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SICKNESS - -BY W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A. - - -(1) Men are commonly influenced by actions and personal example much -more powerfully than by abstract teaching; and the Christian tradition -conforms to this principle in placing the three Synoptic Gospels in -the forefront of the New Testament. For they set before us the mind -of Christ in the words and acts of Jesus. Thus when the thoughtful -Christian is asked, ‘What is the Gospel view of disease?’ he will be -inclined to reply, ‘The question is a difficult one, but we may say -with some confidence that our Lord answered it by His miracles of -healing.’ A study of these and of their underlying principles may help -us towards the definition we seek. - -The records are fragmentary. Yet they are warm with living realism. The -great facts of our Faith stand out before us in the moving drama of -the Synoptic Gospels,[14] just as truly as they are interpreted for -us in the spiritual Gospel, the Fourth. Jesus Christ is portrayed as -the Son of Man: and whatever else that most significant title denotes, -it speaks to us of His human activity, His practical and energetic -sympathy with the sins and sorrows of men. And this activity found -its exercise in two directions: teaching and healing. The association -of the two things is noteworthy, as indicating a great principle. The -sins of mankind are not unconnected with their sicknesses; spiritual -restoration with bodily relief. A calm of soul may bring rest to the -body. He who fulfilled in His earthly ministry the prophetic office -was also a ‘Physician of extraordinary achievement.’[15] To render -Professor Bousset’s words, though we cannot reproduce their eloquence: - - [14] Euseb. H. E. vi. 14. 7. So called first by Clement of Alexandria. - - [15] Professor Bousset’s _Jesus_ (3rd ed. 1907, p. 26). - -‘How the simple populace must have hailed this Deliverer in every time -of need! With what unspeakable confidence they must have thronged -him! At his coming, despair lifted its head, dull eyes glistened, -weary hands and arms reached forth towards him. They trusted him -for everything, all things became possible. Body and soul with all -their needs they brought to him for healing. The cries of need and -anguish, the confidence which knew no limitations, the craving for -help, the faltering prayer, the shouts or sobs of joy, the tears of -gratitude--daily he moved in the midst of it all.’ - -Are we then to conclude that our Lord attached no less importance to -the cure of bodily ailment than to the spiritual redemption of men? -Much has been written of late years which might seem to imply this. -But the whole trend of Christ’s teaching forbids us to emphasise the -value of physical well-being at the expense of the master claims of -the spirit: witness His words in the Sermon on the Mount about taking -thought for the life or the body.[16] And therefore we must avoid mere -rhetoric and special pleading. - - [16] Matt. vi. 25. - -(i) It is plain, at the outset, that our Lord set certain limits to the -exercise of His healing activity. What has often been said of miracles -in general[17] may be said of the miracles of healing. There is a -severe economy in the exercise of such supernatural, or extranatural, -powers. This is illustrated by our Lord’s apparent reluctance to work -miracles when it is not certain that a true faith asks for it.[18] -In other words, the receptivity of men is necessary to the Divine -transaction with the sufferer. - - [17] E.g. by Dr. Illingworth, _Divine Immanence_, p. 120. - - [18] Cp. John iv. 48: ‘Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not - believe.’ - -Again, He is slow to exercise His power outside the boundaries of -Israel, within which He was pleased to confine His work of preaching -and healing. Possibly He knew that there He would be welcomed as a mere -wonder-working magician. He makes it a condition of His action that the -atmosphere should be one of real faith.[19] He could there do no mighty -works because of their unbelief.[20] Was it because of the waning -faith of the multitudes that, towards the end of His work on earth, -the Healing Ministry almost ceases?[21] Whether on this account, or in -the desire to escape the demonstrations of popular interest which the -miracles evoked, or because the full evidential effect of these ‘signs’ -was now almost attained, He restricts His healing, life-giving power to -some four cases, one of them the raising of Lazarus. For each and all a -special reason can be found.[22] - - [19] On this see next chapter, p. 209. - - [20] Mark vi. 5, 6; Matt. xiii. 58. - - [21] Professor A. B. Bruce, _Miraculous Elements in the Gospels_, p. - 265. - - [22] Luke xiv. 3: Vindication of the true principle of the Sabbath; - John xi.: Lazarus, His ‘friend,’ the only brother of Martha and Mary; - also Trench’s _Miracles_, p. 434 sq.; Luke xvii. 16: The universality - of His salvation; Mark x. 47: The appeal to the Son of David. (The - Healing of Malchus stands by itself.) - -(ii) Christ’s healing activity was therefore strictly limited in -scope. It may be asked, Was it a ‘unique manifestation of a unique -Personality’[23] or did it differ in degree rather than in kind from -the wonderful works of human healers, or, at all events, of healers -who have wrought ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’? The latter view by no -means commits its advocates to a ‘humanitarian’ view of the Person of -Jesus Christ: while it amply satisfies the facts. Again, it is not -necessary, for the purpose of the present discussion, to digress into -the field of New Testament criticism. Renan, in his ‘Vie de Jésus,’ -feels himself constrained to apologise for the miraculous action of -Christ, on the ground that ‘the rôle of thaumaturge was unwelcome to -him, but was imposed upon him by his contemporaries.’[24] To Loisy, a -critic of profounder learning and far more reverent temper, it appears -that the miracles were in reality ‘works of mercy ... and not a direct -argument in favour of the Messiahship of the Saviour,’ a complexion -which was afterwards put upon them more or less unconsciously by -the Evangelists.[25] But it is quite consistent with a reverent -acknowledgment of the Divinity of our Lord, and an acceptance of the -Gospel records in substance as they stand, to hold that the miracles -of healing--with the nature-miracles we are not here concerned--were -the simple outcome of that all-embracing human pity which, in itself, -betokened the expected Messiah; rather than an immediate exercise of -Almighty power, and the utterance, within the physical order, of the -Eternal Word. We find our Lord proclaiming Himself, in the synagogue -of Nazareth, the Fulfiller of that great prophecy of Isaiah in his -sixty-first chapter, in which the Messianic mission is set forth -in language in which a spiritual and a physical deliverance are -inseparably intertwined.[26] Similarly, in answer to the Baptist’s -message, the same blending of evangelical teaching and spiritual -healing is to be noticed; and, once again, sin and disease stand out as -the dominant factors in the condition of this present world. - - [23] Illingworth, _Divine Immanence_, p. 119. - - [24] Renan, _Vie de Jésus_, p. 264. - -[25] Loisy, _L’Évangile et l’Église_, p. 17. - - [26] Luke iv. 18: note the double sense in the words - -(iii) But if the source of the miracles is thus to be sought in the -Sacred Humanity, that Humanity is, after all, the perfect ideal and -norm of all humanity. Whatever exceptional powers of genius, whatever -special faculties and latent gifts of mind and will have appeared at -rare intervals among men, these we should expect to find exemplified, -one and all, in the Life of Christ, had that Life come down to us in -a complete form. Now, it cannot be questioned that in every age a few -individuals have been found, who were endowed with a preternatural -therapeutic power, connected generally with a very subtle power of -sympathy, but, in some instances, if we may believe what we are told, -inherent in a person who had no wish whatever to exercise it.[27] That -some such virtue resided in Christ, and accounts for some part of His -healing work, need not be questioned. The records may be said to imply -it in two passages,[28] that which relates to the act of the woman who -touched the hem of His garment in the crowd, and that which speaks of -this method of cure as ofttimes repeated. They besought Him that they -might touch if it were but the border of his garment--and as many as -touched were made whole. - - [27] See an article by Dr. A. T. Schofield in the _Contemporary - Review_, March 1909, for examples. - - [28] Matt. ix. 20 (Mark v. 27); Matt. xiv. 36 (Mark vi. 56); also - Luke vi. 19: Power came forth from Him and healed them all. Cp. - Acts, xix. 11, 12 and v. 15; the Apostles and, apparently, our Lord - sanctioned a sort of sacramental medium of cure to meet the needs of - a simple populace. - -It is possible, no doubt, to account for such cures on a purely -naturalistic hypothesis, such as that which Keim[29] accepts, viz. -that they were cases of faith-healing; a phenomenon which recurs in -connexion with nearly every form of religious belief, and in every -stage of social development. The influence of the spiritual imagination -on the bodily state is undeniable. Everyone knows something about the -phenomena of Lourdes and Bethshan, healing resorts which, theologically -speaking, lie at opposite poles. In a cruder form the same effects are -found in connexion with holy wells and relics of the saints.[30] We may -go back to the ancients and find wonderful cures reported in the pagan -world, from the shrines of Asclepius (the patron deity of physicians). -A blind man touches the altar of Aesculapides (as he was called at -Rome) on the island of the Tiber and receives his sight.[31] The -Emperors Hadrian and Vespasian used to touch for the ‘King’s evil.’[32] - - [29] See Bruce, _op. cit._ p. 275. - - [30] See chaps. xxvi. and xxxi. in Rev. Percy Dearmer’s _Body and - Soul_. - - [31] O. Weinreich, _Antike Heilungswunden_, p. 63. Scholars will - remember how Plutus recovered his sight by incubation in the temple - of Asclepius in Aristophanes’ play. - - [32] Weinreich, p. 75. - -But can anyone study the miracles of our Lord as a whole (for we must -not lose sight of those wrought upon inanimate nature) and feel that -they are sufficiently explained by a familiar truth in psychology, -viz. that the religious imagination is able to stimulate the bodily -forces, whatever may be the spiritual soil in which that imagination -is bred? Faith, or a conscious receptivity in the mind of the patient, -was a frequent factor in the healing process; although there is really -nothing in the records to make us predicate it of Jairus’s daughter or -the centurion’s slave or the nobleman’s son. It is surely remarkable -that our Lord held Himself aloof from all those methods of cure which -might have suggested the enchanter and magician, particularly in the -case of demoniacs. The Jews, like other ancient nations, resorted to -the use of exorcism, incantation, and talismans, which owed their -potency to their effect on the imagination. Christ does not hypnotise -men or throw them into an ecstasy. Where faith is present, He gladly -works through it towards the salvation of the whole man. But often -there is a mere flicker of faith, a spark in the flax. In the sick -room, when the vital forces are enfeebled, the brain clouded, and the -spirits depressed by physical malady, it is a rare thing, surely, for -the flame of faith to burn brightly and the imagination to glow with -the consciousness of an unseen Presence. And the Church would have but -little encouragement to invoke for her own ministries the healing Power -of her Master, if it could only be enlisted on behalf of such patients -as already possessed ‘comfort and sure confidence in their Lord.’ -We believe that the Church has something less elusive to offer her -people in their hour of need: and we return to the records of Christ’s -miracles in order to discover it. - -(iv) The value of what is called ‘mental therapeutics’ is no longer -contested; it receives, and has received for some time, the careful -attention of the medical profession.[33] We approach the subject from -the religious standpoint, we base our study of it upon the teaching -and practice of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we must discriminate -between psychic treatment and spiritual treatment. The former term, -if applicable to religious treatment, can also denote forms of mental -cure which are unconnected with religion, e.g. the use of hypnotism. -But Christ addresses Himself to the Spirit (πνευμα), that highest -element of our nature, through which the mystics hold that we have -kinship with God, and in unison with which the Holy Spirit attests -our Divine sonship. His miracles are works of _spiritual_ healing, -they are wrought for the whole man, not only for soul, and certainly -not only for body. Christ’s view of healing is relative to His view -of disease, His view of disease to His view of human nature. Had -he attached to bodily health the supreme importance which it is the -tendency of our day to assign to it, and regarded bodily pain as a -thing at all costs to be effaced, we must suppose that His whole -Life upon earth would have been devoted to the relief of sickness -and pain, and that the ‘Healing Ministry’ of His Church would have -been far more clearly defined. But no more does He abolish disease -than He abolishes pauperism. The tendency of His teaching is to -inculcate self-sufficingness (the αὐταρκεία, of St. Paul[34] and the -Greek philosophers) in the face of all temporary evils and ailments, -the conquest of things material by the spirit, its supremacy in the -hierarchy of human nature; in a word, the principle of inner control or -autonomy, as the birthright of the human spirit. In his great picture -of the Transfiguration, Raphael has caught this contrast between -the calm of the heavenly Mount above and the ineffective, agonised -distraction of suffering humanity here below, in the person of the -lunatic boy and his father. But that heavenly calm of spirit is not the -self-centred aloofness of the Stoic. The doctrine of the Incarnation -brings the Divine Saviour down to men, lifts man up to the peace of -heaven,[35] and at the same time bids him find that peace in fulfilling -the bodily duties of his corporate Church life. It will not admit of a -selfish quietism. But before this peace of God which Christ proclaims, -the worry and ‘fear-thought’ of our overstrung modern age, its neurotic -sensationalism and morbid self-analysis, would retire abashed. Christ -would teach us that human nature is itself only when it is itself in -its completeness, when the physical is truly the instrument of the -spiritual. There is no dualism, no schism in human nature as Divinely -planned. The voluptuary and the ascetic are both at fault, the former -more so because he sins against the higher self. Christ is the Saviour -of the whole man, and to the sick He restores ‘perfect soundness,’[36] -nor does He refuse to be called the Saviour of the body.[37] - - [33] See _British Medical Journal_, June 18, 1910.[**unmatched - footnote] - - [34] Philippians, iv. 11. - - [35] There is an adumbration of this in the four sublime truths of - Buddhism, which lead a man by the sacrifice of the lower self and the - helping of others to the final extinction of pain. Bishop Westcott’s - _Gospel of Life_, pp. 162, 163. Hardwick, _Christ and other Masters_, - p. 168. - - [36] Acts iii. 16: St. Peter and the lame man. - - [37] Eph. v. 23. - -(v) It is a significant fact that in the Gospels the word for ‘save’ -(σῴζειν) is applied to bodily as well as spiritual salvation; it -denotes ‘to restore to health or sanity.’[38] A protest may here be -entered against the very prevalent opinion that God sent sickness upon -man, by an Almighty fiat, in order to discipline him into patience -and other Christian virtues. Such a view, crudely stated, has led to -much perplexity and distress of faith, and it is not warranted by the -teaching of the New Testament. God can bring good out of evil, even -in its worst forms. But that is not to say that God by a deliberate -act designs and causes evil. More than once in the New Testament -sickness is attributed to Satanic agency, in the case of ‘the woman -which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,’[39] and in that of -St. Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh.’[40] Disease is a disturbance of the -balance of human powers, mental and bodily, a derangement of faculties -and functions. Consider the bearing of this upon life. Modern science -teaches us the doctrine of the persistence of matter; in Sir Oliver -Lodge’s words, ‘a really existing thing never perishes, but only -changes its form’--in the case of our complex human constitution, -that change of form is what we call death. It is vital force which -maintains that inner harmony which we call health: it is disease, an -accident, which impairs it. This derangement and discord is but one -instance of that general disturbance of the world’s harmony which sin -has introduced. Sometimes, as in the case of the impotent man of St. -John v., disease is the direct consequence of sinful conduct. It is -the work of the Son of Man to restore harmony and repair the breaches -in Nature’s order. And this His healing power on its spiritual, which -is its essential, side effects. Incidentally, miracles are ‘signs,’ -evidences of the Christian Revelation, but their primary character is -that of ‘mighty works’ (δυνάμεις), particular manifestations of that -Power (δύναμις) which resides in the Person of the Lord. As such they -impressed King Herod, though he attributed their authorship to the -Baptist risen from the dead.[41] - - [38] E.g. Mark v. 23, 28; vi. 56; James v. 15. - - [39] Luke xiii. 16. - - [40] 2 Cor. xii. 7. - - [41] Mark vi. 14. - -(vi) This Healing Power of Christ stands in closest relation to His -claim to be ‘the Life of them that believe and the Resurrection from -the dead.’ It flows from His Personality. Though that Personality is -veiled for us in profound mystery, we know that in It the Human will -and the Divine will are in perfect accord; and, therefore, it does not -surprise us that, while a place is found in the Saviour’s Life upon -earth for weariness and pain, none is found for sickness; for, in all -things, He conformed to the Will of God for man, which is health, not -sickness. Sickness is a violation of that normal condition which God -has appointed for man. When infection and disease entered into the -world, we must believe that they were part of that general imperfection -which God can only be said to will as a means to an end, or as a -passing stage in the evolution of good. God does not send sickness to -scourge us, but overrules it to purge us. In saying this, we need not -deny the possible place of death in a perfect cosmos; a death which -should have been the gradual ebbing of physical vitality, not its -sapping and undermining by the malignant forces of disease. We should -expect, then, that our Lord’s healing power would be the action of the -life-giving Spirit of God upon the spirit of man, from the very fact -that in Christ man was brought into living contact with God. - -Recent psychology, especially in the investigations of Professor W. -James and the late F. W. H. Myers, has thrown a new light upon those -recesses of human nature in which our religious experiences take place. -We have learned that there is a subconscious self, a submerged portion -of our faculties, which responds to spiritual impressions and accepts -those suggestions of a Higher Power, to which mind and intellect are -sometimes deaf, a ‘subliminal self,’[42] in which religious faith -and the inspirations of genius are alike rooted, and which is _en -rapport_ with another world than that of the senses. We are reminded of -Tennyson’s words: - - [42] I.e. a self beneath the margin of consciousness. Mr. Dearmer has - named it the ‘undermind.’ - - Moreover, something is or seems, - That touches me with mystic gleams, - Like glimpses of forgotten dreams-- - Of something felt, like something here; - Of something done, I know not where.[43] - - [43] _The Two Voices_ - -It is through that under-self that mental cures appear to operate.[44] - - [44] ‘If the grace of God miraculously operates, it probably operates - through the subliminal door.’--Professor James. - -The theory certainly contributes something to our problem, making it -conceivable, even to our finite intelligence, how the Divine Life of -Christ should enter into man, sick of body and sad of soul, and this -quite in the line of the order and natural law of God’s universe. -Christ is one with the Father; He came down from Heaven to do the will -of the Father; His works are done in the Father’s name (John x. 25). -The Father hath given the Son to have life in Himself (John v. 26). -The Divine Life is communicated to those who seek it in Christ. We -are not to restrict the thought of that Life to the immaterial part -of our nature; it is the more abundant life which floods the being of -him who ‘liveth unto God.’[45] We may not fathom its hidden processes: -like spiritual teaching, spiritual healing can come home only to the -‘spiritual men’ whose minds are ‘in tune with the Infinite.’[46] But -some desire for ‘more life and fuller’ is found in every man. Classical -scholars will remember the pathetic lines written by the statesman -Mæcenas in his last illness: - - [45] John x. 10; Rom. vi. 10. - - [46] 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. - - Debilem facito manu, - Debilem pede, coxa ... - Vita dum superest, bene est.[47] - - [47] _Seneca_, Ep. 101: - - ‘What matters crippled hand and halting thigh? - So life be left the cripple, what care I?’ - - -In this universal fact of human nature, this desire to live, which -varies infinitely among men from the mere craving of animal existence -up to the desire for the life in God, we see man’s response to the -Giver of Life. - -The appeal of the Good Physician is to human nature, and ‘He knows -what is in man.’ He takes a natural emotion or faculty, vitalises -and invigorates it. We have had to keep the connexion of spiritual -health and physical health constantly before us. There is a parallelism -between them which is no mere analogy, but is a sort of pre-established -harmony; and therefore a wise interpretation of Scripture has seen in -the Miracle an ‘acted parable.’ Thus it is in regard to the ‘desire to -live’ which supports our bodily vitality. This categorical imperative -or instinctive ‘ought’ of health is a primary instinct. The ‘will to be -well’ corresponds with the ‘will to be good’ which is the basis of the -moral life. - -(2) Bearing these principles in mind, we must turn to a closer -examination of some of the miracles, with a view to some practical -conclusions in regard to the healing office of the Church of our own -day. - -(i) Has the age of miracles long ceased? It has long been assumed by -religious minds, as a kind of axiomatic truth, that this is so. They -have seen in the healing miracles of Christ the unique exercise of a -power specifically Divine, a power which was continued for a time, -with other extraordinary gifts, to the early Church for reasons which -no longer held good when once she had taken firm root in the world. -But we have already shown reasons for the opinion that, unique as -is our Lord’s Humanity, we are to regard it as conditioned by those -laws of nature and material existence which are the expression in the -visible sphere of the Creative will. ‘It behoved Him in all things -to be made like unto His brethren.’[48] And there is strong reason -to hold that the true believer will be permitted, in virtue of his -fellowship with Christ, to do ‘greater works’ than those which Christ -Himself wrought,[49] greater, that is to say, not in a material but a -spiritual way. That the works in question were wrought ‘in the spirit’ -is unquestioned. Consider what those ‘spiritual’ methods of the Great -Healer were. He wrought His mighty works in the Father’s name. Not only -does He lay down for others the principle of intercessory prayer, but -as Man He exercises it Himself. Of the demoniac boy He says: ‘This kind -goeth forth not but by prayer and fasting.’ St. Luke records the fact -that He made the importunity of the multitude, who sought His teaching -and healing grace, a fresh occasion for retirement and prayer.[50] The -same Gospel tells us of a night spent in prayer before the election -of the Twelve Apostles.[51] They received His commission to heal and -to teach on the succeeding day, which saw also the vast concourse of -people resorting to Him once more from all quarters. In the account -of the raising of Lazarus it is clearly laid down that Jesus Christ -knew the Father’s will in virtue of fellowship with Him in prayer -and meditation, and that He exercised His own life-giving powers in -accordance with that Will. - - [48] Heb. ii. 17. - - [49] John xiv. 12. - - [50] Luke v. 15, 16. - - [51] Luke vi. 12. - -Health in itself is an ideal, the perfect harmony of all the elements, -the spiritual and the material, which constitutes a man. One of the -greatest living authorities writes: ‘Health, like every other such -name, is to be used in a relative sense; absolute health is an ideal -conception.’[52] This being so, it is apparent to any religious mind -that the true concept of the well-being, physical and even mental, of -any person is only to be found in the Mind of God. And that is only an -abstract way of saying that, if we follow Christ’s example, we shall -seek to enter into His fellowship with the Father. In that Divine -fellowship we shall be able to pray for the true health and recovery -of our sick people. ‘The prayer of faith shall save the sick,’ for -faith implies a whole-hearted acceptance of the Will of God for the -uncertain future. This gives a man the tranquillity of soul which is no -less needed for prayer than for action. Such an one possesses his own -soul. Our Lord promises to those, who ‘have faith and doubt not,’[53] -that they shall ‘remove mountains,’ a hyperbolic expression, but yet -one which seems to claim a certain power of acting upon inanimate -nature.[54] Such a power need not carry with it a positive breach of -cosmic law. It is impossible for any really reverent mind to wish, even -in the supposed interest of his dearest friend, to bend the Will of -God to his own desire. Such a rash prayer involves the fatal flaw of -that ‘doubting mind’ which is forbidden us, the mind ‘divided’ between -God and self. The spirit which unites us to God, that unfathomed inner -self, desires the universal good. - - [52] Professor Clifford Allbutt, _System of Medicine_, vol. i., - Intro. p. 22. - - [53] Matt. xxi. 21. Cp. James i. 6: ‘Nothing doubting.’ - - [54] See Dr. Sanday, _Life of Christ in Recent Research_, pp. 223, - 224. - - Our wills are ours, we know not how: - Our wills are ours, to make them Thine. - -God wills the true health and salvation of each human soul, as He alone -can view it, in its relation both to the vast whole of immaterial being -and to the order of the material universe. ‘His will He knoweth which -way to accomplish.’ Prayer is the act of resignation of our individual -desires and thoughts into His all-wise hands. Prayer universalises -a personal longing; and so wonderful is the magic of true prayer, -fetching up from the deep of our being suggestions, inspirations, -forces unperceived by man, that it can never fail to induce a sense of -calm, the most favourable for a physical recovery; and many a time it -has effectuated that recovery itself. Science may teach the ‘reflex -action of prayer’; religion will always find authentic answers to -prayer. - -Prayer is the spiritual instrument on which our Lord in His Human -Nature relies, and on which He encourages His Church to rely--‘a mighty -engine of achievement.’[55] His method was grounded in prayer, the -prayer of that Divine fellowship, which is His, as it cannot belong -to any of the sons of men, and yet in Him, ‘in the Name of Christ,’ -the Church must still expect to accomplish the miracles of faith, in -proportion to the degree of her own spirituality. Who, indeed, would -have looked for miracles of healing in the English Church of the -eighteenth century, unless it were among the non-jurors, who actually -revived the apostolic rite of unction,[56] and the pious followers of -John Wesley?[57] - - [55] Sir Oliver Lodge. - - [56] The Rev. P. Dearmer, _Body and Soul_, p. 289 sq. - - [57] _Ib._ 362, 363. - -(ii) But that spiritual power, thus resident in the Healer, has to -communicate itself to the subjects of His grace; subjects they must be -rather than objects. And His first purpose is to excite the dormant -energies of life and action. He does it as a wise physician will do -it, by concentrating the patient’s mind upon Himself.[58] This is done -by a question, or other means, adapted, with His profound insight into -character, to the individual case. In the case of the deaf man who had -an impediment, He effected this by isolating him,[59] and then using -physical means (with finger and saliva). Exactly parallel is the case -of the blind man, which, like the former, is recorded by St. Mark -alone.[60] He asks blind Bartimæus, ‘What wilt thou that I should do -unto thee?’[61] And this is one of several cases in which the sovereign -faculty of will leaps forth, and the confession of faith attends -it.[62] In the cure of the lame man by St. Peter (in Acts iii. 4, 5) -this concentration of the thought of the patient upon the healer is -reciprocal (ἀτενίσας ... ἐπει̑χεν). - - [58] ‘When the eye of the patient meets the eye of the physician, the - cure begins if it is likely to take place.’--Dr. A. T. Schofield, - cited by Dr. Worcester in _Religion and Medicine_, p. 50. - - [59] Mark vii. 33. - - [60] _Ib._ viii. 23. - - [61] Luke xviii. 41. - - [62] John v. 6, 8. - -The tonic influence of a healthy personality upon the hysterical, -neurotic, and mentally diseased, not to speak of minds depressed in -a normal way, is familiar to everyone. In Dinah Morris’s visit of -comfort to the widowed Lisbeth, we have a sample of that subtlest -perception and ‘subduing influence of the spirit’ which we may call -inspiration.[63] In the New Testament it appears at its highest in -treatment of those strong cases of dual personality, mental disorder, -or hysteria, which we know as demoniacal possession. We cannot here -discuss the question, whether the sufferer was the victim of the lower -elements in his own nature or of a malignant outside influence (known -in the language of the day as a ‘demon’). On the other hand, it has -to be remembered that the Jews personified ordinary diseases; and our -Lord conformed to popular ideas when ‘He rebuked the fever’ of Simon’s -wife’s mother, unless we hold that the evangelist has coloured the -record of His action by his own mentality.[64] On the other hand, we -know little as yet of the psychological problems of civilised humanity -and less of those of half-civilised or uncivilised peoples, such as -the Galileans of our Lord’s day. But if we should allow that the demon -was merely the sufferer’s lower ego, the marvel of the cure is not -lessened. There is a great power of evil in the world; and the lower -self was entirely dominated by it until Christ emancipated the man by -His sovereign demand upon his spirit. Inner harmony was restored. They -find the man ‘sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right -mind.’ The bodily and the mental well-being are combined in the cure. -The sufferer’s enfeebled will is braced up to respond to the Will of -the Healer, that ease shall expel disease. Within the man’s being, as -truly as without it, ‘imperavit ventis, et facta est tranquillitas -magna.’[65] - - [63] G. Eliot, _Adam Bede_, chap. x. - - [64] Luke iv. 39: _ib._ viii. 24 raises a parallel question. - - [65] Matt. viii. 26. - -(iii) An analysis of the miracles of Christ indicates His attitude -towards the material and outward means, on which the physician still so -largely relies. The letter of King Abgarus to our Lord (preserved by -Eusebius), genuine or not, indicates, we may believe, the feature in -His treatment which most impressed the men of His day. ‘The story hath -reached my ears of Thee and Thy healings as wrought by Thee without -drugs and simples.’ Though this was so, He did not eschew the use of -material and visible signs, such as clay and saliva, which were adapted -to convey to sick folk that ‘mental suggestion’ of returning health, -which was His constant method of healing. In the following miracles -the use of such material means is recorded: the case of the deaf man -with an impediment (Mark vii. 33), of the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark -viii. 24), of the man blind from his birth (John ix. 6), who also was -sent to wash in the pool of Siloam. Of the Apostles, on their first -mission, it is said that they anointed with oil many that were sick, -and healed them (Mark vi. 13). Probably this element, which was in -frequent medicinal use, was in their hands ceremonial, a symbol of that -healing power of their Master which they were allowed in His name to -exercise. He Himself is found, in the great majority of instances, to -rely on the touch of the hand alone.[66] He knew that it spoke to the -heart of a Divine effluence of power as well as a human sympathy. In -one of the frescoes of the Creation, on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, -Michelangelo has pictured the form of the first man, perfect as a -statue, but lifeless until the Finger of God quickens it with a touch. -And, after all, a universal instinct associates ideas of sympathy and -positive relief with the movement of the hand. Thus in the Greek myth, -the distracted Io is comforted by the prophecy of Prometheus that the -God would restore her by his touch.[67] - - [66] Thus Luke iv. 40; Mark i. 41, vi. 5; Matt. ix. 29; Luke xiii. - 13. Mr. Dearmer gives a careful ‘Table of the healing works of - Christ,’ _Body and Soul_, chap. xiii. - - [67] _Aesch._, Pr. V. 848, 849. - -(iv) The healing of the nobleman’s son, of the centurion’s slave, -and that of the Syrophœnician woman’s daughter stand by themselves -as instances of ‘absent treatment.’ The strong impression wrought -in the mind of the father, the master, the mother, respectively, is -conveyed by a sort of telepathy to the mind of the patient. ‘Why -herein,’ surely, is a marvellous thing for those who cannot accept our -Lord’s claim to be the Son of Man in a unique sense--that He should -thus have possessed, 2000 years ago, a knowledge of the mysterious -processes of human nature which modern science is only now beginning -to divine. It is in that fact that the ‘glory’ (Luke xiii. 17; John -xi. 40), the ‘wonder’ (Matt. xxi. 15), the ‘strangeness’ (Luke v. 26) -of the miracles of Christ consist. They are ‘works of power,’[68] -‘outcomings of that mighty power of God which was inherent in -Christ,’[69] and which He exerted within a region of human nature then -unexplored. We cannot ponder too deeply on that great saying of St. -Augustine, ‘Portentum fit non contra naturam, sed contra quam est nota -natura.’[70] Who shall attempt to lay down the laws which govern the -operation of the spiritual upon the material? and still more to delimit -the powers of the Personality and Will of Him, in whose name Apostles, -Saints of the Church, and humble Christians unrecorded in history have -wrought cures, which only a purblind scepticism can gainsay? - - [68] Matt. xi. 20; Luke xxiv. 19; Acts ii. 22, &c. - - [69] Abp. Trench, _Synonyms of New Testament_ (Art. xci.). - - [70] _De Civitate Dei_, xxi. 8; quoted by Dr. Sanday, _Life of - Christ, &c._, viii., adding, ‘miracle is not really a breach of the - order of nature; it is only an apparent breach of laws that we know, - in obedience to other and higher laws that we do not know.’ - - - - -THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING - -BY - -W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A. - -VICAR OF CHEDDAR AND PREBENDARY OF WELLS - - - - -THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING - -BY W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A. - - -The psychologists teach us that a man’s ‘self’ is a larger thing than -the ‘me’ which, we might say, a child has in view when it puts out a -hand to get a sweetmeat for itself. As Professor W. James says, ‘The -old saying that the human person is composed of three parts--soul, -body, and clothes--is more than a joke’; and he goes on to include -in that self the man’s immediate family, his home, the property he -has collected.[71] And then we think of Aristotle’s definition of man -as a ‘political’ or social animal--the social self with its wider or -narrower reach--for ‘properly speaking a man has as many social selves -as there are individuals who recognise him.’ - - [71] _Text Book of Psychology_, pp. 177, 178. - -(i) All this has an important bearing on the subject of health and -disease. We are all influenced by our environment for better or worse. -The material and visible conditions of life, our home, our friends and -associates, our country, our daily occupations, contribute to make us -what we are. Life is defined by Herbert Spencer as ‘the continuous -adjustment of internal relations.’ It may be difficult or even -impossible to attain to the stable equilibrium of perfect goodness, -perfect health, perfect happiness; and, in fact, neither science nor -religion encourage us to expect such a consummation within the limits -of this earthly existence. - -But there may be a ‘continuous adjustment’; and it must be the -practical aim alike of religion and of science to mould the individual -by the environment which will best harmonise his personal good with -the good of the whole. We have to elevate the conditions of human -existence. The individual has not only to adapt himself to his -environment, in the temper of _laisser faire_, but to adapt it to -the satisfaction of his highest good. ‘Great religious consciences -have taken their post, confronting society, as representing in -themselves truth and right, because behind them was God, while behind -existing societies there is only man, nature, and circumstances. Far -from consenting to identify himself with the social conscience, the -religious conscience disposes man to oppose the rights of God to those -of Cæsar, the dignity of the human person to public constraint.’[72] In -the language of religion, ‘No man hath seen God at any time: if we love -one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.’ That -is the ideal of the Christian Society, the Body of Christ, actuated -by the great principles of faith, hope, and love. And much might have -been said of the duty of a Christian State to secure to all its members -the elementary conditions of a healthy, useful citizenship. Most of -our disease is a disgrace to our Christian civilisation, because it is -preventable. The ancient poet rightly associates the spectres of Care, -Hunger, and Fear with the grim forms of Disease at the portals of his -Inferno: - - [72] Emile Boutroux, _Science et Religion_, p. 206. - - Vestibulum ante ipsum primisque in faucibus Orci - Luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae: - Pallentis qua habitant Morbi, tristisque Senectus, - Et Metus et malesuada Fames, ac turpis Egestas.[73] - - [73] Virg. _Æneid_, vi. 273 sq. ‘Right in front of the doorway and - in the entry of the jaws of hell Grief and avenging Cares have made - their bed; there dwell wan Sickness and gloomy Eld, and Fear, and - ill-counselling Hunger, and loathly Want.’--J. W. Mackail. - -(ii) But the problem of the prevention of sickness scarcely concerns us -here, though it requires a passing reference. It has been sufficiently -shown that you cannot isolate the individual from the society in -which he moves; that were to make him an unreal abstraction. The -Church has never committed that mistake in her dealing with the sick. -When we pray, in the Office for the Visitation of the Sick, that God -would ‘preserve and continue this sick member in the unity of the -Church,’ the prayer breathes the very spirit of ancient piety. It is -an unspeakable help, in dealing with a sick man, to be able to appeal -to his own conscious and sincere membership in the Body of Christ. The -Visitation Office is ‘peculiarly a ministration for those who have been -trained beforehand in the fulness of Church life and privileges.’[74] -Herein, as often, the Prayer-book sets up an ideal standard. But, -however far our actual practice falls short of it, we must work towards -it. It is said of St. Francis of Assisi that, ‘in each one, with whom -he had to deal, he saw a possible Christ.’ A bold saying, had it not -been that the Master Himself had anticipated it.[75] In the Christian -view of things, the sick and suffering, whatever their religious -attainments and professions may have been, have a clear claim upon the -other members of the One Body. Christian faith can only heighten human -sympathy. - - [74] Dean Savage, _Pastoral Visitation_, p. 76. - - [75] Matt. xxv. 35, 36. - -And in the New Testament there are not wanting indications that the -faith of friends has a vicarious efficacy. In such faith the force of -suggestion is at work, but it is a collective suggestion. There is -the typical case of the four friends, who were not to be put off by -the crush at the doors, but resolutely stripped the roofing in order -to lower the paralytic, as he lay on his pallet, into the Saviour’s -immediate presence. Such unconventional faith was irresistible. ‘When -Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy -sins be forgiven thee.’[76] The bodily cure soon followed. The fact -is, that such faith diffuses a spiritual atmosphere; it is contagious -and works from mind to mind. ‘Our bodies isolate us, our spirits unite -us.’[77] - - [76] Mark ii. 5. Cp. T. T. Carter, _Holy Eucharist_, pp. 150, 151, - especially the words, ‘To lean one’s own failing faith on the more - trustful, assured faith and convictions of others. So that the same - spirit may communicate itself to the sad and darkened soul by a - mutually organic sympathy.’ - - [77] Sir Oliver Lodge, _Man and the Universe_, p. 47. - -Similarly, in the raising of Jairus’s daughter an emphasis is laid on -the necessity of a sympathetic atmosphere: first, by the fact that only -three, the elect among the chosen Twelve, SS. Peter, James and John, -were allowed to attend their Lord; secondly, by the exclusion of all -others in the house, except the father and mother of the child. The -professional mourners and musicians were turned out--not merely because -they ‘insulted the dumbness of sincere sorrow and the patient majesty -of death’ (Farrar), but because they diffused, as their behaviour soon -showed (κατεγέλων αὐτου̑), an atmosphere of unbelief. The Lord wishes -to remove all antagonistic and disturbing human presences and to speak -Himself in power to the innermost soul of the departed maiden. On the -other hand, if the air was charged with unbelief, if those He wished -to help were without faith, as was the case in His own village of -Nazareth, ‘He could there do no mighty work.’[78] - - [78] Mark vi. 5. - -We trace the same principle in His dealing with those whom He had -healed. Sometimes He bids them ‘go and tell their friends how great -things God has done for them,’ as when he refused to keep the Gadarene -demoniac by His side. At another time he bids them tell no man of -the cure which had been wrought. This difference of treatment can be -explained most simply, if we suppose that in the one case Christ knew -that the patient’s ordinary _milieu_ was favourable to his progress in -bodily and spiritual health, in another case He knew that this was not -so. So it was in the case of the leper of St. Mark i. 44. And, again, -this difference of treatment may have been ‘grounded,’ as Archbishop -Trench says, ‘on the different moral conditions of the persons healed.’ -It is so still, for human nature remains constant to certain broad -types. Some overwrought people require the absolute isolation of a -‘rest cure’; others, who are moody and self-centred, can only rally -their disused powers in contact with invigorating companionship. -They are the unhappy victims of that numbness of spirit of which R. -L. Stevenson writes so pathetically in his essay entitled ‘Ordered -South.’[79] - - [79] Cp. the medieval complaint of ‘accidie.’ - -(iii) This brings us naturally to consider the special value which -Christ attaches in His teaching to a corporate act of prayer. For this -is the meaning of the words ‘If any two of you shall agree on earth -as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them -of my Father which is in Heaven; for where two or three are gathered -together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.’ And this it -is which has moulded the form of the Lord’s Prayer, and that of the -great Sacrament of Unity, our highest act of intercession. Thus our -Lord enjoined upon His disciples the duty and the efficacy of combined -spiritual effort.[80] There is a power intensive, as well as extensive, -in collective prayer. In this, as well as in other activities of -the spirit, the total effect gained is larger than the sum total of -units of effort. There is a sort of analogy here with the force of -collective suggestion, which we have been considering above: but we -must not expect to find a complete philosophical explanation of any -great spiritual principle. Our personal experience verifies the value -of corporate prayer. If it were not so, religion would be an individual -matter alone; it would lack its most universal expression, that of -common worship. It is because the Church in our country lost for a long -period her corporate consciousness, at least in a large degree, that -she lost sight of the power of corporate intercession for the sick -members of the Body of Christ. (Of the faithful departed we may not -here speak.) But her formulas and liturgy have been a standing witness -against such obliviousness, with which the Church of to-day can hardly -be taxed, and those who profess their belief in the Communion of -Saints find in such intercession its most practical expression. - - [80] Bertroux, _op. cit._ p. 189: ‘une volonté collective est sans - rapport avec la somme algébrique des volontés individuelles.’ - -Consider the bearing of all this on our highest act of worship, the -Holy Communion. There are few parish priests who cannot testify from -their own experience to the wonderful--if not miraculous--effects of -the reception of the Sacrament upon apparently dying persons, who had -been given up by medical science. There is nothing in this that need -surprise the Christian believer, nothing that is really repugnant -to the findings of modern science. The Apostle Paul, writing to the -Corinthians about the profanation of the Lord’s Supper, attributes to -this cause certain physical consequences incurred by the offenders. -‘For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few -sleep.’[81] There is a natural and proper antipathy in many minds to -the idea that the Sacramental Elements operate as a charm. Such an -idea would be irrational and superstitious, and we are not intended -to conceive of a vindication of the sanctity of the Lord’s Supper by -material and simply magical penalties. The offence of the Corinthians -was the irreverence of ‘not discerning (or discriminating) the Body,’ -and Apostolic teaching plainly implies that a spiritual offence of -itself acts upon the bodily organism, by a mysterious law of the Divine -government.[82] (Here again we must not say that God sent the disease.) -Surely, then, it may be argued, per contra, that a reverent reception -of the Eucharist makes for health and life, for it brings the failing -bodily and spiritual powers of the sick into contact with the Divine -and immortal life which animates the mystical Body of Christ. This line -of argument may be illustrated by the words of the late F. W. H. Myers: -‘To keep our chemical energy at work, we live in a warm environment and -from time to time take food. By analogy, in order to keep the spiritual -energy at work, we should live in a spiritual environment, and possibly -from time to time absorb some special influx of spiritual life.’[83] It -remains only to add that the words of administration in our Communion -Office embody the truth for which we are pleading. ‘The Body of our -Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul -unto everlasting life.’ - - [81] 1 Cor. xi. 30. - - [82] In the _Cambridge Bible_, note _ad locum_, Dr. Lias says we can - well understand how a crime against His Body and Blood would deprive - any Christian, who committed it, of His presence, and predispose it - to sickness and even death. - - [83] _Human Personality_, i. 218; quoted by Dearmer, _Body and Soul_, - p. 123. - -(iv) The charisma, or gift, of healing, is named by St. Paul among the -spiritual gifts of the Apostolic Church,[84] and is associated in one -place with the working of miracles (‘powers’).[85] We have endeavoured -to show that it was not intended as a transient but a permanent -endowment of the Church. But, in the degree in which the Church -corporate falls short in spirituality, her spiritual powers wane. The -Encyclical Letter and Report of the recent Lambeth Conference mark a -step in advance, though it may not be a long step, towards the revival -of this healing agency of the Church. The Committee appointed to report -on this particular subject was of opinion ‘that the prayers for the -restoration of health, which it recommends, may be fitly accompanied by -the apostolic act of the Laying-on-of-Hands.’[86] We may be disposed -to regret that this primitive rite is not mentioned in Resolution 35, -which recommends ‘the provision for use in Pastoral Visitation of some -additional prayers for the restoration of health more hopeful and -direct than those contained in the present Office for the Visitation -of the Sick.’ Desiring, as we do, to follow ‘the example’ of our -Lord Himself and not merely of ‘His Holy Apostles,’[87] we may most -reasonably ask for authority to administer the blessing through one of -the outward signs which He employed. A ceremony, duly authorised by -the Church, would have much value, as regulating and controlling the -impulse to invoke the healing ‘charisma,’ which at present is often -bestowed and received through ‘spiritual healers’ who lack the full -official sanction of the Church. - - [84] 1 Cor. xii. 9, 30. - - [85] _Ibid._ 29. - - [86] Report (1908), No. VII. iv. p. 137. - - [87] Order of Confirmation, first Collect, Mark vi. 5. - -(v) There is another Ministry of Healing, which the Divine Love has -provided for the weary body and the careworn mind, which contributes -its own part to the restoration of the sick. It is the silent ministry -of Nature. Within the ailing body she exerts her healing power; the -doctor’s best ally, on the physical side, is the _vis medicatrix -naturae_, that strange recuperative power which resides in organisms, -and offers a standing resistance to the inroads of disease and age.[88] -And then outside there are the soothing influences of the world of -Nature, which steals into the troubled spirit to bring the calm which -Wordsworth, in his poem on ‘An Evening by the Sea,’ likened to the -hush of worship: - - [88] Cp. Sir James Paget’s words: ‘The power to repair itself belongs - to the subject of injury in the same sense and degree as does its - power to develop itself and grow and live.’--_Life_, p. 295. - - The holy time is quiet as a nun - Breathless with adoration. - -Hebrew literature shows little trace, even indirectly, of that sympathy -with Nature, which is the best contribution of what is called ‘natural -religion’ to the inheritance of the human spirit, except when Nature is -regarded in her grander and more awe-inspiring aspects, those of the -thunder-cloud, the whirlwind, the raging fire, the roaring sea. Yet it -is not altogether fanciful to find, in our Lord’s habit of retirement -to the mountain’s side for prayer, His invitation to the disciples to -come apart by themselves to rest awhile in a ‘desert place,’[89] His -choice of the evening hour, at the setting of the sun, for performing -His works of mercy, some sanction for that modern sense of the Divine -beauty and mystery of Nature in her quiet aspects.[90] - - [89] Mark vi. 31. - - [90] Compare also the nature-parables. - -We must believe that Christ Himself was susceptible in a singular -degree to those natural influences. After the intense spiritual strain -of the Temptation, ‘angels came and ministered to Him.’ A great -modern artist, M. Tissot, pictures the scene as only the imaginative -symbolism of genius would have done. The Saviour lies at full length, -utterly exhausted, with every muscle, as it were, relaxed, and through -the twilight appear myriads of outstretched angel-hands, reviving -the Sacred Body with the touch of spirit-life. Here we have, as in a -figure, the expression of the unseen forces of Nature, ministering to -the Will of the God of Nature, on behalf of the heirs of salvation and -of Him who is the author of our salvation and the Prince of Life. - -There is no rule absolute about the influence of familiar scenes and -old associations upon the weary or ailing spirit. For some people the -cure lies in surroundings as novel and unfamiliar as possible. This is -where tact and sympathy on the part of the doctor and nurse and friends -come in--questions which must not be confused with natural affection, -for in that case they would vary directly, whereas they have been known -to vary inversely, with nearness of blood relationship. The quick -intuition of sympathy can judge of the environment best adapted to the -patient’s individual need. The rigid order and routine of the hospital -ward may be torture to the sick person who comes from one sort of home -and paradise to one who comes from another. The more we can bring of -the ‘mind of Christ’ into the tender care of the sick, the more right -we shall have to expect that the power of His name will bless our -efforts. - -(vi) Again, our Lord’s attention to details, i.e. the material -conditions of health, calls for notice. We have referred to His -provision of rest for His tired followers. We find Him giving -directions, after the recall of Jairus’s daughter to life, that food -should be given to her. ‘Life restored by miracle must be supported -by ordinary means.’[91] The familiar routine of healthy life is to -be resumed as soon as possible. Lazarus is to be loosed from his -cerements, when the awe of the bystanders blind them to the practical -and obvious. And quite in line with this is Christ’s readiness to -conform, in His dealings with men, to the existing social and religious -system. It was so notably in the case of the leper, who was bidden, -after his cure, to go and show himself to the priest and to make -the customary offerings.[92] At the pool of Bethesda Christ helps -the impotent man, who has no friend to help him. He leaves the rest -of the multitude to the natural operation of the waters.[93] It was -a different matter when, as in the case of the Rabbinical rule of -Sabbath observance, the conventional practice was inimical to the -freedom of the spirit. Our Lord will never allow the spiritual and -essential in things to be overlaid by the material and accidental. -Traditionalism was then broken through. The principle, that we must -render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s and to God the things that -are God’s, manifests itself in various ways, and this is one of them. -But, on the whole, Christianity knows no revolutionary breaches in the -established social order, as the history of its attitude towards the -institution of slavery shows. Men were encouraged to work out their own -salvation under existing political and social conditions. - - [91] Dr. Swete on Mark v. 43. - - [92] Mark i. 44. - - [93] John v. 2. - -This spirit of conformity to the existing order in all lawful things, -and especially our Lord’s attitude towards priestly ceremonial, in the -case of the leper, throws a good deal of light upon the relation which -should subsist between the clergyman and the doctor in the treatment -of sickness. The Christian doctor will gladly subscribe to the words -of the favourite physician of Louis XIV, Ambroise Paré, ‘I treated the -wound, God healed it.’ Reverently and thoughtfully he will acknowledge -the power of prayer and the tranquillising influences of the spirit, -and will yield to the Church, acting by her representative duly -accredited and trained, her proper part in the work of restoration. The -parish priest will freely allow that the doctor and the nurse, with -all the appliances of modern medical science, provide the largest part -of the environment and conditions indispensable to recovery; and that -it is an act of presumption to reject all these scientific aids in -favour of some process of healing by faith alone without expert medical -aid.[94] - - [94] In Acts xxviii. 9, 10, there is an implication of co-operation - between St. Paul and St. Luke the physician; see _Religion and - Medicine_, pp. 365, 366; the language is technical. - -Finally, it must be remembered that we cannot expect to find many -favourable notices of medical practice in an age and country in which -medical skill was at a very low ebb. ‘Medicorum optimus dignus est -Gehenna,’ said the Rabbis of the later Judaism.[95] In nothing has -human knowledge made more astonishing strides than in medical and in -surgical discovery; and, though we have been too prone in the past to -credit the medical profession with the whole of the healing work done -in Christ’s Church, the opposite extreme is to be avoided, and it is -well to acknowledge thankfully that ‘discoveries in the region of -medicine and surgery come to man through Him who is the Light and the -Life, the Divine Word.’[96] - - [95] See Dr. Swete on Mark v. 26; also Luke iv. 23; contrast Ecclus. - xxxviii. sq. - - [96] _Lambeth Conference Report_, 1908 (vii. iii.). - -(vii) In a previous chapter we dwelt at some length on the Gospel -conception of salvation (as illustrated by the words σῴζειν ὁλοκληρία), -as a just equipoise of spiritual, mental, and physical faculties and -functions. Two remarks may find a place here. The first is, that too -much stress may be laid upon the distinction between functional and -organic complaints. There are modern critics who wish to eliminate -the miraculous from the Gospel narrative, and deal with the sacred -text accordingly. For example, Professor Bousset says, in his vivid -way, ‘The community of the faithful drew the simple human picture of -Jesus on the golden background of the marvellous. But the picture can -be detached from that background with comparative ease.’ In cases -which are not to be explained simply by psychology, ‘the historically -intelligible is still close below the surface, and appears as soon as -we remove a few additions which are due to modern tradition.’ We have -to regard certain narratives as ‘legendary accretions (_Wucherungen_).’ - -If we cannot accept that position, it is not open to us to explain -all the miraculous agency of our Lord and His Apostles and the later -Church as consisting in the power to deal with functional ailments by -mental or psychic treatment. Nor is it open to us to limit the efficacy -of prayer to the stimulation of function and the treatment of nervous -disorders. And as, with the progress of medical science, the sphere of -the organic is continually growing at the expense of the functional, -the ultimate effect of such a concession on the side of religion would -be to limit her action to a negligible minority of cases. How would -a place be found for the healing of Malchus’s ear, if the organic be -excluded? But the Church believes that Christ is the Saviour of the -body and that the Holy Spirit is, as an early Father says, ‘given that -He may dwell in our bodies and sanctify them, that in so doing He may -bring them to eternity and to the resurrection of immortality, while He -accustoms them in Himself to be conjoined with heavenly powers and to -be associated with the Divine eternity of the Spirit.’[97] - - [97] _Novatian de Trinitate_, xxix. - -A second remark is this. Whatever is allowed for the moulding force of -environment, Christ plainly teaches that man is never the mere creature -of circumstances. Christ is no fatalist philosopher. It is only the -evil that man deliberately assimilates which defiles him. ‘There is -nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him’--a -parabolic saying which has a deep meaning. As it is with sin, so it is -with disease. Wilful sin is lawlessness in the spiritual being; disease -is disorder in the material being. Much remains yet to be done, which -lies well within the range of the free human will, to combat this -lawless disorder in the life of body and soul. We believe that the -spirit can impose its own order and law and harmony upon the material -elements of our bodily frame. This creed may be an ideal, but it is -the only really inspiring ideal; for beyond it lies the hope of final -perfection. Therefore, with faith and courage, let us press forward. - - Neither mourn if human creeds be lower than the heart’s desire! - Thro’ the gates that bar the distance comes a gleam of what is higher.[98] - - [98] Tennyson, _Faith_. - - - - -THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALING - -BY - -ELLIS ROBERTS - - - - -THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALING - -BY ELLIS ROBERTS - - -The object of this paper is to show and comment on the present -attitude of the Church of England, and of the Churches in communion -with her, towards psychic healing: but it may be advisable to remove -at the outset one or two misconceptions. With the theory and practice -of the Church in this country before the Reformation I am not now -concerned. It did not differ essentially from that of the Churches on -the Continent. But it should be noticed that a large number of centres -for psychic healing, spiritual hospitals, if one may use the term, -were removed by the destruction of shrines. In the medieval Church the -healer, with his specific charisma, was generally one who was reputed a -saint; and usually he healed more people after his death than before. -The curious in this matter may consult the evidence gathered in Dr. -Abbott’s ‘St. Thomas of Canterbury,’ and I think an unprejudiced reader -will gather from that book conclusions somewhat different from those -expected by the author. - -After the Reformation what signs are there of psychic healing -encouraged and sanctioned by the Church? We are compelled to answer -that, in spite of great need, there is very little evidence of an -intelligent effort at mental therapeutics. ‘In spite of great need,’ -I say; for this country and Scotland were affected most terribly by -the disgraceful witch mania which raged over Europe, especially in the -Protestant countries. There was ample material for the quiet, consoling -influence of psychic healing; but alas! the unfortunate ‘witches’ -were left to the mercy of scared judges and malicious finders, to the -horrors of the trial by floating, or the ordeal of the secret mark. The -Church was, apparently, bigoted and powerless. - -Yet the existence of an official power, inherent in the Body and acting -normally through the Ministers of the Church, was recognised officially -in the Canons of 1603–4, which, of course, are still of authority. In -the 72nd Canon we read: - -‘No Minister or Ministers shall, without the Licence and direction of -the Bishop of the diocese first obtained and had under his hand and -seal, appoint or keep any solemn Fasts.... Neither shall any Minister -... presume to appoint or hold any meetings for sermons ... nor, -without such licence, to attempt upon any pretence whatsoever either of -possession or obsession, by fasting and prayer, to cast out any Devil -or Devils, under pain of the imputation of imposture or cosenage, and -deposition from the ministry.’ - -It is evident from this that, however little it was used, the -Episcopate was regarded as possessing the power to licence exorcisers -who might deal with diseases that we should call mental. - -There is one other piece of evidence--practical this time--that the -healing power of the Church was not entirely forgotten or neglected. -Up to the time of the Hanoverian dynasty, the Kings of England touched -for scrofula, popularly known, from this method of cure, as ‘The -King’s evil.’ The most celebrated patient I can call to mind is Dr. -Johnson. It may be objected that this practice was not the work of the -Church’s ministry; but it must be remembered that most Canonists regard -the King of England as _mixta persona_ (that is, semi-clerical) by -virtue of his Coronation; and also the position given the Sovereign as -‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church would appear to invest him with an -ecclesiastical status.[99] - - [99] With touching for scrofula may be compared the blessing of - ‘cramp-rings.’ The Sovereign of England used, on Good Friday, to - bless rings which afterwards were distributed to sufferers from cramp - or epilepsy. The last monarch to do this was Mary Tudor. - -I admit, however, as must all candid persons, that on the whole the -Church has grossly neglected all forms of psychic healing; and so -welcome the more gladly the definite stand taken in the Lambeth Report, -1908. - -That Report is the unanimous act, not merely of the Church of England, -but of those numerous bodies in communion with her: on the committee -which drew up the report were bishops from America, India, Scotland, -Central Africa, New Zealand, and England--a fact that can vouch for the -significance of the Report’s admissions and contentions. This Report I -shall take as the basis of my inquiry into the official attitude of the -Church of to-day towards Medicine and Psychic Healing. - -The Report opens with a statement that is refreshing in its admission -of ignorance after the ready words of many sciolists and ‘quack’ -healers. - -‘Your Committee, which has had under consideration “Ministries of -Healing,” has felt itself at a disadvantage in discussing phenomena -which only in recent times have been the subject of scientific -investigation. In the present stage of knowledge it would be premature -for any except experts to hazard an opinion upon such topics as -the powers of “Mental Suggestion,” and the range of “Subliminal -Consciousness,” or to attempt to forecast the possibilities of “Mental” -or “Spiritual Healing.”’ - -While, however, displaying this diffidence in dealing with the -scientific side of their subject, the Committee is quite definite about -the spiritual aspect of pain, sickness, and suffering. - -‘The Committee believes that Christ still fulfils in Christian -experience His power to give life, and to give it more abundantly; and -that the faith, which realises His Presence, is capable of creating -a heightened vitality of spirit, which strengthens and sustains the -health of the body. The Committee believes that sickness and disease -are in one aspect a breach in the harmony of the Divine purpose, not -only analogous to, but sometimes at least caused by, want of moral -harmony with the Divine Will; and that this restoration of harmony in -mind and will often brings with it the restoration of the harmony of -the body. It believes that sickness has too often exclusively been -regarded as a cross to be borne with passive resignation, whereas it -should have been regarded rather as a weakness to be overcome by the -power of the Spirit.’ - -Then the Committee considers briefly the ‘Mental Healing’ movement -outside the Church, and concludes the first part of their Report with a -very necessary warning ‘against the peril of being thoughtlessly drawn -into alliance, in the desire for health, with any who, under whatever -attractive name, are in antagonism with the Christian faith upon any -such subject as the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the reality of Sin, -and the use of the Holy Sacraments.’ - -In the second part it discusses ‘Spiritual Healing’ in the Church, and -makes the following statement: - -‘The Committee would not wish to say a word in disparagement or -discouragement of those who may be pioneers in a new branch of service, -but it believes it would for the present be unwise to depart from an -attitude of watchfulness and reserve; and it is not therefore prepared -to recommend that at the present stage any authoritative recognition -should be given to those who claim to exercise these “Gifts of -Healing.”’ - -In the third part is a most welcome recognition of the position in the -Church of that profession which the Evangelist of the Nativity followed. - -‘The Committee believes that medical science is the handmaid of God -and His Church, and should be fully recognised as the ordinary means -appointed by Almighty God for the care and healing of the human body. -The Committee believes that discoveries in the region of medicine and -surgery come to man through Him who is the Light and the Life, the -Divine Word.’ - -Then we have a brief recommendation that there should be an ‘addition -to the office for the Visitation of the Sick of more hopeful and less -ambiguous petitions for the restoration of health, always subject -to the Will of God ...; and that these petitions be used in close -connection with prayer for pardon and peace.’ And these prayers ‘may be -fitly accompanied by the Apostolic act of the Laying on of Hands.’ - -In the final paragraph the Committee considers the suggestion ‘that -these prayers should be accompanied by the anointing of the sufferer -with oil,’ and after a brief historical _résumé_, concludes: - -‘In view of this evidence and the conditions prevailing in the Church -at the present time, the Committee is not prepared to recommend the -restoration of the unction of the sick, but it does not wish to go so -far as to advise the prohibition of its use, if it be earnestly desired -by the sick person. In all such cases the parish priest should seek the -counsel of the Bishop of the diocese. Care must be taken that no return -be made to the later custom of anointing as a preparation for death.’ - -With unction I do not propose to deal here. The question is really -theological; and the discussion as to its revival does not come within -the scope of this book. It may be said, however, that the problem will -probably solve itself in the near future, as in many missionary and -colonial dioceses, and in not a few English ones, the oil is blessed -by the Bishop, and may always be had by any parish priest whose sick -people desire this ancient rite. - -With one exception, to which I shall return later, the Report may be -commended as a courageous, if rather jejune, effort to keep abreast -of modern psychology and its more practical manifestations. Let me -indicate briefly the encouraging signs in the Report. - -(1) We have the definite confession that our present visitation -service is not all that can be desired. That we should use more -definite prayers for the recovery of the sick. - -(2) The Report lays emphasis on the important truth that there must be -no banishing of the doctor. Enormous harm has been done by the crude -dualism of ‘Christian Science’--a theory which, if logically applied, -would prevent persons renewing the tissues of their body by food, or -removing dirt by soap and water. A doctor’s medicine is just as much a -prayer, a spiritual thing, when it is properly used, as any formula of -consolation inculcated by folk in ‘tune with the infinite,’ or people -who indulge in ‘higher thought.’ - -(3) The Report guards--though perhaps not quite strongly -enough--against the modern tendency to lay too much stress on mere -bodily health. As Christians and men of sense, we can have nothing to -do with a mode of thought that, by exaggerating the value of physical -well-being, would cheerfully have condemned to some lethal chamber an -Erasmus, a Coleridge, a Stevenson, or a Beardsley. - -Now in these three matters the Report does seem to represent the real -central body of opinion in the Church of England. No living man, -perhaps, better expresses the view of the ‘man in the pew’ than the -Bishop of London, and he has been one of the first to recognise the -reality of the need for a greater recognition of the place of psychic -healing. Here is what Dr. Ingram said in his sermon on St. Luke’s Day, -1909: - -‘We have on the one side those who really seem to have forgotten the -message of the Gospel of the body, who practically in their teaching -and even in their own belief simply think of the Gospel as addressed to -the soul. They seem to have forgotten that, in our own Holy Communion -Service, we pray that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His -Body, and some of St. Paul’s most stirring passages are about the -body. “Glorify God in your body.” But in their teaching and in their -belief they have lost to a certain extent the idea that the Gospel -has a message to the body at all. While on the other hand--and it is -so very characteristic of the history of the Church that this should -happen--outside the Church, with great exaggeration--and with, in my -opinion, much false teaching--people are calling the attention of the -Church to a forgotten truth. Yes--but with two very grave mistakes. -First, they ignore the learning and teaching which God has given us -through medical study and investigation about His laws and about His -will, and still more they ignore those blessed means of grace which -Christ Himself has laid down as the means of our communion with His -life.’ - -Or again, in a diocesan letter of May last year the Bishop of -Winchester (who was Chairman of the Lambeth Committee) emphasises the -right of medical science, of healing, and of nursing, to their due -place in the Church’s spiritual life, to a part in her prayers and -thanksgivings. - -‘At the recent Lambeth Conference the view was expressed that we as a -Church have failed to show sufficient sympathy with the great works of -healing, of conflict with disease, and of the alleviation of suffering -carried on by the medical and nursing profession. The Divine blessing -vouchsafed in modern times, through the progress of knowledge and the -advancement of skill, have only in too small a degree been allowed to -enter into the prayers and thanksgivings of the Christian Church. It is -right that, with greater faith and a larger intelligence, the Church of -Christ should acknowledge that the gifts of healing and the discoveries -of science come from the Spirit of God, and should seek more -systematically to include this and kindred subjects in intercession and -praise.’ - -Not only, however, do we find the Bishops laying stress on the Church’s -duty in the matter of healing; but we also find eminent physicians, -who are also Churchmen, welcoming the priest in the sick room. In a -remarkable article contributed to the _Guardian_, Sir Dyce Duckworth -wrote: - -‘Next, I will express my opinion that our twentieth-century Christendom -is generally lax and feeble in offering earnest prayers for the sick in -all stages and for a blessing on the remedial means employed. We should -look to a higher Power than that of man to aid us at the bedside, and -as thoughtful physicians we do seek these means to aid us. - -‘Mental healing has a recognised and long-acknowledged basis of truth -and fact, and may be employed by honourable and skilled doctors who -have the gift and power to use it. I do not regard it as a fitting -duty for the “priests of the soul,” but one to be employed in its -appropriate place, as it becomes better understood in the course of -time as a part of legitimate ordinary treatment. I see no objection to -the practice of unction and laying-on of hands by Christian ministers -for those who desire it, but I regard this as an additional means of -help, a solemn form of assurance and comfort, together with prayerful -ministration, in conjunction with, and as a reinforcement of, the -best skill of legitimate medicine. To replace the latter by the -former I regard as a withholding of God’s gifts to man and therefore -unjustifiable. I conceive and believe that the gifts of the Holy -Spirit are capable of development in the course of the ages and under -our present dispensation, and that they were not limited in form and -exclusiveness to the age in which they were first somewhat crudely -manifested.’ - -We may welcome particularly Sir Dyce Duckworth’s emphatic pronouncement -about prayer. After all the basis of psychic healing is, and always -has been, prayer--whether the means used is oil, or water, or the -relics or even the shadow of holy men, as reported in the Acts of the -Apostles. The motive power that makes any of these means availing is -simply prayer. Prayer, whether spoken, desired, or acted, is the vital -force that gives the psychic movement all its validity. In insisting -on the importance and reality of prayer we have the support of such a -psychologist as Professor James, who writes: ‘As regards prayers for -the sick, if any medical fact can be considered to stand firm, it is -that in certain environments prayer may contribute to recovery and -should be encouraged as a therapeutic measure.’ - -And if the doctor is willing to recognise the great value of prayer, -the divine should not be backward in welcoming the doctor; nor should -he regard the medical man and the philosopher with suspicion if -they lay stress chiefly on the ‘reflex’ value of prayer; regard its -subjective effects, rather than investigate its real or objective power. - -Once more let me quote the Bishop of London: - -‘If I was ill, I would send for the best doctor, and get my parish -priest to come and pray by my side, believing that the double work of -Jesus Christ is shared by two great professions. It would be bad for -either to be banished from the sick room.’[100] - - [100] Answer to a questioner. Lent Mission, 1910. - -That is the position on which we should lay stress. The future, I am -sure, lies with those who are willing to accept the religion of the -Incarnation and all that it signifies; the men who proclaim joyfully -and unwaveringly that Spirit has dwelt in flesh, but who also never -hesitate to assert that it is real Flesh in which the Spirit dwelt. -We must have no quarter with the damnable heresy that denies to sin -and suffering and disease a reality that it concedes to food and to -fees: and we can have no truce with the hard materialism that will -acknowledge the truth of nothing that is not revealed to the scalpel -or the test-tube. We may be thankful to-day that so many of our leading -physicians are becoming more and more willing to admit the reality -of prayer and the rights of the priest; we must take care that no -headstrong divines, in their new zeal for psychic healing, disparage or -despise the profession of St. Luke. - - - - -THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY -WELL-BEING - -BY - -ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, D.D. - -VICAR OF ALL HALLOWS BARKING, EXAMINING CHAPLAIN TO THE -BISHOP OF LONDON, AND RURAL DEAN OF THE -EAST CITY OF LONDON - - - - -THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY WELL-BEING - -BY ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, D.D. - - -The editor of this volume thinks that it should include a paper upon -the relation of the Eucharist to bodily well-being, and he has asked me -to deal with the question. I am fully aware of the difficulty of doing -so, and shall be well content if what I am able to say should lead -others to feel, as I do, that the subject is one which deserves much -reverent and careful attention. Perhaps that is all that any of us who -are taking part in the production of this book can hope to achieve. Our -desire is to be allowed to prepare the way for the clearer and stronger -action of the future. Little by little we are coming to see that the -scope of Christianity is bigger and more comprehensive than has for -some time been supposed. We can trace the steps by which religion and -its benefits had got to be looked upon as chiefly, if not exclusively, -concerned with individuals and their souls. And we can recognise that -there have been, and are, counter-movements at work whose tendency is -to raise us out of the limitations within which we had settled and to -place our feet in a larger room. - -To begin with, there has been the revival of the Corporate aspect of -the faith, with an insistence upon the truth that the fullest life -is only to be realised through fellowship. Very slowly we have been -learning that we are not meant to be perfected as individuals, but -as parts of a whole of which Christ is the head and we are all of us -members. Already this sense of a corporate ideal has made a great -difference to our thoughts about the Church and the Sacraments, and has -begun to work a change in our beliefs as to the importance of unity and -the possibilities of spiritual power. And now it looks as if we are -being called to a yet farther enlargement of our conceptions and hopes. -To-day we are bidden to add to our knowledge in another direction. -This time it is the Corporal aspect of the Christian message which is -coming into view. We are to learn that our religion is not only for us -all as a whole, but that it has to do with the whole of each of us. -In other words it is good for the body as well as for the soul. In -some degree, no doubt, we have been accustomed to admit that the fact -of the Incarnation is a witness to the dignity of our bodies, and a -pledge of their ultimate glorification; but the admission has too often -lacked the full force of a living conviction. At the present moment, -however, many influences are combining in a remarkable way to send us -‘back to Christ’ with quite a new willingness to believe that He meant -His Church to stand in the forefront of all endeavours to bless men’s -bodies as well as to save their souls. Some day the world may be filled -with astonishment when it sees the fuller life of Christian fellowship -brought to bear upon the social and physical problems that are waiting -all around us for the power that can successfully deal with them. - -Now, plainly such lines of thought must sooner or later converge upon -the Eucharist. We may confidently assert that if the fuller life, -corporate or corporal, is to be realised and manifested by us, it will -be through a more faithful and more intelligent use of the great means -which our Lord has provided for establishing a vital inter-communion -between Himself and His members. - -Let us, then, approach the consideration of the mystery patiently, and -make a serious effort to grasp what we can of its meaning in right -perspective and due proportion. To this end it will be best to set -before our minds a clear statement of the aims and objects of the -highest of all Christian services. - - * * * * * - -Briefly, we may say that the Eucharist is designed to fulfil a -threefold purpose for us. In the first place, it is a SIGN OF -PROFESSION. Sacraments are ‘not only badges or tokens of Christian -men’s profession’ (Art. xxv.); but this they most certainly are. Again -and again our Lord laid stress upon the duty and necessity of an open -acknowledgment of discipleship. From the earliest times the Sacrament -of His Body and Blood has been regarded as the oath and pledge of a -Christian’s loyalty. We may be sure that Christ meant it to be this. -Perhaps it is not altogether without significance that while the -ancient allegory of the Old Testament had made the test of obedience, -‘Thou shalt not eat’; in the sacred symbolism of the New Covenant it -became, ‘Do this,’ ‘Take eat.’ Through the Eucharist we declare our -readiness to be known as members of the Christian fellowship, and our -determination to be the true followers of Christ. That is its first and -simplest and most obvious signification. - -Then further the Eucharist is AN ACT OF WORSHIP. It has a Godward -aspect, as well as a bearing towards the Church and the world. The -original institution had for its background the slaying of the lambs -and the pouring out of the blood of the Passover sacrifices. This, -said our Lord, is My way of celebrating the redemption, not merely of -a nation, but of a world. ‘This is My Blood of the Covenant, which is -shed for many.’ And accordingly whenever we solemnly repeat His words -and His acts, we do it in a Consecration Prayer addressed not to man -but to God. It has been thus that from the beginning the Church has -made the ‘perpetual memory,’ setting forth the finished sacrifice of -the Cross as the one and only ground and hope of man’s salvation. It is -thus that we draw nigh by the ‘new and living way which He has prepared -for us’ until we find ourselves amid all the company of heaven, nay -more, suppliants before the very throne of God, humbly but confidently -asking for the grace to help us in our earthly need. The prayer is -freely granted. The very offerings we present are blessed and returned -for our enrichment. - -And so, finally, the Eucharist is a MEANS OF GRACE. The Altar becomes -a Table, and the Sacrifice ends in a Feast. We are bidden, not only -to ‘do this,’ but to ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ the Body and Blood. Here it is -that we reach the most mysterious aspect of all. Christ died and rose -again for us that we might live by Him. In this holiest fellowship -He fulfils His promise to be with us; in this highest worship we are -made partakers of His very self. How the blessing is bestowed we are -unable to explain. The explanations that have been attempted are not -really explanations, for they are not themselves intelligible. But we -can do better than explain. We can accept the fact, and look to prove -it in experience. That is the way of our English Church teaching. -‘The benefit is great,’ we are assured, ‘if with a true penitent -heart and lively faith we receive this Holy Sacrament, for then we -spiritually eat the Flesh of Christ and drink His Blood.’ ‘The Body -and Blood of Christ are verily and indeed’--not merely metaphorically -and symbolically--‘taken and received by the faithful.’ So it has been -believed since the foundation of the Church. ‘The doctrine of the -reality of the gift bestowed in the Holy Communion is universal in -the writings of the early Christians.’[101] And so it will be to the -end, when the holy feast is to be royally ‘fulfilled in the kingdom of -God.’[102] - - [101] Archbishop Temple, Primary Charge. - - [102] St. Luke xxii. 16. - -It is in connexion with this third aspect of the Eucharist that we are -to attempt some further inquiry. Granted that ‘the benefit is great,’ -of what does it consist? When we meet together in the gladness of loyal -fellowship to ‘lift up our hearts’ through the worship which unites us -to the Great High Priest within the veil; when we receive, as from His -hands, the more than tokens of our participation in His present life -and coming triumph; when after meekly kneeling for the benediction of -the heavenly peace, we rise and go our way--what thoughts may we dare -to cherish with regard to the blessing that has been granted to us? - -Shall we answer that the gain must be of a spiritual character, that -what we have received is ‘the strengthening and refreshing of our -souls,’ that this is what is intended when the Eucharist is spoken of -as a ‘means of grace’? Assuredly we shall be right to answer thus. We -cannot insist upon it too strongly, or claim it too confidently. We may -not feel at the moment that we are stronger and more able for our life -and duty; but then we do not always feel the benefit of physical food -and medicine the moment they have been taken. The gain may not appear -for hours or even days, when perhaps we have ceased to think of the -source from which it came. Strangely enough, too, the immediate effect -of a medicine may be to bring out the mischief, and to make us imagine -that we are the worse for it rather than the better; and, as we know, -there have been times when it has almost seemed as if we had become -more distressingly conscious of our faults and failings as a result of -our Communion. In spite of it all, faith takes and gives humble thanks -for the blessing which has been received. - -But, when we say that the blessing is of a spiritual nature, does that -mean that its effects are therefore limited to the spiritual sphere? -Can we think that they could be so limited? Is not the spiritual the -dominant factor in all our life, and must not the quickening and -gladdening of our spirits be felt, sooner or later, through every -department of our being? - -Is it not true that the mind is profoundly influenced by the state of -the spirit; that, when the soul is at peace and in harmony with God’s -will, light shines as it were from within upon the hardest and most -perplexing problems around us? The good and wise Bishop Harold Browne -once declared at a Church Congress that he had never known what it -was to have intellectual doubts when present at the Holy Communion. -So, too, one of the most brilliant of our living teachers, speaking -of what he owed to the school chapel at Eton, has said, ‘There I -mercifully gained the habit of constant Communion; and this habit was -the one permanent stronghold of my faith when in after years at Oxford -the violent storms of intellectual trouble broke over my mind.’[103] - - [103] Canon Scott Holland, _Commonwealth_, March 1908. - -If the mind may be helped through blessing received by the spirit, why -not the body also? We are realising more and more forcibly every year -how intimate is the connexion between mental action and the physical -organism. The two are so linked that every change in the one would -seem to be accompanied by a change in the other. Moreover, we are -assured by recent psychology that there are regions within us which lie -outside--above and below--the levels of our ordinary consciousness; and -that influences exerted in these regions are determining causes, not -merely of mental, but of bodily states. The close connexion between -the spiritual and the physical is clearly insisted upon in the New -Testament teaching. Our Lord showed plainly that the problem of bodily -disease was not to be treated apart from the more baffling needs of the -soul. In unhesitating terms He traced the miseries of morbid physical -conditions to moral wrongdoing and the presence of spiritual forces of -evil. The great word ‘Salvation’ strictly interpreted meant health; and -it was applied to both body and soul. It is no small part of Christ’s -redemption to ‘quicken your mortal bodies through His Spirit that -dwelleth in you.’[104] - - [104] Romans viii. 2. - -The fact that the body has its appointed part and share in the Holy -Communion is in itself significant of the honour to be paid to it, and -might be taken to imply that it too is to be partaker of the benefit. -And when St. Paul declares that to receive ‘unworthily’ is to be in -danger of bodily sickness and even of death,[105] we can scarcely avoid -the inference that for the worthy recipient there might be expected -some corresponding advantage of quickened health and physical vitality. - - [105] 1 Cor. xi. 30. - - * * * * * - -If we ask what the thoughts of early Christianity were in regard -to this matter, we need remain in no uncertainty as to the reply. -Recent discovery of documents and the critical study of the primitive -liturgies have given us a great deal of knowledge as to the religious -conceptions of those who met for Christian worship in the centuries -after the Apostles. At first it was with reluctance that they -committed their most sacred formularies to writing. Even as late as -the time of Athanasius the precise nature of the liturgy was kept as a -secret, to be revealed only to those who would be certain to regard it -with reverence and understanding. ‘It is not permitted,’ he wrote, ‘to -describe the mysteries to those who are not initiated.’[106] Not until -this discipline of secrecy was gradually abandoned, as Christianity -came to be accepted throughout the empire, were the actual forms of -service allowed to become public property. From these we are able to -gather much as to the place which the Eucharist held in the life of -the Church, and as to the hopes that were centred in it. These hopes, -without question, were primarily of a spiritual sort. Intercession was -offered with a fulness and intensity which witness to a wonderful power -of sustained devotion and a boundless range of sympathy. There were -many and various prayers for the peace and perfecting of the Church -and the enlightenment of the world, for the spread of true knowledge, -for the sanctification of all estates of believers, and above all, and -most of all, for the exaltation and glory of God in earth as in heaven. -But no one can so much as glance over these liturgies without being -strongly impressed by the fact that those who framed them and used -them had no notion of drawing any sharp line of distinction between -the spiritual and the material, between the blessing of the soul and -the good to be desired for the body. If they made intercession for the -Church that it might be ‘kept sheltered from storms’ and be ‘preserved -founded upon the rock until the consummation of the world,’ and were -careful to remember the higher needs of all classes of Christian -people, they were quick to add, ‘Let us pray for our brethren exercised -by sickness, that the Lord may deliver them from every disease and from -every infirmity, and may restore them whole to His Holy Church.’[107] -In the prayer of Consecration they would ask that the Bread and the -Wine might be made to all who received them a means of ‘faith, and -watchfulness, and healing, and sober-mindedness, and sanctification, -and renovation of soul and body and spirit.’[108] When they had -partaken of the elements they implored that these might ‘not be unto -condemnation but to salvation, for the benefit of soul and body.’[109] - - [106] _Apol. contra Arianos_, ii. - - [107] Clementine Liturgy. - - [108] Liturgy of St. Mark. - - [109] Clementine Liturgy. - -Just ten years ago a very important addition was made to our store of -early liturgical documents by the publication of the Sacramentary of -Bishop Serapion, which dates from 350 A.D. The work consists of thirty -prayers such as a bishop would be likely to use.[110] Of these the -first six and the last twelve have to do with the celebration of the -Eucharist; the remainder relate to Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, -and Burial. - - [110] A translation, with notes, has been edited by the Bishop of - Salisbury in a small volume issued by the S.P.C.K. (Early Church - Classics). The Greek text will be found in an article by the Rev. F. - E. Brightman, _Journal of Theological Studies_, October 1899. - -‘Life is a remarkable note of the collection,’ and it is life in -the fullest sense of the word. A few quotations will indicate this, -and will serve to strengthen the impression we have already sought -to convey as to the content of the blessing to be expected in the -Eucharist. In the opening Offertory prayer we find the words, ‘We -beseech Thee, make us living men.’ At the invocation of the Word upon -the elements, ‘Make all who communicate to receive a medicine of life -for the healing of any sickness.’ In ‘the prayer for those who have -suffered,’ ‘Grant health and soundness, and cheerfulness and all -advancement of soul and body.’ And in the final Benediction, ‘Let the -communion of the Body and Blood go with this people. Let their bodies -be living bodies, and their souls be clean souls.’ Provision is also -made for special prayer for the sick, and for the blessings of oils -and waters for their benefit, and in these connexions we find such -expressions as the following: ‘Be propitious, Master; assist and heal -all that are sick. Rebuke the sicknesses.’ ‘Grant them to be counted -worthy of health.’ ‘Make them to have perfect health of body and soul.’ -‘Grant healing power upon these creatures that every power and every -evil spirit and every sickness may depart.’ - -It need scarcely be said that all such references to bodily wants -are set in a context which is marked by the simplest and most ardent -spiritual devotion. The physical is never allowed to usurp the first -place. But it is never forgotten. The early Christians believed that -the Life which was offered to them in fellowship with their Lord was -to extend to every part of their constitution, to ‘spirit and soul and -body.’[111] - - [111] These references to the Liturgies might be supplemented by - quotations from the patristic writings, e.g. those of Irenæus, - Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Gregory of Nyssa. The last named - went so far as to make Baptism with faith to be the salvation of the - soul, and the partaking of the Eucharist the salvation of the body. - See Bishop Gore, _The Body of Christ_, p. 69; and Bethune Baker, - _Introduction to the History of Christian Doctrine_, pp. 399, 412. - -In the light of our increasing knowledge of psychological processes, -we to-day are turning with new interest and sympathy to the old -stories of marvellous healing that have come down to us from early and -medieval times; and we are doing our best, by careful investigation and -analysis, to separate the well-authenticated cases from those for which -the evidence is not satisfactory. Already it is clear beyond reasonable -doubt that the instances in which directly religious influences wrought -extraordinary cures were far more numerous than have been generally -admitted by critical students of the history. In Mr. Percy Dearmer’s -volume entitled ‘Body and Soul’ a large number of testimonies have been -collected relating to such experiences at various times throughout the -Christian centuries. Thus the passage from St. Augustine is quoted, -in which he said that in his days miracles were still being wrought, -‘partly by the sacraments,’ and partly through other instrumentalities. -And instances of such miracles are described as they were recorded of -Bernard, and Francis, and Catherine of Siena; of Philip Neri, Fox, -Wesley, Cardinal Hohenlohe, Pastor Blumhardt, Father John of Cronstadt, -and many more. At least two cases are given in which the benefit was -definitely connected with the reception of Holy Communion.[112] - - [112] pp. 370, 381. Compare also the witness of St. Thomas à Kempis - in regard to the power of this Sacrament. ‘The grace is sometimes so - great that out of the fulness of devotion here given not the mind - only but the weak body also feels great increase of strength bestowed - on it’ (vires sibi praestitas sentiat ampliores). _De Imit._ iv. 1. - - * * * * * - -It remains now to ask how far we English Church people have any -guidance to which we can appeal in our liturgical forms. We have to -admit that the well-being of the body does not receive the amount of -consideration in our Prayer-book that it did receive in more primitive -days. And yet the allusions are more frequent than many imagine. At -the outset of Morning and Evening Prayer we are reminded that we have -met ‘to ask those things which are requisite and necessary as well -for the body as the soul.’ Over and over we repeat the clause in the -Lord’s Prayer--‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ In the Creed we -joyfully attest our belief in the ‘resurrection of the body.’ In the -Litany we pray to be delivered from ‘plague and pestilence.’ A special -intercession is appointed for use ‘in the time of common plague or -sickness,’ as well as the more general one for all who are ‘any ways -afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body, or estate,’ with a particular -remembrance of ‘those for whom our prayers are desired.’ In the -Collects, which were intended primarily for use at the Eucharist, we -find petitions for help in ‘our infirmities,’ for defence from ‘all -adversities which may happen to the body,’ for preservation ‘both in -body and soul,’ and for readiness of ‘body’ to do the Divine will. -In the Office for Holy Communion we may be glad to note even clearer -traces of the Scriptural and primitive conception as to the place which -the physical part of our nature is entitled to hold in the religion of -the Incarnation. - -When we say the prayer for the whole Church, we humbly beseech God -‘to comfort and succour all those who in this transitory life are -in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.’ In the -Prayer of Humble Access there are petitions, first to be met with in -the earliest form of the English service (1548), which sound like an -echo from the already quoted Prayer-book of Serapion, ‘that our sinful -bodies may be made clean by His Body, and our souls washed through -His most precious Blood.’ Even more intentionally significant are the -words of administration appointed to be addressed to every communicant, -‘The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy body and soul unto -everlasting life’; ‘The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy -body and soul unto everlasting life.’ These references to the ‘body’ -appear to have been deliberately introduced into our service. In the -Latin form the celebrant had said, ‘custodiat animam meam in vitam -aeternam.’[113] And as the body has its place of privilege, so also -it has a share of the corresponding responsibility. In the Prayer of -Oblation ‘we offer and present our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, -holy, and lively sacrifice.’ Finally, among the Collects suggested to -be said after the Offertory, and at other times ‘as occasion shall -serve,’ the foremost place is given to two which are closely connected -with the thought of bodily welfare. The first, ‘Assist us mercifully, -O Lord,’ was a prayer used in medieval times for persons who had gone -on a pilgrimage to seek physical as well as spiritual blessings; the -second is for the sanctification and governance of ‘both our hearts -and bodies,’ that we may be ‘preserved in body and soul, through our -Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ - - [113] It would seem that the fuller form, ‘corpus et animum meam,’ - was used by the priest at his own communion in the Mozarabic rite; - and that a similar form was prescribed in the Cologne use of the - fourteenth century for communicating the people. (Daniel, _Codex - Liturgicus_, i. pp. 105, 147.) Otherwise the rule was as stated - above. It is interesting to note, however, that the words ‘corpus - et’ were very generally employed in administering _to the sick_ in - medieval England (see the _York Manual_, Surtees, lxiii. pp. 51, 52). - -So then, in our Prayer-book, as in the older service books, the benefit -of the body is closely associated with the gain which is sought for the -soul. The physical effect is regarded as dependent upon the spiritual -gift. As the Bishop of Birmingham has put it, ‘though in the Holy -Communion the body is sanctified through the sanctification of our -spirit, and transformed and endowed, in subtle and secret ways which -pass our comprehension, with capacity for the life immortal; yet it is -through the spirit and not directly.’[114] The blessing begins with the -spirit, but it certainly does not end there. - - [114] _Body of Christ_, p. 64. - - * * * * * - -This sketch of a great subject, imperfect as it has been, may serve -to turn the thoughts of some of us to an aspect of our religious -privileges which has not been very much before our minds. A friend -who had been spending a good deal of time on ‘cures’ on the continent -as well as in this country, wrote to me lately to say that he was -beginning to think that he ought to get more assistance towards -recovery from his religion than he had been getting. That is an idea -which accords with the temper of the first Christians, and is certainly -encouraged by a careful study of our own Prayer-book. We dare not -assert that all ‘the ills that flesh is heir to’ would disappear before -a quickened vitality of soul, and the mental soundness which might -follow from this; but we can well believe that the tendency of true -religion is all in the direction of physical health. Indeed, we may -go so far as to say that there is no restorative force that we know -of to compare with the influence of spiritual peace and gladness. We -have amongst us those who are fully conscious that they have owed much -bodily strength to prayers and to sacraments. And there are medical men -who would not hesitate to give their confirmatory testimony from what -they have seen in their experiences of the sick. - -Sometimes we hear of small attendance at the weekly or daily Eucharist. -If this is to be remedied it will be because truer views have come to -prevail again of the meaning of the greatest service of the Church. We -shall recover the spiritual fervour and force of primitive Christianity -when we learn once more to give the Eucharist its proper place in our -worship and our life. We might be helped to do this if, like the first -Christians, we accustomed ourselves to look to our Communions not only -for the blessing that they can bring to our souls, but for the lesser, -and yet not less real, blessing which we may find in them for the -sanctification and preservation of our bodies. - - - - -PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING - -BY - -ARTHUR CHANDLER, D.D. - -BISHOP OF BLOEMFONTEIN - - - - -PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING - -BY THE BISHOP OF BLOEMFONTEIN - - -This paper is concerned with Mental Healing; its object is to suggest, -in a tentative way, how Mental Healing may be effected by Mental -Prayer. But, in order to do this, it is necessary (at the risk of -repeating what may have been written by others) to refer to certain -premises leading up to the conclusion which I wish to draw. - -(1) In the first place it is coming to be recognised that -‘consciousness’ must be understood in a far wider and more general -sense than we have been accustomed to associate with it. Alongside of -the active work of the intellect with which, e.g., we study mathematics -or pursue our profession, there is a large, dreamy, half-conscious -tract of mind, not sharpened to a single point, like the active -intellect, but consisting in a multiplicity of mind-centres (mental -ganglia, as we might call them) diffused throughout the body. We knew -before that our body was a microcosm or an epitome of the world in -which it was found, and now we are learning that the same is true of -our minds. Primitive kinds of consciousness have been carried up with -us in our ascent from lower grades of being, and survive, dormant but -real, over against the intellect which is the palmary achievement of -our race. This residual consciousness (the consciousness which exists -outside of the rational intellect) consists largely of instincts and -capacities which regulate the lives of other animals, and which were -employed by man in his primitive state, but for which he has no use in -his present-day existence; modes of receptivity and reaction, which -were natural to him in his dreamy childhood, but which are discarded by -him in the aggressive, self-assertive, wide-awake condition in which -he now lives. Mr. Myers, in his ‘Human Personality,’ gives a very -attractive and convincing account of this inheritance from our ‘lowly -ancestors.’ But probably we have to go deeper still to account for -parts of the consciousness which we thus inherit. The rooted attachment -to home, and the blind tenacity with which, in the teeth of reason, -men cling to life, exhibit a more primitive mode of consciousness than -that of animal life. Here we will quote some very suggestive words of -Professor Stewart: - -‘Transcendental feeling I would explain genetically as an effect -produced within consciousness by the persistence in us of that primeval -condition from which we are sprung, when life was still as sound asleep -as death, and there was no time yet. That we should fall for a while, -now and then, from our waking, time-marking life, into the timeless -slumber of this primeval life is easy to understand; for the principle -solely operative in that primeval life is indeed the fundamental -principle of our nature, being that “vegetative part of the soul” which -made from the first, and still silently makes, the assumption on which -our rational life of conduct and science rests--the assumption that -life is worth living. When to the “vegetative” the “sensitive” soul -is first added, the Imperative (Live thy Life) is obeyed by creatures -which, experiencing only isolated feelings, and retaining no traces of -them in memory, still live a timeless life, without sense of past or -future, and consequently without sense of selfhood. Then, with memory, -there comes, in the higher animals, some dim sense of a self dating -back and prospecting forward. Time begins to be.’ - -This, then, is our starting point; that besides the single, supreme, -rational activity, which we call intellect, there exist in us other -forms of consciousness similar to those which accompany the growth -of the plant or the life of the animal; and that this residual -consciousness, however much we may discard or disown it, continues to -live and work, and does things which the proud intellect is unable -to do. On the other hand, we must not forget that these forms of -feeling and instinct, of perception and reaction, which we regard as -our heritage from lower grades of life, are enormously modified by -their juxtaposition with a rational intellect. The unity of nature -which comprehends both the intellect and them, makes itself felt; -this lower form of mentality is still the mentality of a rational -being; and the general position may be described by saying that there -exists a decentralised consciousness, diffused through the organism, -‘irrational, but capable of sharing in reason, and of listening to -it,’ as Aristotle would say, and manifesting itself in a power of -receiving impressions, manipulating them, and reacting upon them, which -in our present state of ignorance we describe by the convenient word -‘abnormal.’ - -(2) Because the residual consciousness is thus diffused throughout the -body, it can exercise control over the various parts of the body, just -as the central intellect exercises control over the body as a whole. -As the reason can set the body in motion by commands issued through -the brain and travelling down the motor nerves, so the departmental -consciousness can initiate changes and disturbances in the various -nerve centres with which it is associated. This, we take it, is what -happens in all cases of mental healing. The phenomenon is physical -as well as psychical; it consists not merely in the inhibition of -the feeling of pain, but in such a modification of the nerve tissues -as removes the cause of the pain. A real cure is effected, and it -is effected by the action of the residual consciousness upon that -particular part of the organism. - -(3) This decentralised, residual consciousness can work best when -the rational intellect is quiescent--when, we may say, the central -office is closed. At such times man ceases for the time to be an -argumentative, striving creature; the placid, vegetative, ruminative -life, the life of growth and instinct, asserts itself; submerged modes -of consciousness begin to stir and act, like fairies dancing when the -sun has set. - -And as sleep is the typically quiescent state, it will be specially in -sleep, natural or induced, that these lower modes of consciousness will -exhibit their activity. - -(4) In order that they may act, a ‘cue’ or suggestion of some sort must -be given to them. The most marked characteristic of this residual -consciousness is its receptivity. It executes, but cannot originate. -It can retain in the memory the whole of a long poem which it has -heard, and it can solve a problem by right adjustment of its elements; -but in each case the facts must be given to it in order that it may -deal with them. In itself it is dreamy and desultory; if it is to work -efficiently, it must be stimulated and concentrated by the transmission -to it of a clear and forcible suggestion. - -(5) On the other hand, although it must take its orders from the -reason, it is only natural that one residual consciousness should -be more _en rapport_, feel more at home, with another residual -consciousness. The reason is like a parent or schoolmaster, and these -consciousnesses are like children. They receive their directions from -above, but are far more at home with each other, canvassing their -instructions, and sometimes parodying and making fun of them, as -children do with the admonitions of their elders. In matter of fact -there is often something freakish and elfish about this consciousness, -it reminds one of the submerged spirit of Dionysus reasserting itself -in Denys l’Auxerrois as described by Mr. Pater. - -(6) Now, if one residual consciousness can be brought into a -relationship of definite and serious purpose with another residual -consciousness, the influence thus exerted will be stronger than any -which can be exerted directly by the reason itself. To revert to our -former illustrations, a monitor whose own character is receptive of the -master’s ideals can exert on other children an influence greater than -that of the master himself. - -(7) The reason of man, then, may be well able to convey clear -instructions to his own residual consciousness, and send it to -associate with, and work upon, some other residual consciousness. And -if the instructions conveyed, and the work done, concern the curing of -some ailment, a case of mental healing will be the result. - -Let A be the healer and B the patient; let _a_ and _b_ represent -the residual consciousness of each of them; further, let A^1 be the -rational intellect of A, and B^2 the seat of B’s disease. In that case -the following diagram will illustrate the process: - -[Illustration] - -That is, A concentrates his intellect (A^1) on transmitting a message -to his own submerged consciousness (_a_); this submerged consciousness -works upon B’s submerged consciousness and stimulates it to curative -action on the seat of B’s disease. Further, the best time for _a_ to -thus work upon _b_ will be when A and B are both asleep. A will have -concentrated the reason on the idea of helping B just before going to -sleep. Mr. Hudson, in his ‘Psychic Phenomena,’ gives many illustrations -of cures thus effected. - -(8) But the capacity of A to exert a strong and right influence must -depend on the strength of his will and the clearness of his insight; -and if he is a humble man, he will recognise his own weakness and -ignorance. In proportion, then, to his affection for B, he wants to -bring to bear on B a stronger force and a higher wisdom than his own. A -few exceptionally strong and wise people may bring help, of themselves, -to their friends in the manner described in the last section; but the -majority, being conscious of their own limitations, will turn elsewhere -for succour, i.e. will pray. - -(9) In very many cases prayer is a definite petition to God, that -God will Himself act directly on our friend by bestowing a definite -blessing on him, e.g. recovery from a specific ailment. But that is not -quite the highest or the best kind of prayer. God loves to act through -us; Christ sends out his disciples, that through them He may continue -to do His gracious works. We can combine a humble reliance on God with -the offer of ourselves as His instruments, if our prayer conforms to -that Prayer of Quiet or Silence of which mystical writers tell us. -Then, instead of ourselves acting directly on our friend, and instead -of asking God to act directly upon him, we shall just concentrate our -attention upon God with special intention for our friend. We shall hope -that a Divine response from God will, during our sleep perhaps, enter -our own subconscious self (which we have, through the concentration of -our attention, made receptive of such responses) and through us work -upon that of our friend. In such a case the diagram will be as follows: - -[Illustration] - -We may add that this Prayer of Silence not only renders us receptive -of Divine influences, which may then through us be transmitted -to our friend; also it embodies the true attitude of humility in -relation to God. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. -We are not to dictate to God what blessing He is to send. We simply -bring our friend’s evil case before Him in the very act of our own -loving concentration upon Him, and offer ourselves as the agents for -the transmission of that blessing, whatever it may be, which He in -His wisdom may will to send. By a strong act of sympathy we identify -ourselves with our friend, and trust God to provide the right remedy. -‘Have mercy upon _me_,’ said the woman in the Gospel, ‘my daughter is -grievously vexed with a devil.’ - -If we can combine this living sympathy for our friend with a humble -trust in God’s power and wisdom, and further offer ourselves as the -instrument through which God may act, we shall be practising the -highest and purest form of intercession within our reach. And this form -of intercession may be offered in a silent act of Contemplation, in -which distracting thoughts are set aside, the favourable attitude of -receptivity is attained, and a loving and concentrated appeal is made -to the love of God. It may, perhaps, encourage us to engage in this -highest form of prayer, if we recognise that it has this intercessory -side. An objection is sometimes brought against the practice of -Contemplation as described by spiritual writers, on the ground that -it is self-centred and selfish. There is never much force in such an -objection, since the contemplative who is concentrating his soul on God -is thereby making himself a ladder down which Angels of Grace descend -on others as well as himself; he is diffusing an atmosphere of God’s -presence, with the blessings that flow from it. - -When, however, Contemplation is practised with definite intercessory -intention, its beneficence is clearly and unmistakably emphasised. - -(10) It is well to dwell a little more on the quality of humility which -should characterise all such prayers. We have no right to dictate to -God what His answer shall be. We have no right to assume that it must -be His will to remove all pain and suffering. Any such assumption leads -logically to conclusions which those who make it might not be prepared -to accept. If pain and suffering are contrary to God’s will, and God -is omnipotent, it follows that there can be no such thing as pain and -suffering; and as pain and suffering are located in the body, it will -further be concluded that there is no such thing as a body; and here at -once we have Christian Science in a nutshell. - -We may try to escape from this conclusion by distinguishing an absolute -and a contingent will of God, and arguing that pain, as such, is -contrary, but under certain circumstances is not contrary, to the -will of God. But this really abandons the whole position, since we do -not know whether the case of our friend is covered by the ‘certain -circumstances’ or not, and therefore are unable to dogmatise as to -God’s will in the matter. No one in his senses imagines that God wills -pain for the sake of pain. Everyone would agree that, if sin had not -come into the world, there would be no occasion for pain. But then sin -has come into the world; the only condition of man with which we are -acquainted is his fallen condition; in that fallen condition sin and -suffering are mingled inextricably to a degree which utterly condemns -dictation or dogmatism on our part. Ignorant people like ourselves -must, then, be humble in our prayers. We bring our friend’s illness -before God; ‘Lord, he whom Thou lovest is sick’; often God’s love may -be shown in the removal of the suffering; sometimes in the provision of -grace sufficient to enable the sufferer to rejoice in his infirmities. - -(11) What has been said in this paper is liable to an easy and -obvious criticism. It will be said that the whole thing consists of -guesses; and further, that these guesses are incapable of scientific -verification. I cheerfully accept both statements, and am not -particularly affected by either. All increase of knowledge has been -made through guesses, and in the case of an intricate subject like -that before us, we must be content to go on guessing for a long time. -Further, there may be verification which would not conform to the -more rigorous methods, but which would be sufficient for practical -purposes. If we find that such prayer as I have described is followed -by relief, either physical or spiritual, to him for whom we pray; and -if this sequence occurs again and again under different conditions, the -cumulative weight of such experience will justify a humble belief that -God is indeed using us as vehicles of His grace and love. - -(12) Finally, I should like to add a few words as to the general -attitude which, it seems to me, we should adopt with regard to facts -of mental healing. I have assumed that we are face to face with -certain psychical facts which for the first time are winning general -recognition of their authenticity. That is, we are witnessing the -birth and development of a special branch of psychology. The whole -inquiry into the phenomena of the subconscious, or subliminal, or -subjective, or residual consciousness (whatever we choose to call it) -is a psychological inquiry. It is for the psychologist to investigate -the relation in which such phenomena stand to the normal working of the -mind; and it is for the psychologist and physiologist together to probe -the method by which subconscious mentality affects the diseased tissue, -and in many cases effects a cure. The facts are becoming patent to all; -the causes are a subject matter for science. Where, then, does religion -come in? I answer that whilst the forces at work are psychical, and the -inquiry into their mode of operation is scientific, they can be best -put in motion by religion. - -Some such demarcation of spheres seems to me to be essential. It would -be fatal to assume that all manifestation of subconscious activity is -supernatural; that all mental healing is necessarily spiritual healing. -The facts postulate neither a special spiritual gift, nor a special -theory of the universe (such as that of Christian Science) to account -for them. They are, we repeat, psychical facts, and come under the -domain of psychology. - -Further, as I have suggested above, religion is not the only motive -power by which they can be roused to action. A rigorous process of -attention and concentration of the mind, which has been rendered -quiescent by the elimination of other thoughts and ideas, seems to be -the condition under which the healer acts successfully; and such a -process is not confined to the sphere of religion. - -But, on the other hand, we Christians possess two great qualifications -in this matter. First, in the higher forms of prayer we have ready to -our hand a peculiarly effective method of concentration and attention; -and, secondly, through the use of this method, we can link our own -action with the action of God, correcting our ignorance by the wisdom -of God, and supplementing our weakness by the power of God. - - * * * * * - -NOTE.--In this article I have dealt with healing as exercised on the -ills of another, not on one’s own ills; and the prayer associated with -such healing has therefore been presented as intercessory prayer. -But of course the troubles which we have in view may be our own. In -such a case the method will be much the same as that sketched above; -relief may be effected subconsciously through the medium of prayer. -But the procedure is now much simpler. Instead of sending out our -subconsciousness (the phraseology is necessarily materialistic and -fearfully inadequate) to work on that of another, we merely commission -it to work on the seat of our own malady. The method now becomes one -of auto-suggestion, i.e. the healing suggestion is made by us to -ourselves. We know the power of this process in the moral sphere; we -know how, by fixing our minds on lofty and ennobling ideas, we can -break the power of temptation, not by a frontal attack, but by getting -round it and above it to a higher level of life and thought. This, -in fact, is the main purpose and effect of meditation as ordinarily -practised. The scope of meditations only have to be slightly extended -in order to apply to our physical as well as our moral troubles. But, -although this method of healing becomes simpler in procedure, because -applied to ourselves, yet for the same success it demands still greater -humility and purity of intention. If, when we pray for others, it is -hard for us to believe that the prayer may be really and effectually -answered in other ways than by the removal of the physical suffering, -it is still harder for us to recognise this in our own case. To meet -this difficulty, it will be well that prayer for our own relief should -be as much as possible silent prayer. We shall concentrate our -attention on God’s love and power, as revealed in Christ, just spread -out our trouble before Him, and resolve to trust Him to the uttermost. -The suggestion thus conveyed to our own subconscious life will be -charged with God’s grace; if physical healing results, the restored -health will be transformed by dedication to God’s service; if the -relief takes the form of strength to endure, it will be none the less -relief, lifting us above the level of self-pity into tranquil communion -with Christ crucified, and may be none the less an instrument in God’s -hands for the doing of His blessed will. - - - - -THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE - -BY - -M. CARTA STURGE - - - - -THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE - -BY M. CARTA STURGE - - -In attempting to criticise the Metaphysics of Christian Science, as put -forth in the book which claims to be the authority for its doctrine, -‘Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures,’ one is tempted to -quote the famous chapter on ‘Snakes in Iceland,’ which runs ‘There are -no snakes in Iceland,’ and to say at the outset that Christian Science -has no Metaphysics. Since, however, it claims to explain the Universe, -and to give a theory of such metaphysical subjects as Matter and -Spirit, as well as of Unity and Reality, it may be well to examine its -statements on these abstruse matters to see if they can justly claim -to have value as Metaphysics, to search the island, as it were, before -pronouncing that there are no snakes in it. - -Undoubtedly Christian Science owes a good deal of its attractiveness -to its teaching of a sort of popular Idealism. It was put forth at -a time when a great wave of Materialism had overspread the Christian -world, not owing only to discoveries in Natural Science, which seemed -in the first flush of their triumph, before they had been adjusted with -other fields of thought, to destroy all belief in Spirit, but owing -also to the fact that Religion had been for so long established and, -apparently, firmly seated upon a secure spiritual foundation, that it -had been loosely taught as to its fundamental basis. So little had its -relation with physical things been explained that the spiritual and -physical aspects of the Universe had become, as it were, separated -in thought and shut up respectively in watertight compartments. The -result was that in the popular mind the two worlds, the spiritual and -the physical, stood in a merely artificial relation with each other, -connected, as it were, by unmeaning hooks, instead of standing in an -intimate organic relation, so close that no true statement regarding -the one could possibly stand in collision with the truth of the other. - -In consequence of this merely artificial relation of the two in the -popular mind, at the first breath of the new scientific announcements -the two worlds in the minds of only too many fell apart, and the -spiritual world floated away, if one may say so, to nowhere, whilst the -physical, with all its limitations, its ruthless laws, its indifference -to the individual, its total disregard of pain, and its insurmountable -barriers, reigned alone. Materialism had triumphed with its apparently -hard-and-fast solidity; whilst the ideals of Poetry, the truths hinted -at by Art, the revelations of the prophet, the dreams of the young and -the visions of the old, and our intuitions of unseen realities which -cannot be uttered, were consigned by many, supposed to be wise, to the -region of illusions, the realm of nothingness, and Man seemed indeed to -be nothing more than a creature helplessly subject to circumstance, the -sport of every wind, and entirely beyond the region of hope wherever -physical aid failed. - -It was in the midst of a state of things something like this that -Christian Science came with its contrary announcement that all is -Spirit, and this given forth with the energy and freshness which always -accompanies the discovery of a new aspect of truth, or, as in this -instance, the rediscovery of a world-old truth which had been for a -time despised or forgotten. And with it came a message of hope, the -assurance that we are not the creatures of mere circumstance, that we -are not limited to physical life, nor altogether tied down by its -limitations, that things are not as hard and fast as they seem, and -that in the power of Spirit we can throw down many a barrier and rise -above circumstances. Most welcome teaching, and yet to those of us -accustomed to singing, on the third evening of the month, ‘With the -help of my God I shall leap over the wall,’ it seems strange that it -should appear quite so new! However, as before said, Materialism had -darkened much of this old truth and somewhat blinded our eyes. Whether, -therefore, it seems new or old to us, we can only welcome a powerful -reassertion of Idealism, of the supremacy of Spirit, provided it come -with good credentials, and be so stated as to appeal to the best and -sanest part of ourselves, and with the breadth and depth of treatment -that so wonderful a truth calls for. Unfortunately, it is here that -Christian Science fails us. It is a cheap, too much ready-made Idealism -that is put before us, and one that rather appeals to our less sane -moments than to our more brilliantly illuminated ones. - -Idealism, by reason of its very greatness, by its perception of things -that lie outside our senses, by its apprehension of infinities far -beyond our grasp, has many and great difficulties to encounter as -soon as, leaving the inspired region of Poetry, and of prophetic -vision, it tries to present itself as rational to our intellect, and as -conformable with our knowledge of physical things. Had the foundress -of Christian Science confined herself to the uninquiring assertions of -Seership, and left the explanation of Spiritual truths (of which no one -can deny that she caught some luminous glimpses) to minds equipped with -the necessary knowledge and training, Christian Science would have been -shorn of much of its incoherence and false teaching, and perhaps have -proved itself a real ally to Christianity. - -But the foundress was not content with the rôle of giving forth such -insight as she may have had as a Seer. She tries to explain it, and -the consequence is such a tangle of incoherent, inconsistent, confused -statements, contradictory to each other, as has, perhaps, never -seriously been given to the world before. And where, occasionally, the -statements, at least as to their wording, are clear and unmistakable in -their meaning, so far from clearing away the difficulties of Idealism, -they add much to the obscurity, and leave the subject in a position -likely to act in the long run in favour of Materialism rather than in -the direction intended. - -We will take an instance. Mrs. Eddy lays great stress on the Oneness of -the Universe. Here we shall few of us quarrel with her, for Unity is -the root-idea of Thought, whether scientific or philosophic, or even -that of mere common-sense, since it is only by Unity that one thing -can be seen in relation to another. The Unity is, however, difficult -of apprehension, since it is essentially an idea--although none the -less real for that--being, from the physical point of view, never seen -or apprehended as a material thing. Therefore it is non-material, -something spiritual or mental to be realised by insight other than that -of the senses. Mrs. Eddy has this insight, and has it very strongly. - -Idealism, however, is no sooner arrived at than it presents us with a -very hard knot to untie, and it is here that we shall see how far Mrs. -Eddy can give us any adequate metaphysical solution. - -She realises, like much greater thinkers, how hard it is to understand -how our material world can be contained in a spiritual idea, and that -Matter and Mind are of difficult reconciliation, although, if we grant -they both exist, they are so obviously related that they must be -reconcilable within a Unity somehow. This reconciliation has cost much -thought for thousands of years on the part of the deepest thinkers, -but the easy way of solving the difficulty in the case of shallow -thinkers is to do it by throwing one or other of the members in this -pair of opposites away, to deny it existence, and so to attain a cheap -conception of unity by pronouncing either matter or mind to be a mere -illusion. The Materialist tries cancelling Mind. Mrs. Eddy throws out -Matter and with it our entire physical world, not only the objects -in it, but all mental conceptions in regard to it, such as the Laws -of Nature, and all possible theories as to its being a manifestation -of Mind. All our conceptions of its laws are errors conceived by the -intellect, she teaches,[115] which is itself non-existent. In fact, the -world only _is_ because we falsely think it is. We have only to unthink -it, and it will disappear. Spirit is One, and therefore the many -objects of the world cannot be included in it; and only Spirit is real, -therefore the material world cannot be real. Such is her argument, and -she cannot allow that Matter may be a manifestation of Mind or created -by Mind, or have any relation with it of whatever sort. ‘Spirit and -Matter no more commingle,’ she says, ‘than light or darkness,’ and she -asserts that ‘Science reveals nothing in Spirit out of which to create -Matter.’ - - [115] For proofs of my assertions regarding the teachings of _Science - and Health_, I must refer the reader to my book _The Truth and Error - of Christian Science_. - -We have here attained, if we have attained it, Oneness at the expense -of the Many. It is One simply by means of containing nothing, and, in -place of the inspiring conception of the true thinker of the Unity as -One because it includes the Many harmoniously related within itself--a -Unity of infinite richness and fecundity--we have a dead, empty One, -misnamed Unity because there is nothing to unite. The worship of such a -Oneness, it has well been said, would be the worship of the None. Such -an One would be all-exclusive instead of all-inclusive, and be gained -by the annihilation of everything, instead of by the inclusion of all -within Itself as the vital expression of Itself. - -In yet another way Mrs. Eddy’s statements concerning Unity contradict -themselves. We have seen that in her conception of Unity the whole -world, as we know it, has to be evaporated, as it were, into -nothingness, and it has been roundly denied that Spirit had anything to -do with its creation. Yet the world has to be accounted for, and in the -sequel we find that, according to ‘Science and Health,’ it _has_ been -created--but by whom or what? - -It has been created by the mind of Man, by his thinking power, but not, -as we shall find if we read the book carefully, by that part of man’s -mind that is real, but by that part of it which is constantly asserted -to be unreal, to be, in fact, as much nothing as the world itself is -nothing. This part of Man, which is over and over again affirmed to be -nothing, is the Mortal Mind, and is endowed with the most tremendous -creative powers; for by its thought, its false thought, which is again -nothing, it has created for itself a world of objects, and objects -connected with each other, not in a state of chaos, as one would expect -in a world created by false thought, but objects connected with each -other in a marvellously ordered sequence, obeying exact laws with -the utmost obedience--laws so elaborate and complex in their results -that it has taken Man ages to understand them even a little (although -in Mrs. Eddy’s view his own creation), and yet, in their ordered -complexity, so simple that they are reducible to a few heads. Such is -the wonderful world created by the Mortal Mind, and with which God, as -All-in-All, has nothing to do! Thus we have two Creators, two unrelated -worlds, and we are landed in a Duality which is absolutely opposed to, -and inconsistent with, the Oneness on which Mrs. Eddy lays so much -emphasis, and which consequently disappears. - -All the rest of Mrs. Eddy’s so-called metaphysical ideas, her teaching -on Reality, on the nature of Man, on what constitutes truth and what -error, and so on, are equally contradictory, and we are driven to the -conclusion that such a hopeless confusion of contradictions is scarcely -worthy of the name of Metaphysics or of serious discussion. - -We welcome, as we have said, so emphatic an announcement of Idealism, -and of the truth of the supremacy of Spirit, but must deeply regret -that the Idealism is of so poor and thin a character, and the idea -of Spirit and of the Eternal Unity so deplorably impoverished. For, -indeed, thus presented, they could not long hold their own, and would -soon give place again to the darkness of Materialism. - -However, rather than criticise, let us welcome the recall to Idealism, -to the recognition of Spirit as the supreme reality in which all -physical laws find their truth, and, by a careful study and meditation -upon the length and breadth and depth of these great ideas, as set -forth in Christianity and all that led up to it, endeavour to do our -little part towards a better understanding of these things, and thus in -practice we shall indeed find that many a seeming solid barrier can be -overleapt, the crooked made straight and rough places plain. - - - PRINTED BY - SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. LTD., COLCHESTER - LONDON AND ETON - - - - -RELIGION AND MEDICINE. - -By SAMUEL MCCOMB, M.A. (Oxon.), D.D. (Glasgow), ELWOOD WORCESTER, D.D., -Ph.D., and ISIDOR H. CORIAT, M.D. - -With a Preface by SOMERSET E. PENNEFATHER, M.A., D.D., Vicar of -Kensington and Prebendary of St. Paul’s. - -Crown 8vo. 6_s._ net. - -This book sets forth in clear and non-technical language the -principles, and the methods by which these principles have been -applied, that underlie the notable experiment in practical Christianity -known as the Emmanuel Movement. The fundamental conception of the work -is that a great number of disorders, half nervous and half moral, which -are widely prevalent in American and English society, can be alleviated -and cured by means which are psychological and religious. The book -illustrates how an alliance between the highest neurological science of -our time and the Christian religion in its primitive and simplest form, -as modern Biblical scholarship has disclosed it, may become a powerful -weapon with which to attack the causes that lie behind the neurotic and -hysterical temperament that characterises the life of to-day. - -The work is written by two scholars trained in scientific theology, and -a physician of high reputation as an expert in psychological medicine. - -_The Church Times_ says:--‘Dr. McComb’s lecture, reported in our -columns last week, has been speedily followed by the appearance of a -book, in which he and two of his colleagues give a complete account -of the work of healing undertaken at Emmanuel Church, Boston. This -seems to justify our suggestion that the limitations accepted were -designed mainly with a view to the friendly co-operation of the medical -profession. Another reason for limitation is neatly expressed:-- - -‘“In the treatment of functional nervous disorders, we make free use -of moral and psychical agencies, but we do not believe in overtaxing -these valuable aids by expecting the mind to attain results which can -be effected more easily through physical instrumentalities.” - -‘There speaks sanctified common sense, in exact agreement with -the dictum of St. Thomas Aquinas that miracles are not to be -multiplied _praeter necessitatem_. There is also a recognition of -what is presumably true, that miraculous healing--for we prefer the -old-fashioned term--is not an easy way of escape from doctors’ bills, -but a process far more difficult, and involving far more expenditure -of mind and will, than the use of drugs or splints. When this is -understood, some prejudices will disappear. Meanwhile, the three -doctors--one of medicine and two of divinity--should have a respectful -hearing for their record of work done.’ - - -THE HEALING MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH. - -By Rev. SAMUEL MCCOMB, D.D. - -Crown 8vo. 32 pp. sewed, 6_d._ net. - -This little book is published under the direction of the Emmanuel -Committee for Great Britain, and deals with the method and working of -the Emmanuel Clinic when brought into contact with persons suffering -from maladies which appear to be primarily mental, moral and spiritual, -and only secondarily physical, but which, nevertheless, defy the utmost -efforts to console or to relieve. - - -PSYCHIC HEALING: - -An Account of the Work of the Church and Medical Union. - -Crown 8vo. sewed, 6_d._ net. - -No one will deny that psychic healing is a question of paramount -interest at the present time. It is an everyday topic of conversation -in the market place, the workshop, and in the schools. As a leader -writer in one of the chief medical papers pointed out the other day, -‘spiritual or mental healing is going on all around us.’ - -That psychic medicine is daily becoming of more value to the community -most people probably realise, but, if not properly controlled, it may -lead to evils against which the public are entitled to be safeguarded. - -This feeling prompted a small number of laymen to form themselves into -a Committee, and this Committee formed the nucleus of the Society now -known as the Church and Medical Union. - - -LEGENDS OF OUR LORD & THE HOLY FAMILY. - -By Mrs. ARTHUR BELL. - -With 32 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. price 6_s._ net. - -The present volume from the pen of the well-known author of ‘The -Saints in Christian Art’ is an attempt to weave into a consecutive -narrative the more important of the many legends that have in the -course of centuries gathered about the Gospel story, and reflect the -natural yearning of believers in Christ to learn all that is possible -concerning their LORD from those most closely associated with His -life on earth. 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-} - -.ws03em { - word-spacing: 0.3em; -} - -/* page numbering and hyperlinks */ -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: 11px; - font-weight: normal; - font-style: normal; - font-variant: normal; - text-align: right; - text-indent: 0em; - color: #585858; -} - -span[title].pagenum:after { - content: attr(title); -} - -a[name] { - position:absolute; /* Fix Opera bug */ -} - -a:link { - color: black; - text-decoration: underline; -} - -a:link:hover { - background: aqua; -} - -/* Illustrations */ - -.figcenter { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - margin-top: 1em; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; - font-size: 90%; -} - -img { - max-width: 100%; /* no image to be wider than screen or containing div */ - height: auto; /* keep height in proportion to width */ -} - -img.w100 { - width: 100%; -} - -.illowp100 {width: 100%;} - -div.figcenter { - clear: both; - margin: 2em auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 100%; /* div no wider than screen, even when screen is narrow */ -} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes { - margin-top: 4em; - border: dashed 1px; - padding-bottom: 2em; -} - -.footnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.footnote p { - font-size: 0.9em; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.footnote .label { - position: absolute; - right: 84%; - text-align: right; - font-size: 0.9em; -} - -.label:hover { - background: aqua; -} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: baseline; - position: relative; - top: -0.4em; - margin-left: 0.05em; - font-size: 0.7em; - font-weight: normal; - font-style: normal; - white-space: nowrap; -} - -/* Poetry */ -.poetry-container { - text-align: center; - margin: 1em 0; -} - -.poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; - font-size: 95%; -} - -/* large inline blocks don't split well on paged devices */ -.x-ebookmaker .poetry {text-align: left; display: inline-block;} - -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - -.poetry .verse { - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; -} - -.linenum { - position: absolute; /* poetry number */ - top: auto; - left: 4%; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: normal; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote { - background-color: #F2F2F2; - color: black; - font-size: 85%; - padding: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 5em; - font-family: sans-serif, serif; -} - -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Medicine and the Church, by Geoffrey Rhodes</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Medicine and the Church</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Geoffrey Rhodes</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 26, 2021 [eBook #65916]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Thiers Halliwell, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH ***</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p><b><a id="Transcribers_notes"></a>Transcriber’s notes</b>:</p> - -<p>The text of this e-book has been preserved in its original form -apart from silent correction of a few minor punctuation flaws (missing -commas and full stops). There are occasional spelling inconsistencies -as a consequence of its multiple authorship. One missing footnote -marker has been inserted at what seemed an appropriate position. -Footnotes have been numbered and relocated as endnotes.</p> - -<p class="epubonly">The original cover has been modified by the -transcriber to include more information and is placed in the public -domain.</p> -</div> - -<p class="tac fs140 mb10em ws03em">MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH</p> - - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>MEDICINE<br /> -AND THE CHURCH</h1> - -<div class="tp1">BEING A SERIES OF STUDIES ON THE RELATIONSHIP<br /> -BETWEEN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE AND<br /> -THE CHURCH’S MINISTRY TO THE SICK</div> - - -<div class="tp2">BY</div> - -<div class="center"> -<table class="fs100 mt1em" width="550" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Sir Clifford Allbutt</span>, K.C.B., F.R.S.</td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Prebendary Fausset</span>, M.A.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">A. W. Robinson</span>, D.D.</td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Jane Walker</span>, M.D.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Charles Buttar</span>, M.D.</td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">T. B. Hyslop</span>, M.D.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Stephen Paget</span>, F.R.C.S.</td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Ellis Roberts.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Bishop of Bloemfontein.</span></td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">M. Carta Sturge.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">Hon. Sydney Holland.</span></td> -<td class="tal"><span class="smcap">H. G. G. Mackenzie</span>, M.A., M.B.</td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - - -<div class="tp2 mt3em">EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION, BY<br /> -<span class="fs140">GEOFFREY RHODES</span></div> - - -<div class="tp2 mt3em">WITH A FOREWORD BY THE<br /> -<span class="fs140">LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER</span></div> - - -<div class="tp3 mt3em">LONDON<br /> -KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LTD.,<br /> -DRYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W.<br /> -1910</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">v</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOREWORD">FOREWORD</h2> -</div> - -<p class="tac">BY</p> - -<p class="tac fs130">THE LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER</p> - - -<p class="tar fs90 mr2em mt2em"> -<span class="smcap">Farnham Castle, Surrey</span>:<br /> -<i>July 4, 1910</i>.  </p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Mr. Geoffrey Rhodes</span>,</p> - -<p>The appearance of your volume -is very welcome. There is, I believe, a real -need for such a work. You are to be congratulated -on the results of the energy and -patience which you have bestowed upon its -preparation. You have a true reward in the -support of writers so varied and conspicuous -in distinction as those whose names you have -been able to bring together.</p> - -<p>You are enabling the whole reading world -to judge for itself, how the subject of -‘Spiritual,’ ‘Mental,’ or ‘Faith’ healing, -which during the past ten years has forced -itself upon public notice, is being regarded -by able, thoughtful, and impartial minds.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">vi</span> -There is no doubt that scientific medical men -are not going to pay attention to evidence of an -unscientific character. They will not waste -their time over it. Nevertheless, to phenomena -duly attested, and to evidence scientifically -recorded, they will give the most -scrupulous attention. It is the detailed and -accurate collection and classification of facts -by those who are trained for the task and -expert in its process, that must precede -generalisations upon this new, or shall we -call it, revived, branch of therapeutics.</p> - -<p>Prejudice against it will be found to exist -both in ecclesiastic and in scientific circles. -Your book will help to dissipate prejudice by -the spread of better-informed opinion. The -time, indeed, is opportune. The <i>British -Medical Journal</i> of June 18, 1910, has published -a series of papers by men ‘who could -speak with the highest authority on the -relations between mind and body, as exhibited -in the phenomena of disease.’ ‘Their opinion,’ -as the <i>Journal</i> tells us, ‘serves as an authoritative -reminder that there are bodily ills -which cannot be cured by pills and potions, -but which yield to methods which, for want -of a better word, may be called “mental”; -that cures which, in a former day, would -have been denied by unbelievers and accepted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">vii</span> -as miracles by the faithful, really happen, -and that they can be explained without -invoking supernatural intervention.’ On the -other hand, we are confident the Church of -Christ will never identify itself with charlatan -methods which might delude the poor and -the ignorant into the superstitious idea that -they can be more cheaply and effectively -healed by a magic or thaumaturgic ministry, -than by the knowledge and skill of trained -and certificated doctors and surgeons. To -quote our report in the Lambeth Conference -of 1908, ‘Medical science is the handmaid -of God and His Church’ (N.B. not of His -clergy, but of that Body of Christ in which -all true callings unite in serving), ‘and should -be fully recognised as the ordinary means -appointed by Almighty God for the care and -healing of the human body.’</p> - -<p>The temper of our age favours an inquiry -conducted in a spirit which will neither -disregard the requirements of science, nor -rule miracles out of court as impossible. We -need not be anxious as to the results. It -looks, indeed, as if science were only just now -awaking to the realisation of its possibilities -through psychical treatment; and as if the -Church had never yet realised to the full its -responsibility and its power in ministration<span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">viii</span> -to sickness, and its influence over the reason -and the imagination.</p> - -<p>‘Suspect everything,’ says St. Teresa, as -quoted by Sir Clifford Allbutt, ‘which weakens -the use of our reason; for by such a way, -we shall never attain to the liberty of the -Spirit.’ ‘Prayer,’ says the <i>British Medical -Journal</i>, in the article quoted above, ‘inspired -by a living faith, is a force acting within -the patient, which places him in the most -favourable condition for the stirring of the -pool of hope that lies, still and hidden it -may be, in the depths of human nature.’ -Truly, it is a tribute to the intellectual temper -of our day that two such quotations, the -one from a medieval saint, the other from -a leading article in our modern medical -journal, can appropriately be adduced in -illustration of the spirit in which you have -edited your volume. I trust it will have -many readers. That it may promote the -wise and temperate study of spiritual and -mental, as well as of physical, forces and -disorders, is my earnest hope and desire. -That it may also tend to correct shallow and -superficial delusions on the part of ignorant -persons who imagine that they can dispense -with scientific knowledge, and ignore the -facts of mortality in suffering, disease, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">ix</span> -death, is an expectation which I pray may -be fulfilled.</p> - -<p>Wishing, therefore, your volume all success,</p> - -<p class="ml2em">I am, dear Mr. Geoffrey Rhodes,<br /> -  Yours very sincerely,<br /> -    <span class="smcap">Herbert E. Winton</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xi">xi</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="EDITORS_PREFACE">EDITOR’S PREFACE</h2> -</div> - - -<p>I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to -a host of kind people for help in compiling -this book. First of all to the many clergymen -and doctors who assisted me in finding -suitable contributors for the different chapters, -and then no less to the contributors themselves -who, in spite of the exigencies of professional -duties, managed not only to write for these -pages but to take part in many editorial discussions -often entailing lengthy interviews and -correspondence.</p> - -<p>The Bishop of Winchester’s work in connexion -with this book has not been confined -to the Foreword which appears under his -name. I have had the benefit of his Lordship’s -advice and help throughout, and he has -spared the time to read all the essays in -manuscript.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xii">xii</span></p> - -<p>My thanks are also due to Sir Thomas -Barlow and Sir Clifford Allbutt for assistance -in reading the proofs of the medical chapters.</p> - -<p>Messrs. Macmillan and the Editors of the -<i>Hibbert Journal</i> and the <i>British Medical -Journal</i> have kindly allowed me to make -extracts.</p> - -<p class="tar mr2em">G. R.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiii">xiii</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<div class="center"> -<table width="550" cellpadding="2" summary="table of contents"> -<tr> -<td class="tal"></td> -<td class="tar fs70">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">FOREWORD</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_v">v</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">The Lord Bishop of Winchester</span>.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pb1">EDITOR’S PREFACE</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_xi">xi</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">INTRODUCTION:</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl2"><span class="smcap">Part I.</span></td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_3">3</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl2"><span class="smcap">Part II.</span></td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_31">31</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl6hi4">1. <span class="smcap">The Relationship between Medicine and Religion</span></td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_33">33</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Sir T. Clifford Allbutt</span>, K.C.B., M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl6hi4">2. <span class="smcap">Religion and Medicine in the Hospital</span></td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_43">43</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By Hon. <span class="smcap">Sydney Holland</span>, Chairman of the London Hospital.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl6hi4">3. <span class="smcap">The Surgeon, the Clergyman, and the Patient</span></td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_45">45</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By F.R.C.S.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">MEDICINE AND RELIGION</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_51">51</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Charles Buttar</span>, M.D., Sometime President of the Harveian Society.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE PATIENT</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_69">69</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Stephen Paget</span>, F.R.C.S.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiv">xiv</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND DOCTOR TO PATIENT</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_81">81</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Jane Walker</span>, M.D., Physician, New Hospital for Women.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_103">103</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Theo. B. Hyslop</span>, M.D., Superintendent of Bethlem Hospital.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALING</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_117">117</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">H. G. G. Mackenzie</span>, M.A., M.B.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SICKNESS</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_175">175</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">W. Yorke Fausset</span>, M.A., Vicar of Cheddar and Prebendary of Wells.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_205">205</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">W. Yorke Fausset</span>, M.A., Vicar of Cheddar and Prebendary of Wells.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALING</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_227">227</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Ellis Roberts</span>.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY WELL-BEING</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_245">245</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Arthur W. Robinson</span>, D.D., Vicar of All Hallows Barking, Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of London, and Rural Dean of the East City of London.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_269">269</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">Arthur Chandler</span>, D.D., Bishop of Bloemfontein.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal">THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE</td> -<td class="tar"><div><a href="#Page_289">289</a></div></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tal pl4hi3">By <span class="smcap">M. Carta Sturge</span>.</td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">INTRODUCTION<br /> -<br /> -<span class="fs90">PART I</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">3</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION_1">INTRODUCTION</h2> - -<h3>I</h3> -</div> - -<p>In the Middle Ages practically the only homes -of learning were the monasteries. Here all -the knowledge of the time was taught and -all the studies carried on, so that under the -same roof the theologian, the chemist, the artist, -and the artificer sat side by side, and consequently -each drew from and modified the -study and practice of the other. In England, -at least, the dissolution of the monasteries -changed this order, and though the brilliancy -of the Renaissance for a time obscured the -loss to society in general, in the backwater -of the eighteenth century both religion and -medicine drifted into distinct circumscribed -professions. The dawn of the nineteenth -century saw an enormous revival of interest -and study in both directions, but the newfound -energy with which the two spheres of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span> -learning were pushed forward, proved in the -end inimical to the highest interests of the -community, for religion and medicine found -themselves carried farther and farther apart.</p> - -<p>Before the stress of life became as severe -as it is to-day, most common complaints -could be overcome by rest and ordinary -treatment. But under modern conditions of -extreme complexity healing can no longer -be conducted on such simple lines, and as -time has gone on the effects of this divorce of -medicine and religion have made themselves felt.</p> - -<p>In correspondence with a more highly organised -state of society, man has become a more -highly organised being. He has developed -faculties in excess of the man of, say, fifty -years ago, and the exercise of these faculties, -that depend for their operation on the nervous -system, entails a strain on that system to -which it was not exposed half a century -back. The more elaborate the machinery the -more ways in which it may get out of order. -Man to-day is prone to a dozen nervous -complaints whose existence our forefathers -were happily able to ignore. Owing to -climatic and other conditions that need not -be discussed here, these nervous disorders first -forced themselves on public attention in the -United States of America. The overworked<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span> -business or professional man has no time -in the rushing life of the great growing cities -of America for rest. Carried off his feet by -the tide of prosperity, he becomes the slave -of his inventions instead of being their master. -His sense of proportion becomes atrophied -and he fails to maintain a correct balance -between thought and action. A purely -materialistic medicine that ignores thoughts -and feelings as being outside the scope of -diagnosis is powerless to prescribe for such a -case. And it is small matter for astonishment -that patients of this description have been -drifting into the hands of Christian Science -and kindred cults in their search for relief. -These systems of philosophy or religion (if -such they can be called) lack, however, -that element of completeness without which -no guide of human conduct can maintain its -hold. And as it becomes realised that these -irresponsible and often mercenary societies are -propagating views diametrically opposed to -the common-sense conceptions of the patients, -their power will be broken and the cures -cease. Meantime Christian Science undoubtedly -does overcome some cases of nervous -trouble, but these in no sense outweigh the -mischief done by its followers in denying the -sick medical care. We must clear the ground<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span> -before we can commence building, and it -may be well to examine briefly the ‘faith -and works’ of Christian Science before proceeding -to discuss the relationship between -Medicine and the Church.</p> - -<p>Opening Mrs. Eddy’s handbook at random we -come across these two explanatory statements:</p> - -<p>(1) It is not scientific to examine the -body in order to ascertain if we are in health.</p> - -<p>(2) To employ drugs for the cure of disease -shows a lack of faith in God.</p> - -<p>There is nothing new, of course, in these -two statements, nor anything peculiar to -Christian Science in them. They are put -forward by the majority of persons with these -views, whether they belong to the Peculiar -People or to Christian Science.</p> - -<p>With Christian Science, as with all these -unorthodox and irregular religious healing -societies, it is almost impossible to find any -matter that is sufficiently definite to enable -one to form any conclusion of their objects. -They talk glibly about having effected cures -of various kinds of diseases, but on their own -showing there is absolutely no evidence to -prove that the individual ever had that -disease or any other form of disease. Mr. -Stephen Paget has very kindly allowed me -to make one or two extracts from his in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span>valuable -work dealing with Christian Science. -He has, at great pains, collected cases of -Christian Science cures as reported in their -own official publications. It is only necessary -to read a few of these to see the absolute -hopelessness of getting at the bottom of them, -not merely from a medical standpoint but -from the point of view of common sense. -I would ask any person of average intelligence -to read the following five testimonies to healing -that Mr. Stephen Paget extracted from Mrs. -Eddy’s weekly journal, the <i>Christian Science -Sentinel</i>, and inform me if they convey any -impression whatsoever to his or her mind:</p> - -<p>‘<i>Mrs. R.</i>—Healed of “sense of fatigue, -and throat trouble.” Also, when knocked -down by a bicyclist, she “suffered no pain -at all, and had little sense of shock.” ’</p> - -<p>‘<i>Mrs. E.</i>—Was healed of the pain of a -burn. “The healing went on rapidly, and -in a very short time all manifestation of the -trouble disappeared.” ’</p> - -<p>‘<i>Mr. W.</i>—Cured of drinking and smoking, -and of “stomach and throat <span class="nowrap">trouble.” ’<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">1</a></span></p> - -<p>‘<i>Mamie D.</i>—“I seemed to have burned -my hand very badly.” Healed.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span></p> - -<p>‘<i>Mrs. P.</i>—“Many physical ailments have -been met and overcome by Truth.” ’</p> - -<p>And yet if they will refer to Mr. Paget’s -book they will find hundreds of similar instances. -In an appendix to the second edition -of his work Mr. Paget quotes the whole of -the correspondence in connexion with the -absent treatment of the Hon. A. Holland-Hibbert’s -mare, in 1900. This curious correspondence -needs no comment.</p> - -<p>The following is an account <i>in extenso</i> of -an alleged cure by Christian Science taken from -an article in the <i>Twentieth Century Magazine</i>, -published in Boston, U.S.A., October 1909.</p> - -<p>The contribution in question is from the -pen of the editor, Mr. B. O. Flower. I leave -my readers to form their own opinion on -this remarkable testimony.</p> - -<p>‘On the morning of the dedication of -the Chicago Church, November 14, 1898, I -was in my bedroom in the third story of our -house (the house is three stories and basement). -I was getting ready to go to the morning -service, and my little daughter, five years -old, was playing about, when suddenly I felt -a silence. I instantly noticed that the child was -no longer there and that the window was open.’</p> - -<p>‘I looked out and saw her unconscious -form on the ground below, her head on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span> -cement sidewalk. Instantly I thought, “All -is Love.”</p> - -<p>‘As I went downstairs the entire paragraph -in “No and Yes,” page 19, beginning, -“Eternal harmony, perpetuity, and perfection -constitute the phenomena of Being,” came to -me and took up its abode with me, and with it -the clear sense of the great gulf fixed between -the child and the lie that claimed to destroy. -The child was brought in, and as she was carried -upstairs she cried. As she was laid down, -the blood was spurting from her mouth, and -had already covered her neck and shoulders. -I instantly said, “There is one law—God’s -law—under which man remains perfect,” and -the bleeding immediately stopped. The child -seemed to relapse into unconsciousness, -but I declared, “Mind is ever present and -controls its idea,” and in a few moments -she slept naturally. During the morning -she seemed to suffer greatly if she was -moved at all, and her legs seemed paralysed, -lifeless. In the afternoon, all sense of pain -left, she slept quietly, and I went to the -afternoon service rejoicing greatly in my freedom -from the sense of personal responsibility.’</p> - -<p>‘When I returned she sat in my lap to -eat some supper, with no sense of pain, but -still unable to control her limbs, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span> -presented the appearance of entire inaction. -At eight o’clock she was undressed without -inconvenience, and there was no mark on her -body but a bruised eye. During the day -she had not spoken of herself. At eleven -o’clock when I went upstairs, I found her wide -awake and she said: “Mamma, error is trying to -say that I fell out of the window, but that cannot -be. The child of God can’t fall; but why -do I lie here? Why can’t I move my legs?”</p> - -<p>‘The answer was, “You can move them. -Mind governs, and you are always perfect.” -In a moment she said, “I will get up and -walk.” It seemed to require one or two -trials to get her legs to obey, but she rose, -walked across the room and back and climbed -into bed. . . . She then sat up, ate a lunch, -fell into a natural slumber, and woke bright -and happy in the morning.’</p> - -<p>The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a -solemn warning in connexion with this question -at a recent conference at Lambeth -Palace, and the following statement from the -medical side is important.</p> - -<p>‘Christian Science seems to present one -fundamental point of difference from all other -forms of spiritual healing. This is, that -whereas the cures said to be wrought at -Lourdes and other shrines are attributed to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span> -direct action of Christ, exercised at the intercession -of His Virgin Mother or His Saints, -Mrs. Eddy and her disciples claim, as far as -we understand the teaching—which is not -only obscure in itself, but often inconsistent—to -cure disease by the same power of healing -that was given to Christ. In the sacred book -of the sect we read:</p> - -<p>‘Our Master healed the sick, practised -Christian healing, and taught the generalities -of its divine Principle to His students; but He -left no definite rule for demonstrating His -Principle of healing and preventing disease. -This remained to be discovered through -Christian Science. A pure affection takes -form in goodness, but Science alone reveals -its Principle and demonstrates its rules.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">2</a></span></p> - -<p>She tells us that ‘when God called her to -proclaim His Gospel to this age, there came -also the charge to plant and water His vineyard.’ -What she calls her ‘sacred discovery’ -was made in 1866, and since then it has become -widespread in America and in this country. -It does not commend itself to the Latin mind, -which is nothing if not lucid and logical. -Its methods and results are fully discussed -by some representatives of the most advanced<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span> -medical thought in the present issue of the -<i>Journal</i>, and we have nothing to add to -what they say. To anyone who wishes to see -the whole case against Christian Science put -most clearly and convincingly from the medical -point of view, we cordially recommend Mr. -Stephen Paget’s book on the subject<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">3</a></span> It -is attractively written, well ‘documented,’ -and informed with the true scientific spirit.</p> - -<p>We need say only one thing more about -Christian Science, which, to speak plainly, -is a repulsive subject, inasmuch as it shows, -in a way no other form of spiritual healing -does, the depths of degradation to which the -human mind can sink under the weight of -superstition. That it cures cases of the kind -that have been healed at all sorts of shrines—pagan, -Christian, Buddhist, Mohammedan—from -time immemorial, it would be idle to -deny. That it brightens the lives of some -persons who have no aim in life, and have -nothing to do but evoke pains and ailments -by thinking of their health, is also true. But, -none the less, its pretensions go far behind -anything that is credible, except by such as -accept Tertullian’s paradox, <i>Credo quia impossibile</i>; -and, instead of courting the light as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> -other methods do, it seems to love the darkness. -We have asked over and over again -for facts that would convince a trained mind, -but none are forthcoming. Christian Science -may, indeed, be described as faith with the -least possible amount of works and the largest -possible number of words. Here are fair -specimens of the kind of facts which forms all -the evidence vouchsafed to us of its healing -efficacy; they are taken from the <i>Christian -Science Sentinel</i> of May 28, 1910, p. 777:</p> - -<p>‘A short time ago I was taken sick with -fever. My mother asked for Christian Science -treatment for me, and I was almost instantly -cured. I have been reading “Science and -Health, with Key to the Scriptures,” by -Mrs. Eddy, and have been benefited in business -and in health ever since. I am very grateful -for Christian Science, and thankful to God, -whence all good comes.</p> - -<p class="sig">‘<span class="smcap">Fred. Werth</span>, Dallas, Tex.’</p> - -<p>‘Some time ago I was attacked by stomach -and bowel trouble. A Christian Science practitioner -was called, and my ailment soon left -and I was again able to resume my duties. -I am very thankful for the good done me and -others, and praise God for speaking to us -through Mrs. Eddy.</p> - -<p class="sig">‘<span class="smcap">Tillie Werth</span>, Dallas, Tex.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span></p> - -<p>There is nothing new in Christian Science -except the colossal impudence of its pretensions. -Mark Twain spoke in ignorance -when he said:</p> - -<p>‘The Christian Scientist has taken a force -which has been lying idle in every member -of the human race since time began.’</p> - -<p>We have shown that it was not left to Mrs. -Eddy to discover this force, and that, so far -from lying idle, it has been active in temples -and churches, at shrines and tombs, for thousands -of years. In one thing Christian Science -has probably a unique record of achievement: -beyond any sect or system that we know of -it has succeeded in exploiting human imbecility -and turning airy nothing into solid cash<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">4</a></span></p> - -<p>‘Every false system of philosophy, of -ethics, of morals, and of religion is floated -on the vast ocean of conduct, of character, -and of conviction by some element of truth. -This corresponds to a water-tight compartment -in a vessel which is in danger of being sunk, -through dishonest contracts, imperfect mechanism, -ignorant seamanship, or the stress and -strain of storm. But for this compartment, -the ship would disappear in the gurgling -green of the ocean. In the moral Order, and -in all our controversies, there is this unsink<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span>able -truth. It keeps afloat all with which -it is for the time united, until the balance -is lost. Then the system is submerged. But -the truth sails on.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">5</a></span> In the case of the system -we have had under examination this truth -is the power of the mind over the body and -the efficacy of faith. Christian Science undoubtedly -cures certain kinds of neurotic -troubles, just as it may do incalculable harm -by teaching that scientific medicine is not only -useless but mischievous. If its followers confined -themselves to merely enunciating the -truth on which the flimsy superstructure is -founded little could be urged against them. -As we have seen, however, by a careful examination -of their official records, they contradict -the cardinal doctrines of the Christian Churches, -and encourage a disregard for all bodily complaints -that is not merely foolish in the -extreme, but where the sufferings of others -are concerned, distinctly brutal, and in either -case often leads to the most disastrous results.</p> - -<p>This indictment is a serious one. But -then the claims of Mrs. Eddy’s supporters are -so portentous that they cannot be lightly dismissed, -and we must not forget that, as the -Bishop of Birmingham points out in a letter -printed further on in this volume, both the Church<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> -and the medical profession have played into the -hands of Christian Science by ignoring the facts -that Mrs. Eddy has been occupied in distorting.</p> - -<p>However much it may have been possible -in the past for the doctor and the parson in -dealing with the less nervous, more easy-going -type to look upon him as composed of two -distinct and separate parts, body and spirit -respectively, having no intimate relationship -and amenable to quite different influences, -such a view of men and women is to-day out -of the question. To entertain it for a moment -is to court failure. Mind and matter act -and react upon one another, and more than -this, without faith all human enterprise would -be stultified. Faith plays no less important -a part in medical treatment than it does in -the more commonplace affairs of life. This -aspect of the question cannot be better expressed -than it has been recently by Professor Osler<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">6</a></span></p> - -<p>‘Nothing in life is more wonderful than -faith—the one great moving force which we -can neither weigh in the balance nor test in -the crucible. Intangible as the ether, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span>eluctable -as gravitation, the radium of the -moral and mental spheres, mysterious, indefinable, -known only by its effects, faith pours -out an unfailing stream of energy while -abating nor jot nor tittle of its potency. Well -indeed did St. Paul break out into the well-known -glorious panegyric, but even this -scarcely does justice to the Hertha of the -psychical world, distributing force as from -a great storage battery, without money and -without price to the children of men.’</p> - -<p>Three of its relations concern us here. -The most active manifestations are in the -countless affiliations which man in his evolution -has worked out with the unseen, with the -invisible powers, whether of light or of darkness, -to which from time immemorial he has -erected altars and shrines. To each one of -the religions, past or present, faith has been the -Jacob’s ladder. Creeds pass; an inexhaustible -supply of faith remains, with which man proceeds -to rebuild temples, churches, chapels, and -shrines. As Swinburne says in that wonderful -poem, <i>The Altar of Righteousness</i>:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">God by God flits past in thunder, till his glories turn to shades:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">God to God bears wondering witness how his gospel flames and fades.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">More was each of these, while yet they were, than man their servant seemed:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Dead are all of these, and man survives who made them while he dreamed.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span></p> - -<p>And all this has been done by faith, and -faith alone. Christendom lives on it, and -countless thousands are happy in the possession -of that most touching of all confessions, ‘Lord! -I believe; help Thou my unbelief.’ But, -with its Greek infection, the Western mind is -a poor transmitter of faith, the apotheosis of -which must be sought in the religions of the -East. The nemesis of faith is that neither -in its intensity nor in its effects does man -find any warrant of the worthiness of the -object on which it is lavished—the followers -of Joe Smith, the Mormon, are as earnest -and believing as are those of Confucius!</p> - -<p>Again, faith is the cement which binds -man to man in every relation of life. Without -faith in the Editor of the <i>Journal</i> I would not -have accepted his invitation to write this -brief note, and he had confidence that I -would not write rubbish. Personally I have -battened on it these thirty-six years, ever since -the McGill Medical Faculty gave me my first -mount. I have had faith in the profession, -the most unbounded confidence in it as one -of the great factors in the progress of humanity; -and one of the special satisfactions of my life -has been that my brethren have in many -practical ways shown faith in me, often -much more than (as I know in my heart of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span> -hearts) I have deserved. I take this illustration -of the practical value of the faith that worketh -confidence, but there is not a human relationship -which could not be used for the same purpose.</p> - -<p>And a third aspect is one of very great -importance to the question in hand—a man -must have faith in himself to be of any use -in the world. There may be very little on -which to base it—no matter, but faith in one’s -powers, in one’s mission, is essential to success. -Confidence once won, the rest follows naturally; -and with a strong faith in himself a man -becomes a local centre for its radiation. St. -Francis, St. Theresa, Ignatius Loyola, Florence -Nightingale, the originator of every cult or -sect or profession, has possessed this infective -faith. And in the ordinary everyday work -of the doctor, confidence, assurance (in the -proper sense of the word) is an asset without -which it is very difficult to succeed. How -often does one hear the remark, ‘Oh! he -does not inspire confidence,’ or the reverse! -How true it is, as wise old Burton says: -‘That the patient must have a sure hope in -his physician. Damascen, the Arabian, requires -likewise in the physician himself that he be -confident he can cure him, otherwise his -physic will not be effectual, and promise -withal that he will certainly help him, make<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span> -him believe so at least. Galeottus gives this -reason because the form of health is contained -in the physician’s mind, and as Galen holds -confidence and hope to be more good than -physic, he cures most in whom most are -confident’; and he quotes Paracelsus to the -effect that Hippocrates was so fortunate in -his cures not from any extraordinary skill, -but because ‘the common people had a most -strong conceit of his worth.’</p> - -<p>Faith is indeed one of the miracles of human -nature which science is as ready to accept -as it is to study its marvellous effects. When -we realise what a vast asset it has been in -history, the part which it has played in the -healing art seems insignificant, and yet there -is no department of knowledge more favourable -to an impartial study of its effects; and this -brings me to my subject—the faith that heals.</p> - -<p>Apart from the more specific methods to -be dealt with faith has always been an essential -factor in the practice of medicine, as illustrated -by the quotations just given from Burton. -Literature is full of examples of remarkable -cures through the influence of the imagination, -which is only an active phase of faith. The -late Daniel Hack Tuke’s book, ‘The Influence -of the Mind on the Body,’ is a storehouse of -facts dealing with the subject. ‘While in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span> -general use for centuries, one good result of the -recent development of mental healing has been -to call attention to its great value as a measure -to be carefully and scientifically applied in -suitable cases. My experience has been that -of the unconscious rather than the deliberate -faith healer. Phenomenal, even what could -be called miraculous, cures are not very -uncommon. Like others, I have had cases -any one of which, under suitable conditions, -could have been worthy of a shrine or made -the germ of a pilgrimage. For more than ten -years a girl lay paralysed in a New Jersey -town. A devoted mother and loving sisters -had worn out lives in her service. She had -never been out of bed unless when lifted by -one of her physicians, Dr. Longstreth and Dr. -Shippen. The new surroundings of a hospital, -the positive assurance that she could get well -with a few simple measures sufficed, and -within a fortnight she walked round the -hospital square. This is a type of modern -miracle that makes one appreciate how readily -well-meaning people may be deceived as to -the true nature of the cure effected at the -shrine of a saint. Who could deny the miracle? -And miracle it was, but not brought about -by any supernatural means.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">7</a></span></p> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span></p> -<p>If, then, faith is so important an adjuvant -to ordinary medical treatment, we see at once -that religion that stands for faith in its highest -and purest form should represent a tremendous -recuperative force. We have said that medicine -and religion had become estranged—the one -given over to a rigid materialism, and the -other so busy with men’s souls that it forgot -their bodies altogether. This book is a humble -attempt to bridge over the gulf. There is a -great movement that has its roots in history -that is already written and that will go on into -the far distant future, around about us. It -is a movement that stands for Idealism and -Optimism. It is the harmonising of all kinds -of human experience into one great philosophy. -Scientific medicine is coming to reconsider -its position and to realise its responsibilities. -This synchronises with a broadening of the -basis of Christian teaching. Without abandoning -any of the cardinal tenets of their faith, -the churches are coming to see that Christianity -is a much more wonderful truth than -they had ever dreamed; and, instead of -there being any conflict between Christianity -and science, science, like all work for the good -of humanity, must be an integral part of the -Church’s service to mankind.</p> - -<p>Medicine and religion had a common origin<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> -in pagan temples, and we have already seen -that in medieval times all such learning was -the monopoly of the monks. Healing by -means of influence on the mind of the patient -is no newer a branch of the art than surgery -or treatment by drugs. History abounds -with instances of cures effected at shrines -by means of relics, and by saints. Of all -modern pilgrimage shrines the one in the -Pyrenees is by far the most famous. That -cures actually take place at the Grotto of -Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at -Lourdes is undeniable. The cases have been -medically diagnosed and the certificates may -be examined in the Record Office at Lourdes -where such documents are preserved. Whether -such cures differ in character from other cures -by what is termed suggestion is an open -question. In fairness to those who believe -them to be due to the direct intervention of the -Almighty it is perhaps only right to give here -the opinion of Mr. Butlin, the President of the -Royal College of Surgeons, who recently -said:</p> - -<p>‘When such cures take place in the -presence of vast masses of people, although -it may be possible to explain all the steps -through which the emotion has produced the -“cure,” how can we be surprised that the people<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> -fall on their knees before God and bless His holy -name for the miracle which He has wrought?</p> - -<p>‘I defy anyone to read Zola’s story of the -cure of Marie le Guersaint, written by a -sceptic (Zola’s “Lourdes”), without being -moved by it and without feeling convinced -that all true Catholics who were present, -priests and people, with the unhappy exception -of the Abbé Pierre Froment, truly believed -that Almighty God had been moved by the -intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate -Conception to display His divine power by -instantaneously restoring the health of the poor -girl who had lain paralysed upon a couch -for seven years. In the eyes of all who -witnessed it, it was a miracle, for every -medical man who had seen her had, with -one exception, believed her to be suffering from -a damaged spinal cord. There is therefore no -excuse, in such a case as this or in ninety-nine -out of one hundred cases which are -cured by faith, to impute dishonesty and -deliberate deception to the priests and the -people who proclaim such cures to be the work -of God. From the little I have seen of the -priests actively engaged in the grotto at -Lourdes, I can feel no doubt that the most of -them honestly believe that the cures which they -have seen are genuine. I would no more think<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span> -of accusing them of deliberate deception than -I would accuse my own relative of it.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">8</a></span></p> - -<p>We have spoken of a great movement, -that tends to bring into closer co-operation -all human effort and to consecrate it to one -ideal—the service of mankind.</p> - -<p>We are here more particularly concerned -with a smaller movement that exists within -the greater. It has made itself felt at Church -Conferences and at Medical Councils. It is a -movement to bring the medical profession -and the Church into a closer practical connexion -to fight disease. That such an -intimate co-operation is not only desirable -but possible, the thoughtful chapters contributed -to this book by eminent authorities -go to show. As regards the general principle -underlying this joint work for the sick, the -Archdeacon of London recently gave expression -to what would appear to be the feeling -of the leading ecclesiastics and foremost -physicians in his charge to the clergy of -his archdeaconry in the following words:</p> - -<p>‘Religion and medical science should always -co-operate, while the ultimate responsibility -must lie with the accredited physician.’</p> - -<p>When the scheme for the present volume -was drawn up over a year ago, it was felt that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span> -some authoritative statement was needed to -guide the public in thinking out the topical -questions of Spiritual Faith or Mental Healing. -There has, in recent years, been an endless -series of books issued from the European and -American presses on this subject. Some of -these publications being obviously the hand-books -of societies whose name spelt their -own condemnation, thinking people passed -them by, but, on the other hand, much literature -of a very misleading character has been -placed on the market and purchased by many -in the belief that they were learning from it -the official views either of the Church or of -the medical profession, or of both. The -qualified medical practitioners of this country -do not lightly decide to give expression to their -views on therapeutics in books issued to -the general public, and whenever they circulate -opinions it may be taken for granted that -they are the result of patient investigation -of facts and of carefully thought out conclusions -deduced from those facts. If one -may be allowed to indicate in a general way -the position taken up by the doctors who -have written for the following pages, it is one -of scepticism towards quasi-miraculous healing -as a practical means of combating disease, -but at the same time it is an attitude of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> -extreme cordiality towards the minister of -religion—in his capacity as a messenger of hope -and expert in peace of mind. Of all the weighty -evidence that has been gathered together to -build up this book, the opinion of Sir Clifford -Allbutt forms no unimportant section. Few -of us can escape sickness altogether, and -although some illnesses may be blessings -in disguise, nevertheless our desire for health -is only second to our desire for life, and it is -right that it should be so. ‘The highest -spiritual life depends on the best bodily -health,’ Sir Clifford Allbutt tells us. The -Bishops at Lambeth admitted with regret -that ‘sickness has too often exclusively been -regarded as a cross to be borne with passive -resignation, whereas it should have been regarded -rather as a weakness to be overcome -by the power of the spirit.’ That there exist -potentialities of healing apart from physic -to-day no one can refute, but it is to be feared -the Church and the medical profession have -much lost ground to recover, through having -in the past ignored those psychic forces that -are now the object both of scientific inquiry -and of theological study. The marvellous -chemical discoveries of the past few years -have revolutionised scientific conceptions. New -theories of matter and of energy are being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> -framed to explain the result of new researches. -The wonders of radio-activity have converted -the scientist from a materialist who believed -in nothing unrevealed by test-tube or microscope, -into an idealist prepared to argue from -the unseen to the seen. Just as there are in -the world of physical science forces whose -existence we are only now beginning to -recognise and whose capabilities are still -unknown to us, there are undoubtedly psychic -forces in man that are capable of development, -but of whose exact nature we at present -are ignorant, although we can trace their -effects<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">9</a></span></p> - -<p>‘In the case of vital truth . . . it may -be necessary for a writer to say some hard -things,’ but criticism, prompted by no petty -spirit, but by a noble desire to bring out the -best, will never be resented by right-minded -people. Two great and noble professions are -about to make a combined attack on sickness -and suffering. They have too great a sense -of their responsibility to enter upon such a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> -campaign lightly. Much counsel is needed -before the allies can give battle.</p> - -<p>The respective spheres of action of the cleric -and the doctor have to be mapped out; so that -all the efforts of the one may support and never -hamper the other.</p> - -<p>It will be seen that the medical contributors, -not unreasonably, seriously deprecate -any attempt on the part of the minister of -religion to invade the province of medicine. -Such intrusion is none the less dangerous -because it may be unintentional. All ‘treatment,’ -whether it be by means of drugs, surgery, -or hypnotic suggestion, must necessarily be a -matter for the doctor and those working under -his immediate direction: and for them only. -In so far as he may be concerned with physical -disabilities the priest must inevitably defer to -the physician.</p> - -<p>At the same time the value of spiritual -ministrations in sickness is emphasised on every -page of this book.</p> - -<p>‘Probably no limb, no viscus is so far a -vessel of dishonour as to lie wholly outside the -renewals of the spirit,’ says Sir Clifford Allbutt. -But we may go further than this in certain -directions. Remembering that the health of -mind and body are mutually dependent, and -that troublesome thoughts may bring sickness<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> -in their train, we see that there may exist -sicknesses that are not amenable to medical -treatment only. These are among the ills that -the <i>British Medical Journal</i> has told us cannot -be cured by pills and potions alone.</p> - -<p>Dr. Jane Walker writes pertinently on this, -under the heading of ‘The Relationship of Priest -and Doctor to Patient.’ As she points out, when -a character has to be remoulded, it is the priest -rather than the doctor who can best help the -patient.</p> - -<p>‘A true and philosophic religion raises the -mind above incidental emotionalism and gives -stability,’ says Dr. Hyslop: this is the stand-point -adopted by all the eminent theologians -who have written for this book.</p> - -<p>Mental and physical pain is part of the evil -in the world. It makes a great difference, -however—it may be all the difference between -sickness and health—whether we allow trouble -to break down our self-control and weaken our -will, or whether we face it boldly with a -supreme serenity of spirit, strong in a knowledge -of greater things.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum hide" id="Page_31">31</span></p> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">INTRODUCTION<br /> -<br /> -<span class="fs90">PART II</span></div> -</div><p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION_2">INTRODUCTION</h2> - -<h3>II</h3> -</div> - - -<p>In the course of gathering opinions from -various authoritative sources on the subject -dealt with in this book, I received communications -from Sir Clifford Allbutt, the Hon. -Sydney Holland, and a well-known surgeon, -which, though they do not constitute separate -treatises, are so important, not only in view of -the distinction of the authors, but of the broad -survey of the subject that they afford, that I -venture to print them as part of the general -introduction.</p> - -<p>In the case of Sir Clifford Allbutt’s paper -I have supplemented it by an important -extract from one of his recent writings.</p> - - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Relationship between Medicine -and Religion</span></h4> - -<p>The response you are good enough to -desire can be but brief, crude, and, I fear, -too blunt; but I have not time for careful -consideration. I can only indicate a few points<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> -which occur to me offhand, and taking much -for granted. For instance, I must avoid -any discussion of those antinomies which -meet us at every side of human conceptions, -and be content to accept the common uses. -The chief of these (for the moment) is that of -the material and spiritual; without forgetting -that they melt at their borders the one -into the other, and that we meet with -corresponding ambiguities, yet I must take -them as distinct fields of human life. In -our interesting personal conversation you may -remember that I expressed the opinion that, -on the whole, our prayers must not be for -material but for spiritual things. And, speaking -on the whole, sickness is a material thing. -In the stories of our Lord’s miracles it has -always struck me that He regarded His -miracles—I must use the word for brevity—apologetically. -The disciples were not to tell -any man of them; or again, a miracle was -performed under a compelling sense of the -overwhelming faith of the pleader, which -was the main thing. Faith, prayer, were to -be for the needs of the soul, not of the body. -For instance, the father seeing his child in -diphtheria would please God better—so the -experience of His world tells us—by spending -his first hour in seeking the physician with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> -his antidote rather than in prayer for a -divine intervention. And when time came -for prayer he would pray not for a suspension -of natural law but for unity of his own will -with that of the Father, and for the child’s -spiritual welfare. Into the origin of evil do not -fear that I shall enter; it is one of the antinomies -which I have said that we must -avoid, at any rate at present: I can only now -say that disease is a material effect to be -combated by material means, and not by -religious processions or intercessions.</p> - -<p>This being my view, I would try to -eliminate notions of the priest as medicine -man; they are essentially pagan, though -to this day they more or less unconsciously -influence our thoughts on the present subject.</p> - -<p>But, it may be said, strange healings do -take place under religious influences; and -this is true. And at no time in history were -such miraculous cures more frequent and -wonderful than in the temples of Aesculapius -or of Serapis. Modern cures, whether of the -Eddyites or at Lourdes, or the like elsewhere, -when compared with those of the Roman -Empire fall into insignificance. Now a careful -study of all reported cures of this miraculous -or miraculoid kind, a study illustrated for us -many years ago by Charcot, proved to him,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> -and proves to the expert observers of to-day, -that they all—palsies, convulsions and the rest, -often inveterate cases—are and have been -cures of one disease, and of one only, namely -hysteria; a malady which in its protean -manifestations mocks all and any particular -diseases. I say this of the genuine cases; but -the majority of such wonders recorded turn -out on inquiry (like the ‘Grimsby’ case) to -be grossly exaggerated or wholly false. The -‘miraculous cures’ then, so far as they are -genuine, are cures by suggestion: they take -their place with cures of the same kind of -disorder by panic, such as an alarm of fire; -by ‘hypnotism,’ or by any other over-mastering -impression which startles or transports -the balance of the bodily functions from -one centre of equilibrium to another higher -and more stable one.</p> - -<p>So much for the ‘miracles’; which owe -nothing to any sacerdotal magic, and to the -physician are part of a familiar experience, -and of a familiar interpretation. But giving -up the hysterical cases—which, by the way, is -to give up a good deal—and admitting that -disease is in the body a material thing, and -one not properly matter for the pleading of -prayer, except in the spiritual sense of submission -to the Divine order, between these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> -positions is there a sphere in which spiritual -influences—whether by a clergyman or a -Biblewoman or a gentle friend—may so infuse -peace and confidence into a sick man as to -promote even in the body a renewal, a conversion, -or an economy of energy which should -make for recovery? Certainly; and here, I -think, is the restricted, if still important, -sphere of religion as medical.</p> - -<p>To consider this aspect of the matter -we must go back for a moment to certain -principles. From the letters of Teresa—that -noble saint—we may learn much of the greatest -value to us in the present inquiry. We may -learn from her to distrust the ‘ecstasies and -melancholies’ which—as she said—were ‘the -perils of conventual life’; she roundly denounced -all that ‘letting one’s self go, outside -the control of reason,’ which has its origin -in ‘sick brains.’</p> - -<p>‘If I were with you,’ she wrote to a -certain Prioress, ‘you would not have -so many extraordinary experiences.’ Now -Teresa not only apprehended, but thoroughly -understood, that the highest spiritual life -depends upon the best bodily health. She -tells us that she supported her own vigils -with plenty of meat (<i>viande</i>) and sleep. High -and holy thought demands the greatest effort<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span> -of the healthiest body, of the brain most -finely balanced and best nourished. The piety -of the sick-bed is at best a passive piety, which -on recovery is pushed aside again by the -custom of the world; but herein it is that in -sickness the soul flags and droops upon itself, -and that the support of other sympathy is more -precious. The sympathy we all depend on in -health we need most when enfeebled by -ailment. There is no delusion more terrible -than that which lets a man run up a score of -sins and negligences to be repented of under -the discouragement of a sick-bed. In this -melancholy, this debility, this disappointment, -perhaps this remorse, energy is wasted which -is sorely required for the conflict with disease. -And even the man of religious life likewise—if -in less degree, as one who has accumulated -more inward light—is also disheartened to -perceive that the fountains of spiritual contemplation -are then less copious, and aspiration -a wearier effort. He too needs help, if not -to make, yet to reinforce, the happier conversations -of his fuller life. In health the -mind in solitude droops and wastes, and the -sick-bed is a kind of solitude; the thousand -and one stimulating impressions of common -life cease, the impressions wane which should -keep the mind and soul awake, and fill the wells<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -of energy. On the sick-bed, therefore, short -times of encouragement and sympathy, periods -not long enough to exhaust the scanty stores -of energy, are precious; and if the physician be -jealous—as it has been said—of the priest, it is -lest he should expend these stores more in -priestly functions than in ‘angels’ visits’ -of love and hope which would unite and -reinforce the vacillating and fading forces. -Thus also prayer at the bedside and the short -communions should be of love and hope, -not particular requests for material relief or -cure. The kindly physician himself may be a -vehicle of much of this encouragement; but—as -I said to you before—he should avoid -even the semblance of attending to anything -beside his own business of material aid and -general human sympathy. The most pious -patient, openly or inwardly, resents the divided -mind. The instinct of self-preservation is not -lost even in those nearest to God.</p> - -<p>So when all is said and done on this -subject I fear that matters for me remain -much where they were before; but they may -lead to a more intimate understanding of -the several parts of the spiritual and the -medical visitors, and to a completer sympathy -between them. If still it be urged that an -imposing ceremony may, by a measure of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span> -‘suggestion’ so effective in the many-coloured -hysteria, come to our aid in more noxious -maladies, if no more than on the fringe of -them, I should repeat that the advantage -would be so indefinite, so relatively small, -and so well to be attained by ordinary spiritual -visitation, as not to be worth the peril of the -moral perversion which hangs only too closely -around these good intentions, the peril of -imposing upon, even of bamboozling, the -patient. We must remember the saying of -Lavoisier, ‘Medicine came into the world with -a twin brother, called charlatanism.’</p> - -<p class="sig"><span class="smcap">Clifford Allbutt.</span></p> - - -<p class="mt15em">Extract from Sir Clifford Allbutt’s paper -in the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, June 18, 1910:</p> - -<p>‘Spiritual gifts may or may not consist -in the insertion of a new entity, they certainly -do consist in a reanimation and remodelling -of thinking matter in the uppermost strands -of the brain, and probably of some other, -perhaps even of all the other, molecular -activities of the body. Probably no limb, no -viscus is so far a vessel of dishonour as to lie -wholly outside the renewals of the spirit; -and to an infinite intelligence every accession -of spiritual life would be apparent in a new -harmony (συγγυμνασία) of each and all of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span> -metabolic streams and confluences of the body. -On this conviction it is that the hopes and -methods of faith healing depend. Conversely, -every man who watches his own life must know -this, as in time of weariness or pain he grieves -over the drooping of his soul, that the highest -spiritual life depends on the highest bodily -health; but this health means, not health -only of the belly, not only health of the heart -and common brain, but also of the rarest and -most exquisite textures of the cerebral web. -If in a rude health of the grosser body these -subtlest parts have not been exercised and -cherished, the total harmony is diminished; -highly efficient as, on lower planes, the particular -body may be, it is defective in comprehensions, -it is an inconsummate body. -To this “materialism” of the body, even on -its most spiritual planes of structure, we must -not close our eyes lest in our search beyond -knowledge we walk contrary to knowledge. -“To pray well,” said the noble Teresa, “one -must eat well and sleep well.” If into the -last analysis the Pauline division between -the carnal and the spiritual cannot be carried, -if under the relations of other times and of -other ideas we have to re-interpret it, yet still -in its broader contrasts it points out a plain -way of life and conduct—one so plain that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span> -perplexities of the middle terms may be left to -the casuist.</p> - -<p>‘It must be granted then, in respect of -faith healing, that spiritual influences, divine -directly, or indirectly through human mediation, -may to some unknown power radiate -from these highest currents downward through -the more and more “material” planes, -arousing them less and less as they have become -more and more statical in order.</p> - -<p>‘Once more; it is said that in his “subliminal -self” man possesses a substance peculiarly -divine, or a substance or means through which -we may reach divine communion, or through -which especially divine purposes may be -fulfilled in us. It is true that we do not -know even approximately the content of the -individual man, the materials racially and -personally acquired, the products of past experience, -racial and personal, built sensibly and -insensibly into his personality. May we not -each of us be compared with a ship which -began its voyage with no inconsiderable rudimentary -equipment, then, calling at many a -port, has gathered many kinds of stores and -treasure? Of some of these stores, of some -variety of them, the supercargo has a recollection, -especially of those in frequent use; but, -for the most part, the bills of lading had been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span> -lost. Unlike a cargo, however, these contents -are not a passive burden, but a system -of coefficients; some on planes which we -commonly call material, some on spiritual -planes, some working on the surface, some -working stealthily within; so that much tact -and insight are necessary to unveil and to re-animate -those agencies in whose abeyance -disorder or ineffectualness may happen to -consist. And the influences which are to -effect these revivals must be akin in nature -to these kinds respectively; some must be -solidly material—such as splints or drugs—some -must be religious, moral, and even -intellectual, yet inspired by emotion, by appeal -to hope and joy; and their instruments must -be devotion, sympathy, gladness, reasonable -persuasion, and even surprise.’</p> - - -<h4><span class="smcap">Religion and Medicine in the Hospital</span></h4> - -<p>No one who has been connected with one of -our big general hospitals can doubt for a -moment the advisability of the collaboration -of the physician and the clergyman, each -helping the patient from his own standpoint. -It must not be imagined that I advocate any -usurping of the duties of one by the other, -but in the cure of certain types of disease,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> -and certainly in the cure of diseases that -are primarily diseases of mind or character, -the doctor should welcome the minister of -religion as a valuable ally. In fact none can -doubt that the minister of religion can bring -a power to bear on the mind of a patient, -which the doctor cannot.</p> - -<p>Whatever his own personal belief may be, -the medical man can of course only view -religion from a philosophic or ethical stand-point. -It is difficult for him to concern himself -with dogma. The clergyman can help by -administering suggestions of hope and encouragement. -These suggestions can and do often -come from other sources with equal results, but -I think by virtue of his office the clergyman -is specially qualified for the work.</p> - -<p>There can be no doubt that cures of -certain kinds of diseases have been effected -by Christian Science and kindred faith-healing -cults, all of which cures come under the head -of healing by suggestion. I do not think -that healing disease by suggestion is specially -a Christian work, it can be achieved in many -ways. But I think the average medical man -likely to be more willing to seek the aid of a -duly accredited minister of religion than a -so-called ‘Spiritual Healer’ who is subject to -no authority. But above and beyond all this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span> -I think the quieting and encouraging influences -of religion are of the greatest value in all illness, -and I believe a greater use might be made of -such power.</p> - -<p class="sig"><span class="smcap">Sydney Holland.</span></p> - - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Surgeon, the Clergyman, and the -Patient</span></h4> - -<p>Possibly the gravest shock that a human -being may receive, so far as it concerns himself -or herself, is to be told that fatal disease is -present in the system. So great may be -the actual shock that many a medical practitioner -shrinks from inflicting it, and purposely -avoids direct allusion to the certainty -of dissolution. Whether this is justifiable -or no, depends very largely upon the susceptibilities -of the patient and the tact of the -doctor. But the word ‘operation’ is, by some, -almost as much dreaded as the word ‘death’; -in fact even more, as it always implies to the -lay mind the infliction of hours of pain, and -days of discomfort, though this is far from -being the truth in most instances.</p> - -<p>‘Rather let me die than make me undergo -an operation’ is the not infrequent remark -of the highly-strung sufferer. And then comes -in all the sympathy, tact, and good breeding -of the surgeon. He will gently explain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span> -matters, will show how the disease is such -that nothing short of removal of the growth -holds out the least chance of life or the avoidance -of later severe pain, and will state, what -is the truth, that the operation, short and -sharp, will give years of freedom from suffering -even if it does not completely remove all -trace of the trouble. How bewildered the -patient will feel! He has been hoping against -hope that his malady is only a slight one, -and that it may be ‘dispersed’ by some magic -of physic, and now his hopes have been rudely -mocked and shattered. Surely here, if ever, help -from an outside source is needed and should be -welcomed. But such help must be rational, -based on truth, and fearing not the consequences.</p> - -<p>Supposing the disease is cancer, what awaits -him if the sufferer flies to the quack and is -befooled till all hope of successful treatment -is gone? Or rushes to the Christian Scientist, -who, with seeming <i>bona fides</i>, avers there is no -such thing as a cancer cell! The eye that -has seen it a hundred times under the microscope, -and can recognise it amongst a hundred -other varieties, does not exist in the purblind -conception of such a ‘Scientist,’ for the cell -is matter, it cannot exist, and neither for -the same reasoning, if consistency is maintained, -can the eye which sees the cell exist, -for it also is material.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span></p> - -<p>And still as the growth increases there is the -lurking certainty ever protruding itself that -after all the surgeon was right, and the days -are slipping by. Would that friends could -be true and friends indeed, and not in ignorance -hinder these circumstances, not mere blind -leaders of the blind.</p> - -<p>It is here if anywhere the enlightened -clergyman and the surgeon may join hands -for the good of spirit and body. And then -when a decision has been arrived at calmly -and deliberately, and the time of the operation -has been fixed, there is still work for both the -minister and the surgeon to do. A quiet talk -and prayer the evening before the ordeal, how -it has often soothed the trembling soul, and -invoked a night of rest and refreshment, -enabling the patient to meet the trials of the -morning calm, because mentally and physically -there has been repose.</p> - -<p>And the surgeon with his cheering word, -and the anæsthetist with his quiet reassuring -manner and conversation, both tend to allay -any fresh alarm at that which is perhaps the -most trying moment of all—the placing oneself -unreservedly in the hands of the operator.</p> - -<p>Surely, surely here is a period when the -efforts of the spiritual are to crown the success -of the material.</p> - -<p>And then, observe how the quiet and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span> -confidence, engendered by the combined efforts -of pastor and doctor, continue during convalescence, -causing that period to be shortened -in many a case.</p> - -<p>In a hundred different ways members of -the two professions may work hand in hand, -but each should be able to mutually esteem -the other and give to each his proper place -and function. They ought never to despise -one another, because they ought never to -encroach on one another’s province.</p> - -<p>Till the clergyman recognises that it is his -duty to understand something of elementary -physiology, if he is going to be a benefactor -to spirit and body, and the medical practitioner -is willing to admit that there are spiritual -forces which can be brought to help the perfection -of his work, so long is it the opinion -of the writer that the sufferer who looks -to both of them for aid will fail to receive -his full due of assistance. May the time soon -come when the rising generation of all classes -may be so taught at school, and in church, -that they will come to understand something -of the composition and need of the tripartite -nature of man, and may the day speedily dawn -when the enlightened clerical and medical -professions mutually work for the good of the -whole, spirit, soul and body.</p> - -<p class="sig">F.R.C.S.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum hide" id="Page_49">49</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">MEDICINE AND RELIGION</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">CHARLES BUTTAR, M.D.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE HARVEIAN SOCIETY</span></div> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum hide" id="Page_50">50</span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MEDICINE_AND_RELIGION">MEDICINE AND RELIGION</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By Charles Buttar</span>, M.D.</div> - - -<p>Widespread interest has been taken of late in -what is called ‘Spiritual Healing,’ or ‘Healing -by Spiritual means’; interest which is manifest -from the popularity of such books as ‘Religion -and Medicine,’ and ‘Body and Soul,’ no less -than from the thoughtful articles contributed -to this volume by many eminent authorities. -Yet it may be observed that, although some -of these contributors belong to the profession -of medicine, it is doubtful if many medical -men are acquainted with the objects and -purpose of Spiritual Healing, and probably -few of them regard the movement seriously. -It is unwise, however, to adopt an attitude of -indifference towards the aspirations of earnest -men, so that it seems well to attempt to -define the position of medicine with regard -to such methods of healing, to investigate the -cures alleged, to utter some warning as to -possible dangers, and to inquire how far the -results justify the movement, and to what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -extent it is possible to adapt the processes -of Spiritual Healing to recognised forms of -treatment.</p> - -<p>Spiritual Healing has been hailed with -enthusiasm by certain members of the Church -of England, under the impression that it constitutes -a resumption of the early powers of -Christianity as evidenced in the miracles of -healing ascribed to Christ and His Apostles. -A theological discussion as to the possibility -of miracles occurring at the present day is -outside the scope of this article, but it would be -well to define the standpoint from which the -medical man approaches all investigations -connected with disease.</p> - -<p>The researches of scientists are conducted -by the methods of observation, experiment, -and induction; it is the medical man’s duty to -observe symptoms, to experiment as to their -cause, to investigate possible remedies, and -to apply these to the relief or cure of disease. -In recent times much has been done towards -elucidating the influences of mind upon body -and its diseases; but so far questions connected -with the Spirit have been regarded as -outside the scope of medicine.</p> - -<p>The minister of religion, on the other hand, -has been content hitherto to leave questions -of physical health to be dealt with by the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span> -doctor; he has not interfered to any extent -in mental questions, and his chief concern has -been with what is called the ‘Spirit.’ It would -seem a little difficult to define the attributes of -Spirit, or to draw a sharp line of division -between spirit and mind; but, however this -may be, spirit has usually been considered as -opposed to matter, and no influence over the -material diseases of the body has been ascribed -to it. Whatever views the Church may have -held as to the miracles of healing mentioned -in the New Testament, she has to some extent -kept them in the background; and it is possible -that they might have remained there, but for -the success obtained by certain irrational -cults that have sprung into being, with the -object apparently of abolishing both parson -and doctor. The foundation on which all -these sects are based would seem to be a -passage in the Epistle of St. James, chap. v. -verses 14, 15, which reads as follows: ‘Is any -sick among you? let him call for the elders -of the Church; and let them pray over him, -anointing him with oil in the name of the -Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the -sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.’</p> - -<p>Again this is no place to go into theological -discussions, such as whether ‘elder’ can be -taken to mean ‘priest,’ the views to be held<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> -on anointing with oil, and so on. But it may -be suggested incidentally that the term ‘elder’ -is hardly likely to be accepted by either the -Church or the medical profession as applicable -to a person untrained both in theology and in -medicine, whose claim to authority rests on -his own assertion, and whose methods are -only too liable to drift into what is known as -‘quackery.’ Even the Peculiar People, who -rely upon the same text in support of their -tenets, retain, I believe, some meaning of -authority in the word ‘elder’; and their -position seems logically sounder than that of -the believer in a self-styled ‘Spiritual Healer.’</p> - -<p>As regards the procedure of the Spiritual -Healer, it would appear to consist in laying -hands on the affected part of the body, at the -same time offering up extempore prayers of a -very impassioned character for the recovery of -the sick. The treatment takes place in as -impressive surroundings as possible, and at -times a priest is called in to anoint the patient -with oil. It is doubtful to what extent the -practitioners of Spiritual Healing claim what -are called ‘special powers’; but it seems -certain that the possession of these powers -is sometimes alleged. Unlike the Christian -Scientist, the Spiritual Healer does not despise -medical assistance, though it is probable that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> -at the present time his treatment is sought -chiefly by those to whom medical methods can -offer no further hope of cure.</p> - -<p>It has been indicated already that the first -great difficulty experienced by a medical man, -in discussing such a treatment as Spiritual -Healing, is the definition of terms. Accustomed -to deal with more or less concrete facts, a -doctor has some sort of mental picture of -an infectious disease, as the reaction of the -physical body to the invasion of a germ or its -poison; he can see and feel a tumour, and -determine its relation to anatomical structures, -though he may not know as yet the cause of -its growth; he has learnt by experience the -results of the removal of new growths.</p> - -<p>In the region of the mind also he has -investigated many phenomena; he is able to -attribute many insane states to toxic influences; -he has studied to some extent diseases -known as ‘functional’—a class that is -becoming numerically less with the advance -of knowledge; but he is not able to grasp -to the same extent the meaning of the word -‘Spirit.’ The medical man recognises in many -cases the influence of the temperament or -character of the patient upon the course of the -disease, and would prefer to treat one who -takes a hopeful view of the future; just as he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span> -desires quiet cheerful surroundings, and the -avoidance of conditions that tend to irritate -or depress. In so far as the ‘Spiritual’ -attitude of the patient conduces to his peace of -mind, its assistance would be welcomed by -every practitioner of the healing art. But to -regard this ill-defined attitude as not only -influencing the character of the patient, but -also as having a direct effect on all the ailments -to which the body is subject, is a view that can -hardly be accepted so readily. For example, -it would seem to be inconceivable that Spirit -could have the slightest influence on a parasitic -skin disease such as ringworm.</p> - -<p>This is an instance of a simple ailment due -to a local extrinsic cause. Numerous other -conditions might be mentioned, such as congenital -malformation, aneurysms, valvular -affections of the heart, and strangulated hernia -in which curative influence of the Spirit is -difficult to imagine. Even if a single well-authenticated -miracle in a case of any of these -affections could be produced, we should still -be met by many difficulties; such as the -question why a solitary sufferer, possibly not -highly distinguished for his spiritual attributes, -should be selected for the manifestation of -this power. And all rational people would -admit that the occurrence of such a miracle in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span> -a case of strangulated hernia would not -justify other patients in postponing operation -in the hope of a repetition of this bloodless -cure.</p> - -<p>Thus there are limitations to the field of -operation of Spiritual Healing.</p> - -<p>In view, however, of the hopes raised -amongst many good Christians that the Church -may take part once more in healing the sick, -everyone would wish to avoid offending the -susceptibilities of enthusiastic and religious -people. Still it is by members of the Church -that the question of Spiritual Healing has -been brought forward, so that it should be -for the Church to define her meaning and wishes. -In the nature of things it seems impossible to -define ‘Spirit’; and, perhaps, it would be -wiser not to attempt the impossible, nor to -endeavour to yoke spiritual forces to purely -material conditions such as bodily diseases. -But if certain cases are produced as cures by -spiritual means, and if the co-operation of the -medical profession is desired in investigating -such cures, the Church must be prepared to -accept scientific methods of inquiry, methods -which do not permit of assumptions except -as tentative explanations, to be given up -when they fail to explain phenomena, or when -they are replaced by simpler explanations.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span></p> - -<p>If it should appear that the results of -Spiritual Healing are attributable to ordinary -activities of the human mind, and that no -difference exists between cures by this means -and those resulting from ordinary mental -influences of the nature of ‘suggestion,’ then -the Church must be prepared to abandon all -miraculous explanations in these cases. From -the medical point of view the main thing to be -insisted upon is that all alleged cures must -be submitted to the ordinary examination by -observation, experiment, and induction.</p> - -<p>At the present time the whole question of -Spiritual Healing is in so nebulous a condition -that it is not easy to obtain suitable cases -for investigation. Much has been said and -written on the matter; comparisons have been -made with the cures said to be effected at -Lourdes; even the Venerable Bede has been -quoted as an authority on medicine. But when -a request is presented for the production of -actual cases for investigation by trained medical -men, it is found that the sources of supply -are few and very limited.</p> - -<p>An examination of some of these cases -appears to reveal the fact that so far no actual -cure of any definite gross organic disease can -be recorded. It must be remembered that to -avoid any loophole for error the requirements<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span> -of a really scientific investigation are somewhat -severe. In the first place the diagnosis of the -disease must be absolutely certain. This frequently -necessitates microscopical or bacteriological -examination. A medical man is not -always infallible in his opinion of cases; and -it may happen that a condition that has been -thought to be cancer turns out to be merely a -comparatively harmless inflammatory thickening. -Such a condition might have recovered -by natural processes without any treatment; -to attribute such recovery to any particular -treatment that the patient might be undergoing -at the time would be rash; to use such -a case as an advertisement for that treatment -would be dishonest.</p> - -<p>In the second place, a fair comparison must -be made between the results obtained by the -method under investigation, and by other -means of treatment. Warts may disappear -rapidly under many forms of treatment, or -with no treatment at all. To attribute the -disappearance of warts to Spiritual Healing -would be very unsafe argument.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, a careful distinction must be drawn -between the cure of a disease and the relief -of subjective symptoms.</p> - -<p>It is in this matter of subjective symptoms -that Spiritual Healing appears to have obtained<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> -the greater part of whatever success it can -boast. There is some evidence that under -this treatment pain may be relieved, and -there is little doubt that patients attain a -calmer, happier and more confident frame of -mind, however hopeless their disease may be. -Their outlook on life is improved, their -thoughts are directed into other channels, and -the pain is forgotten, or hindered from rising -into consciousness.</p> - -<p>Yet there are certain dangers connected -with the process, to which attention should be -called. It is well to remember that, in cases -such as incurable cancer, false hopes are being -raised, and the patient is deluded into a vain -belief that he will recover. How far this is -justifiable is a matter for philosophical discussion; -moreover it is true that most doctors -allow their patients to delude themselves -with the same vain hopes. Still, it might be -better that ministers of religion should strive -for the spiritual welfare of their charges, -rather than help directly to maintain these -delusions as to physical conditions.</p> - -<p>More important still is the possibility that -treatment, that might be effective in the early -stage of a disease, may be postponed until too -late, in order that a trial may be given to -Spiritual Healing. It is all very well to say<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> -that ordinary medical means are recognised -and that the follies of the Peculiar People and -of the Christian Scientist will be avoided; but -it must be remembered that a literal reading -of the text of St. James undoubtedly may -suggest to a deeply religious person that -medical methods are of minor importance. -‘The Prayer of Faith shall save the Sick’: is -it not possible that the sufferer may possess a -grain of that faith that will remove mountains? -And in the end that small focus of malignant -disease, that might have been eradicated by -the surgeon’s knife, has extended and disseminated -itself until all hope of cure is gone. -And such results are more likely to follow while -this treatment remains in the hands of untrained -laymen. There is great danger that -an earnest person, with limited knowledge -both of theology and of medicine, may come -to regard himself as superior to theologian and -physician, owing to the fervour of his faith, -combined possibly with a belief that he is -endowed with special powers. It is on practical -points such as these that the medical -man is entitled to expect an expression of the -views of the Church; and in this connexion -it is permissible to hope that in the examination -of ‘special powers’ the authorities of the -Church will be content to be sceptics, in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span> -true sense of the word, until irrefutable proofs -of the possession of these powers are produced.</p> - -<p>In attempting to inquire how far the -results obtained by Spiritual Healing justify -the movement, the medical man is met by -the difficulty that exists in obtaining evidence. -It is true that there is a Society whose objects -are stated thus:</p> - -<p>1. For the cultivation, through spiritual -means, of both personal and corporate health.</p> - -<p>2. For the restoration to the Church of the -Scriptural practice of Divine Healing.</p> - -<p>3. For the study of the influence of Spiritual -upon Physical well-being.</p> - -<p>Investigation of the literature published -by this Society does not throw much light on -the methods by which these objects are pursued. -A pamphlet entitled ‘The Principles of Spiritual -Healing’ seemed to arouse hopes of elucidating -the problem. Yet the author says, ‘I do not -know how “life” is affected by spiritual -means, I observe that it is so.’ There is no -attempt to define spiritual means. Again, it -is asserted that no one will ever find, at -meetings of the Society, a parade of successful -cases. Is the statement, then, of members of -the Society to be the only evidence vouchsafed -to inquirers? And how far is the second -object of the Society to be carried? It must<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span> -be remembered that the Scriptural practice of -Divine Healing was unassociated with the -ordinary medical treatment. In ‘The Principles -of Spiritual Healing’ it is asserted that -miracles of healing did not cease; they have -only become less frequent because faith is less -intense. The second object of the Society -is to restore to the Church this practice of -healing; and it is difficult to see how the -dangers suggested earlier in this article are -to be avoided.</p> - -<p>The fact of the matter is, that it is useless -to attempt to adapt the processes of Spiritual -Healing to recognised forms of treatment, until -the exponents of the method cease to soar on -the wings of the imagination, and descend -instead to the more prosaic levels of reason. -Nevertheless, there is no doubt that theologians -equally earnest, but far more rational than the -founder of the Society to which reference has -been made, are anxious that something should -be done by the Church to assist in the work of -restoring the sick to health. These men do -not aspire to work the miracles of Christ and -the Apostles by laying on hands and anointing -with oil, but they wish to retain for the Church -some portion of the command ‘Preach the -Gospel; heal the sick.’ This wish is entitled -to respectful consideration by the medical<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> -profession, and most certainly will receive it -from broad-minded medical men. But inasmuch -as the trained physician must be paramount -in his own province of mental and -bodily disease, it is the duty of the minister of -religion to recognise that he is subservient -in purely physical matters of health. By -all means let him visit those of his own faith -who are sick. Let his object be to inspire -these patients with hope, directing the sufferer’s -thoughts away from his disease to higher -things. The laying on of hands and the -anointing with oil may well be dangerous, -unless used in a purely symbolic sense; for -in the minds of the more ignorant such -proceedings tend to occupy the same position -as the treatment for King’s Evil in former -times; and admirable though the spirit of -reverence may be, it is not good to attribute -miraculous powers to the object revered.</p> - -<p>Therefore, let the clergyman be content, -for the present, to leave the untrained practice -of methods of suggestion to quacks; and -investigation of so-called cures to the medical -profession. At the same time, let the medical -man avail himself of the services of the -minister of religion in cases in which exhortation -is likely to be of use; for in the field -of functional nervous conditions, and slight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span> -mental disturbances, the help of a priest of -forceful character, reasonably controlled, may -be of great service.</p> - -<p>In concluding this article a summary of the -suggestions offered for consideration may be -made:</p> - -<p>(1) The main function of the minister of -religion should be concerned with what is -called the spiritual side of man, and not -with purely material conditions, such as -disease.</p> - -<p>(2) If ministers regard the Scriptures as -imposing upon them duties in healing the -sick, they should be content to be subservient -to the physician in material conditions that -are not included in their training.</p> - -<p>(3) In dealing with phenomena as specific -as diseases, the Church must be prepared to -accept scientific explanations. It is useless -to complain of the materialism of doctors in -connexion with material physical disorders.</p> - -<p>(4) It is not unlikely that the effects of -spiritual healing will prove to be merely results -of a form of suggestion.</p> - -<p>(5) Results that can be described as curative -will be found, probably, only in what are -known as functional and neurotic conditions.</p> - -<p>(6) It is most unwise to countenance untrained -laymen in carrying on spiritual healing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span> -in the name of the Church; for in the -end the Church may find herself dragged at -the heels of quackery.</p> - -<p>(7) While much can be done by ministers -of religion in encouraging sufferers from disease, -or in distracting the attention of neurasthenics, -and while such assistance should be -welcomed by medical men, yet the Church -should beware of attempting to attract believers -by means of thaumaturgic displays of -healing, which are open to explanation in -other ways. The Church should not enter -into competition with bone-setters, osteopaths, -physical culture quacks, and other undesirable -persons.</p> - -<p>(8) Opinion on so-called ‘special powers’ -should be suspended until alleged instances -of their existence have been thoroughly investigated -by competent trained experts.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE PATIENT</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">STEPHEN PAGET, F.R.C.S.</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_PATIENT">THE PATIENT</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="smcap">By Stephen Paget</span>, F.R.C.S.</div> - - -<p>The Bishop of Birmingham wrote to me, last -year, the following letter. He gave me leave -to publish it in the second edition of a book -of mine about Christian Science: and he -gives me leave to publish it again here:</p> - -<p>‘. . . I should wish to make a little more of -your admissions as to Mental Therapeutics. -Thus—If, as you admit, there are so many functional -disorders; and they are curable by mental -influences; and religion is a great mental -influence; and this influence (“Quietism”) is -much needed in such and other cases—I -should demand of the Church that it should -recognise, far more explicitly, this field of -legitimate curative power, and control it, -and claim it by showing the power to use it. -The neglect of this sphere of influence by the -Church plays into the hands of Christian -Science. (All this could be associated with the -revival of unction.)</p> - -<p>‘Also, I think the medical profession likes—in -public—to ignore all this, and thus in its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span> -turn plays into the hands of pseudo-theology. -My criticism is that I want your “admissions” -made the basis of a more positive claim both -on the Church and on the medical profession.</p> - -<p>‘My own experience in the case of well-to-do -people when sick or dying is that the medical -profession is very much inclined to exclude -religion in any form from sick beds till it -cannot be of any use. I do most seriously -want to reform (1) the Church, (2) the medical -profession, in the light of what you admit.’</p> - -<p>This wise letter says all, to my thinking, -that need be said as to the duty of the doctor -towards the cleric, and the duty of the cleric -towards the doctor. It says not a word about -the signs and wonders alleged by the Society -of Emmanuel in London: and I hope that -Dr. Gore, by his silence, condemns them, as not -worthy of credence. I hope, also, and am sure, -that in a few years we shall hear less about -that Society. Meanwhile, I should like to -say something about one aspect of this matter -of ‘spiritual healing,’ which has not received -so much attention as it deserves. We have -heard all about the cleric, all about the doctor: -and we are in danger, I think, of forgetting -the patient. We have been tempted to believe -that the patient, somehow, belongs to the -cleric and the doctor. That we may clear our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span> -minds of this mistake, let us put ourselves in -the patient’s place. Most of us, I suppose, -know that place: I have been there half a dozen -times. It is the centre of a great planetary -system of kind people. Home love, and the -affection of my friends, and the pleasant -goodwill of the servants, and the wisdom and -the gentleness of doctors and of nurses, and -all prayers for my recovery, wheeled round me, -each in its appointed course. There I lay, -and was watched, like a big baby: and these -activities of the spiritual life encircled me, -day and night, till I got better. The point is, -that it all came naturally to everybody. It -was the habit of the home, it was our usual -way of doing things. My friends did not -suddenly begin to care for me: the doctors -and the nurses did not suddenly begin to be -gentle: the maids were not stung by the splendour -of a sudden thought for my comfort: -the use of prayer on my behalf was nothing -new. Everybody was kind to me, because -everybody in the house always is kind to me. -They made me comfortable, and one prayed -for me, because they are always making me -comfortable, and one daily prays for me. -All of us, except myself, were doing what we -always do: and I was being what I always am.</p> - -<p>Illness, nine times out of ten, no more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> -changes a man than sleep and exercise change -him. As by a long sleep, or a long day in the -open air, we gain tranquillity, insight, and -self-judgment, so, by an illness, we gain, if -we will, a like measure of self-improvement. -The same good thoughts come to us, as we lie -idle in a sick-bed, which come to us as we -lie idle, in holiday time, on a hillside. An -illness, apart from its drawbacks, is in reality -a sort of holiday, a dull but not unprofitable -vacation, something halfway between a real -holiday and what religious people call a retreat. -There is no sudden change in the patient’s -mind and outlook: only, there is more inlook, -more self-doubt, more quietness of vision.</p> - -<p>One day, I shall put myself in the patient’s -place, and not come out of it: I shall not get -well, but die. On that occasion, the love, -sympathy, goodwill, medical attendance, and -prayers, will be the same as before. They -will swing round me once more, each in its -proper sphere, these familiar angels and ministers -of grace defending me. But, as I begin -to stop, so they will begin to stop. It -will become absurd, for my friends to call -and ask after me; absurd, for the household -to devise plans for my comfort; absurd, for -the doctors to try to feel what is left of my -pulse; absurd, for anybody to pray for my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span> -recovery. Spiritual processes are blessed with -plenty of common-sense: they leave off, -when it becomes downright foolishness to go -on. Let them leave what remains of me, and -start again round another centre.</p> - -<p>They who desire, extravagantly, to put -‘spiritual healing’ among the methods of the -Christian ministry, seem to me to be losing -sight of this fact, that common-sense is an -essential part of the spiritual life. Common-sense -tells me, that as I was intended to live, -so I am intended to die. I cannot see any -reason, human or divine, why I should live to -old age, and die of that. I would rather not: -anyhow, I see no reason why I should. God, -who brought me into the world by my -mother’s pain, will some day put me out of the -world, by my own pain. He is in no sense -more on the side of life than on the side of -death. I have been looking at the ‘Order -for the Visitation of the Sick’ in the Prayer-book -and I am quite sure that nobody now -could write anything half so sensible or so -majestical. . . . <i>Know this, that Almighty God -is the Lord of life and death, and of all things -to them pertaining, as youth, strength, health, -age, weakness, and sickness. Wherefore, whatsoever -your sickness is, know you certainly, -that it is God’s visitation.</i> And the prayer for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -a sick child, also, seems to me a very sensible -and beautiful piece of writing. I find, also, -a prayer for a sick person, ‘when there -appeareth small hope of recovery.’ I have -heard it read over one at the point of death, -when there was no hope at all of recovery. -‘We know,’ it says, ‘that, if Thou wilt, Thou -canst even yet raise him up.’ I hope that -I shall not, when I am dying, hear this phrase. -It rings false, to my thinking: it offends the -natural dignity of a dying man. We doctors -are blamed, now and again, for not telling the -truth to patients hopelessly ill: but here is -the Prayer-book, at the last moment, hardly -more straightforward. All the same, this Order -for the Visitation of the Sick is admirable; and I -desire to contrast it with the following instance, -how Christian Science treats the dying:</p> - -<p>‘Mrs. —— is a widow, and an old friend of -mine. In February 1905, her only child, a boy -of eleven, was in the last stage of a hopeless -illness—mitral valvular heart disease, with -rheumatism and dropsy. I had an opportunity -of a few minutes’ talk with the Christian -Science “practitioner”—a sweet, gentle, earnest -woman—and asked her if she really thought -she would do any good. “Oh yes,” she replied, -with a smile of confidence; “I have never -known a failure.” “But,” I suggested, “the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span> -boy is very seriously ill:” and I explained the -nature of his complaint. Still confidently -smiling, the practitioner replied, “We have had -worse cases than this.” I told her the best -medical advice had been taken, and the -doctors had all given the boy up. Upon which -the lady remarked, with gentle emphasis, -“<i>God</i> has not given him up.” That of course -was conclusive, and I left her to do her best. -I went away at ten o’clock, and then the -Scientist seated herself by the patient, read -to him from the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s book, -and exhorted him in some such language as -this: “You must not think you are ill, my -dear little boy. You are <i>not</i> ill: you <i>can’t</i> -be ill. God would not make you ill. He -made all things good, but not illness”—and so -on, and so on. The boy, I am told, heard her -patiently but wearily, and at one-thirty he -died. Then the practitioner gathered up her -books and papers and went away, and that is -the end of the story.’</p> - -<p>Here we have Christian Science in a favourable -light: all the same, it is not a pleasant -picture, these falsehoods told to a dying child. -If it be not true that God ‘makes illness,’ -and if it be not true that God ‘gives us up,’ -then I attach no meaning at all to that Name.</p> - -<p>Let us put ourselves at that point of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span> -case where there appeareth small hope of -recovery. The doctors have given the patient -up. God, in their opinion, has done the same. -The cleric will not say that, not in so many -words: <i>Yet</i>, he says, <i>forasmuch as in all -appearance the time of his dissolution draweth -near, so fit and prepare him, we beseech Thee, -against the hour of death, that after his departure -hence in peace, and in Thy favour, his soul -may be received into Thine everlasting Kingdom</i>. -The cleric does not pray for the patient’s -recovery. He does not expect anything to -happen, save the patient’s death. He will not -point-blank deny the possibility of a miracle: -but he neither asks for anything to happen, nor, -so far as I can see, wants anything to happen: -he only cares to be sure that the patient, who -is fast going, shall go the right way.</p> - -<p>It is here, on this edge of time between -life and death, that the professional spiritual -healer loves to perform. He desires to make -something happen: he will not take it for -granted that nothing will happen.</p> - -<p>His position is logical, and may be held in -absolute sincerity. Only, he is bound to tell -us what, in his experience, does happen: and -he is bound to tell us of every case of failure, or -partial failure. And we are bound to examine, -test, cross-examine, criticise, analyse, watch,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span> -and almost spy upon every scrap of his work; -and that in a spirit of hard and well-nigh brutal -indifference to his belief in himself as a channel -of divine intervention. What else does he -expect of us? What else are we here for?</p> - -<p>Among a pile of letters and pamphlets on -my table is a tract called ‘New Eyes in answer -to Prayer.’ It gives the case of Mr. Evison, -of Grimsby. He had something the matter -with his eyes. At last, ‘while walking out -with a friend one day, I put my hand in my -pocket for something, and dropped it on the -ground: on stooping down to pick it up, the -remaining pieces of my eyes dropped out of -their sockets on to the ground. They were -about the size of the kernel of a nut.’ So -he went to a ‘Divine Healing Home,’ where -he was anointed with oil in the name of the -Lord. Ten days later, as he was praying in -his bedroom, he felt two warm fingers touch -his empty sockets, and they became warm. -Later, at a prayer meeting, his eyes ‘came -wide open,’ and he saw perfectly. Next day -he testified to his recovery; and, says the -tract, ‘When this testimony was given by -Mr. Evison, there were fifty-seven cases of -blindness restored in answer to prayer.’</p> - -<p>I feel sure that the writer of this tract -thought that he was telling the truth. And<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span> -I am no less sure that a great deal of ‘spiritual -healing’ is just as worthless, just as untrue, -as these Grimsby miracles. Till the alleged -wonders of spiritual healing, and its unpublished -failures, have been all submitted to -keen scrutiny, and to every severest and most -searching test that can be devised in science, -nobody who knows anything about pathology -can take much interest in them. So I come back -to the Bishop of Birmingham’s wise eirenicon.</p> - -<p>It is a great pity that the work of the -cleric and the work of the doctor should ever -clash; for they are ordained (the Prayer-book -again) for the mutual society, help, and comfort -that the one ought to have of the other. -Only, if they are to be friends in ministering -to the sick and the dying, they must be friends -always. If, in social life, they do not get on -well together, they will not work together -well in the sick-room. If the doctor makes -stupid jokes against religion, and the cleric -doses his parishioners with quack medicines; -if the doctor is dull to the wonders of faith, and -the cleric is dull to the wonders of science: -if neither has the grace to recognise and honour -and openly praise the good works of the -other—how shall they adjust themselves, in -the presence of impending death, who thus -waste the opportunities of daily life?</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND -DOCTOR TO PATIENT</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">JANE WALKER, M.D.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">PHYSICIAN, NEW HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_RELATION_OF_PRIEST_AND">THE RELATION OF PRIEST AND -DOCTOR TO PATIENT</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By Jane Walker</span>, M.D.</div> - - -<p>In considering the subject of Religion and -Medicine, we shall be helped by looking back -to the beginnings of things, when people first -realised that illnesses existed, and that certain -of them were curable. They knew nothing of -internal anatomy or physiology, nothing of -the origin and treatment of disease, nothing -of its infectious, communicable character. -The treatment, or, at any rate, the healing of -disease, must have been by means of what -seemed to be mental influences in those -early ages. Why, our very word ‘Influenza,’ -revived within comparatively recent years, -shows how vaguely and imperfectly was understood -a disease which now we recognise as -having a definite train of symptoms, but of -which we still know so little that we speak -of it merely as an <i>influence</i>.</p> - -<p>The idea of mental influence in disease was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span> -first scientifically formulated about twenty-five -years ago, and was provided with one of -those queer names which we now use more or -less glibly, with a sort of comforting feeling -that we understand the subject, when we -have successfully mastered the spelling and -pronunciation—the scientific name <i>psychotherapeutics</i>, -or, in plain English, <i>mind cure</i>. -These investigations were undertaken in -France, to start with, at Nancy University, -by Liébault, who published, in 1866, ‘Treatment -by Suggestion,’ and by Bernheim, and -simultaneously in Paris by Charcot, and they -were primarily to observe sundry methods -of treatment used at that time in an unscientific -manner, such as animal magnetism, -mesmerism, hypnotism, &c. Liébault’s book, -which was taken little notice of at the time, -gave a full description of the methods he -pursued, which more or less coincide with those -followed by doctors who practise Treatment -by Suggestion and Hypnotism at the present -day. He lived a retired life, and practised -entirely amongst the poor, who were devoted -to him, but, at the same time, regarded him -as an amiable enthusiast. Liébault finally -retired on a very small competency, not -acquired from his practice, which was altogether -unremunerative.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span></p> - -<p>As a result of this gathering up of all these -so-called occult methods of treatment into -the more or less exact science of Psychotherapeutics, -have come into prominence many -cults—or sects, shall we call them?—such as -Mental Healing, Faith Cures, Peculiar People, -Metaphysical Healing, Christian Science, each -of which is overlaid with doctrines of a more -or less dubious kind. The growth of these -various bodies of late years has been extraordinarily -rapid: to mention two of them -only, Christian Science and New Thought -are now enthusiastically practised and believed -in by many thousands of people, both here -and in America, and hundreds of churches -have been provided and erected in their -names.</p> - -<p>It must not be lost sight of that Christian -Science, as well as New Thought, which has -been described by Mr. Dresser, one of its -chief exponents, as being ‘a common-sense, -rational phase of the Mental Healing Doctrine,’ -‘are dealing with genuine <i>facts</i> in the sphere -of Mental Therapeutics’; but these facts are -entirely independent of the theories by which -either school attempts to explain them.</p> - -<p>The spread of Christian Science was viewed -with considerable alarm by many influential -members and dignitaries of our own Church,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span> -and this feeling was brought to a head at the -Pan-Anglican Congress in 1908, when a large -meeting on the subject was held at the Albert -Hall, which is fully reported in the handbook -of the Pan-Anglican Congress.</p> - -<p>Following on the Pan-Anglican Congress -meeting came the Pronouncement of the -Bishops assembled in Conference at Lambeth, -in July 1908. The report of this Conference -is published by the S.P.C.K. as a pamphlet. -On November 16, 1908, an important conference -on Spiritual Healing was held at Sion -College, which was presided over by Prebendary -Pennefather, who said that the Church had -too long neglected that part of her teaching -and ministry. Mr. Hickson gave an account -of the Society of Emmanuel, and stated that -they desired to revive in the Church the use -of the gift of healing committed to her by -our Lord.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Francis Boyd explained the -objects and work of the Guild of Health. -They held that bodily healing was not of -primary importance, that sanctification might -indeed be gained through sickness, but that -a fuller sanctification might be gained by -those who sought to be made whole by a more -real and vital union with our Lord. The -Guild of Health, Mr. Boyd proceeded to say,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> -recognised three systems of healing—physical, -mental, and spiritual—though there was not -necessarily any opposition between them. -They felt, however, that Spiritual Healing -was the only system which concerned the -Church. They were quite alive to the dangers -of over-estimating the value of bodily health, -and only desired to further it so far as it -ministered to the perfection of the whole -nature of man. After some further discussion, -a resolution was passed that, ‘In the -opinion of this Conference, the time has come -to form a Central Church Council in the -diocese of London, for the consideration of -questions connected with Healing by Spiritual -means.’</p> - -<p>At the outset, we must take exception to -Mr. Boyd’s three systems. I very much -question whether there is more than <i>one</i> -system, and I am convinced that physical -and mental are one and the same. And -I would go so far as to say, that the disastrous -mistakes that have been made in the past, and -which are still in operation to-day in the -treatment of one large section of sick people, -viz. the insane, largely owe their origin to this -arbitrary division. And, by a curious irony, -the branch of medical science where there is -the most marked predominance of materialism<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> -is this very department of mental diseases. -This is all the more curious when we reflect, -what occult influences have been, in all ages, -supposed to work upon the insane. The -obnoxious word ‘lunatic’ is a proof of this. -The moon was by some supposed to have a -deleterious effect on the intellect; insane -persons were spoken of as ‘moonstruck’; -the periodicity of the mental attacks was also -supposed to have some relation to the lunar -interval. Indeed, the whole subject of insanity -bristles with occult and mysterious theories. -The really hopeful treatment of insanity began -when it—a mental disease—was treated, not -by mental, but by physical methods, and the -more mental and physical are taken together -as one and the same, the more rational and -productive of good, in the best sense, is our -treatment likely to be. Indeed, the whole -indivisibility of the three systems is nowhere -so well shown as in the arbitrary division of -Religious Insanity. Surely if we try to turn the -minds of the sufferers from any considerations -of religion, by removing their Bibles, by preventing -them from any religious discussion, or -from taking part in any religious ceremonies, -we are helping to keep up the evil. People, -as we put it, become insane on religious matters, -not only because they have been dwelling on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span> -the subject unduly, but because it is naturally -of the greatest importance, and absorbs more -attention than probably anything else in the -world. Now, as the more purely physical, as distinguished -from the more or less occult methods -of regarding the insane, has become the more -enlightened and modern view of the subject, so -has the spiritual method of dealing with it -come into prominence. Spiritual ministrations -to the insane may be thought to be useless, -or, at any rate, to be fraught with little practical -utility. Comparatively recently a man who -had charge of a country parish was appointed -chaplain to Broadmoor, which is the asylum -for insane criminals. A friend, on being told of -the appointment, said to him, ‘Why, whatever -will you say to them? You can only talk to -them of their sins.’ ‘Talk to them of their -sins!’ he said; ‘I shall never mention them<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">10</a></span> -I shall talk to them of Hope.’</p> - -<p>I have thought it advisable to dwell rather -at length on the question of the insane, because -it really rather fairly represents my point of -view on this subject. Whether you agree -with me or not, it is better that I should -state quite fairly and straightly my position, -which has only been reached by honestly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span> -striving after truth, and by looking fully into -the subject for the purposes of this paper. -In talking about Spiritual Healing, we are -hampered at the start, because we have only -actual knowledge of physical things, i.e. of -things as they appear to us here. We have -to define spiritual things in physical terms, -because they are the only things we know -and understand. Time and space do not -exist in the spiritual domain. Take just one -word in illustration of my meaning, the word -<i>Rest</i>. Our present state of being here has -certain peculiarities. Labour involves rest -from labour, and if the limits of rest and -labour are exceeded, the result is ruin to -man’s moral and physical being. Disease is -sure to follow the inactive mind or body, and -then comes a time when ‘we cannot do the -things we would.’ But these things do not -exist in spiritual language. ‘They rest not -day and night, but cry “Holy, Holy, Holy.” ’ -When we pray ‘Eternal rest grant them, O -Lord,’ we have no thought of a period of rest -as we understand it, but rest in and with -God.</p> - -<p>We are far too apt to think that suffering is -an evil—it is not necessarily so; on the contrary -it may be a blessing, because it is often a direct -means of advance towards perfection. Far<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span> -too much attention is paid at the present -day to temporal benefits. ‘Get rid of poverty, -of suffering, and the world will be virtuous -and happy,’ but this is not so. The people who -starve and brutally ill-use their children are -not the very poorest; they are usually well-to-do -in the world. There is a great deal too -much of considering poverty as a <i>real</i> cause -of suffering. Christ’s mission of redemption -was not primarily a mission for the relief of -suffering. If He bids us to take up our cross, -He also bids us, as a quite essential corollary, -to follow Him. Indeed, taking up our cross -is useless, if we do not follow Him. Pain, far -from being shunned, should be welcomed and -embraced, because it brings us nearer to the -sufferings of our Blessed Lord. It is not, of -course, mere pain in itself that lifts and -cleanses: it is pain rightly and courageously -borne, from whatever motive. If this be true, -the modern revolt against all suffering—and -here I quote from the late Miss Caroline -Stephens’s article on ‘Pain,’ published in the -<i>Hibbert Journal</i> for October 1908—‘is obviously -suicidal. To extinguish all suffering, were that -possible, would be to deprive the world of a -leverage as all-pervading and effectual towards -spiritual elevation and purification, as is -gravitation towards stability.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span></p> - -<p>Pain and evil are not interchangeable -terms, but are quite different. Evil cannot be -innocent, though pain can be, and often is. -When the disciples said, ‘What hath this man -or his parents done that he should be born -blind?’ they formulated the usually accepted -idea at that time, and an idea, moreover, that -dies very hard. The whole treatment of -disease in the Middle Ages was based on it.</p> - -<p>If we quite briefly consider our Lord’s -miracles, they were <i>signs</i> of His Divine mission, -not proofs, and in performing them, He felt -limitations; for we are definitely told that -in Capernaum ‘He did no more mighty -works, because of their unbelief.’ These signs -were sudden manifestations of His power, -and as such they are preferably called Divine -Healing. They showed the very highest degree -of spiritual power, but there was nothing -really new. Christ was the perfect manifestation -of eternal things, and eternal things -are obviously never new. Perhaps the fact -that our Lord thought it worth while to show -his power in bodily healing was intended -to teach us that to keep our bodies in health -is an important religious duty, and more than -that, that all hygienic social work undertaken -is an important part of the duties of religion. -Both nursing and doctoring bring us very near<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span> -to part of the work of Christ, for He went -about doing good to the sick, and He symbolised -this, not only by His healing words, -but by the simple medicines and nursing of -the Good Samaritan. But just as illness is -by no means caused by evil or ill-doing, so it -is equally clear that goodness does not of -necessity bring health. The question of bodily -health has no connexion with spiritual conceptions -at all. If it were so, the persons who -are the strongest physically would be the -most spiritual; but we know, of course, that -this is not so. Take St. Catherine of Siena, -one of the greatest of saints, statesmen, and -scholars that the world has ever known. She -healed others, but she died herself of a lingering, -painful disease, at the early age of thirty-three. -Also St. Paul, who prayed the Lord thrice -that the thorn in the flesh which tormented -him might be removed. And the Lord’s reply -has been a help and comfort, and a lesson -to countless thousands ever since. ‘My grace -is sufficient for thee, for My power is made -perfect through weakness.’ And what we -so very often see now, persons bereft of all -that makes life dear, in suffering of mind or -body maybe, yet rise above their weakness, -and carry through such reforms and such -noble acts as they never could have done had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> -they been allowed to remain in bodily health -and comfortable and happy surroundings. -Indeed, St. Paul’s affliction was the means of -his converting the Galatians, for his illness -compelled him to stop with them for a time, -and in writing to the Corinthians from them, -he could truly say, ‘Most gladly, therefore, -will I rather glory in my weaknesses that the -strength of Christ may cover me.’ To repeat, -it is our duty, as far as can be, to keep our -bodies in health, though we can most of us -conceive of circumstances when to lose our -life may be indeed to save it.</p> - -<p>In a sermon preached for the ‘Guild of Poor -Brave Things,’ the present Bishop of London, -who is the president of the Guild, said: ‘What -made more impression on me as an undergraduate -at Oxford than all the sermons I ever -heard in chapel was a young don, insisting, at -the risk of his life, on ministering to an undergraduate -dying of a most infectious disease.’</p> - -<p>After all, St. Paul’s life, as narrated by -himself, can hardly have been considered as -hygienic. ‘Of the Jews five times received -I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten -with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered -shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the -deep; in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, -in perils of robbers, in perils of my own<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in -perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, -in perils in the sea, in perils amongst false -brethren; in labour and travail, in watchings -often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, -in cold and nakedness. Besides those things -that are without, there is that which presseth -upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.’ -In comparison with this, the ‘Don’t-worry -Gospel’ of the Christian Scientists seems utterly -beside the mark. Health is undoubtedly good, -but it must sometimes be cast away in the -service of others.</p> - -<p>Of course there is a philosophical difficulty -in the whole position of the relation of religion -to medicine. In a manner they are, as it -were, at loggerheads from the outset. The -Church is bound to teach that it matters not -how long or how short a man’s life is, if it is -rightly spent, whereas the doctor’s point of -view must be to keep the man alive at any -price. And although we may feel that, under -certain circumstances, the medical attitude -might be modified, it is the only safe one in the -present state of our knowledge. Euthanasia -seems, on the surface, a most humane and -comforting suggestion, but it is allowing us -finite beings to take into our own hands things -which are beyond our comprehension. We<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span> -all know of instances where it must have been -thought that death would be preferable to -life; but apart from the presumptuous thought -of mere human beings, look how often the -maimed bodily frame ‘rises on stepping stones -of its dead self to higher things.’ A man struck -with blindness, for example, may be living a full -and perfect and whole life, in spite of his -maimed condition, because he puts out all -his powers and lives at the top of his bent. -Such a man is in the highest state a healthy -being. The unwhole man is one who is always -in terror of his life, and who does not accept -with faith and cheerfulness, and in a life of -prayer, the ills that are laid upon him by a -wise and Divine Providence. It is true that -there are more things wrought by prayer than -this world dreams of. Yes, but even our -prayers have necessary limitations arising from -our imperfect knowledge, and when St. James -declared that the prayer of faith shall save -the sick, he spoke at a time when scientific -investigation was non-existent, and when people -must have been sorely distressed by their -total inability to overcome the diseases from -which those around them were suffering. -But for us, whose physical knowledge is so -much more exact, to refuse to accept the -remedies which hard and patient toil has<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span> -discovered, under God’s help and guidance -(there whether we recognise it or not), is both -presumptuous and foolish. Spiritual Healing—i.e. -a quasi-miraculous process—<i>must</i> die a -natural death, even if the agony is prolonged. -It is simply pandering to charlatanism, and -by its exaltation of the Health of the Body, -is almost pagan in its effects. It is, moreover, -an emphatic expression of individualism at a -time when co-operation in every direction is -the natural and right trend of affairs; for -truly never did we feel so strongly as now, that -no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to -himself—as true of nations as of individuals. -It is, therefore, in the highest sense, reactionary, -and a sentimental attempt to put the clock -back, which is doomed to failure. Take one -item, which is wrapped up in this idea of -Spiritual Healing, and that is Demoniac Possession. -This was an ancient belief, as is shown -by some of the miracles narrated in the Gospels, -and there is an attempt to revive it in the -present day, and with that, a practice of -Exorcism as a cure for it. ‘But,’ and here -I quote from ‘Religion and Medicine,’ ‘it is -a significant fact that as education spreads, -belief in demoniac possession dies out, and -the greatest strongholds of the belief to-day -are in non-Christian countries.’ A possible<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> -explanation of this is, that in Christian -countries, spiritual forces have been actively -at work for many generations, and that this -spiritual activity has weakened the power of -the forces of evil. There is, too, no blinking -the question that the behaviour of insane -people, or even of people supposed to be insane, -might be explained on the theory of demoniac -possession. For example, how often one sees -people generally good and kind, and even truly -religious, go suddenly into a fury of temper -or violence of some kind; or in delirium we -know that quite sweet, innocent people say -dreadful things which one would think they -could not even <i>know</i>. No doubt to some -people the temporary possession by some evil -spirit is a more comfortable theory than that -it is a revelation of the natural man in us, -when discipline and training are in some way -relaxed, and that such is our <i>real</i> nature let loose.</p> - -<p>The dangers of a belief in, and of practising -<i>consciously</i>, Spiritual Healing are great, as far -as doctors are concerned. It simply puts a -premium on ignorance and laziness, and is -disastrous to exact knowledge and scientific -investigation. Spiritual healers assert that -to dwell on the abnormal and pathological -prevents their work on the normal. But who -is to say what is the normal, till abnormalities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span> -have been weighed and considered? No, to -people like myself who practise medicine, it -is a dangerous and uncertain weapon to -employ. Far be it from me to say that the -spiritual side of medicine should be ignored -altogether. We know that our prayers, rightly -offered, are a help to our patients—we -<i>know</i> that the ordained Sacraments of the -Church are a help to them. Moreover, we -know very well that there is no royal road to -the treatment of disease. We know well how -many cases there are in our various hospitals -and infirmaries, that have baffled all the skill -of diagnosis and treatment that has been -vouched to the world up to the present time. -Is it rational to believe that such cases will -be healed by a glance, or a touch, or a word -of any merely human person, however holy, -who is manifestly ignorant of any ordinary -scientific knowledge? No, Spiritual Healing -as a cult, as a part of the sacramental life of -the Church, will cease to exist, but all that -has come out of it will be quickened and -strengthened. We shall feel greater need of -prayer and intercession, and we shall feel -more and more the real value of meditation.</p> - -<p>That the medical profession is fully alive -to the importance of the question, in spite -of its difficulties, may be inferred from the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span> -following extract from the <i>British Medical -Journal</i>, November 6, 1909:</p> - -<p>‘We welcome the discussion at the Harveian -Society, as a sign that the profession is more -fully realising the value of certain potentialities -of healing and relief, which an ingrained -materialism passes by on one side. All around -us spiritual or mental healing is going on. It -is our duty, as it is our interest, to study the -process scientifically, to define its limitations -both in regard to the conditions to which it is -applicable and to the persons who can successfully -apply it, and to recognise perhaps more -fully than before that man is a compound of -body and spirit, both of which have to be -taken into account by those who undertake -the treatment of disease. The first step to be -taken, if the profession is not to surrender a -large part of its sphere of usefulness, is that -medical practitioners should be trained in -psychology as well as in physiology. In saying -this we do not wish to be understood as pinning -our faith entirely to experimental psychology. -A careful study of the works of the great -masters of the human heart is at least as -important as the estimate of time reactions -and the accuracy of visual impressions.’ ‘A -careful study of the works of the great masters -of the human heart’—this rings true, and makes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> -one hopeful, in spite of the confusion in terms -that exist in regard to Psychic Healing and -Spiritual Healing.</p> - -<p>Spiritual Healing may be defined as a -change in a person’s point of view. It may -be a question of building up character, or of -development of spiritual attributes. In both -cases, it is essentially a matter of instruction. -And the teaching will be effective in proportion -as the teacher is possessed of sincerity and -sympathy. I am anxious to be most emphatic -in saying this, because so much misunderstanding -has arisen of late on all sides, owing -to misconceptions on this point. Spiritual -Healing can only, in quite a secondary way, be -a physical process. Again, take the case of a -man who becomes blind in a way that prohibits -any idea of his ever recovering his sight; -he may develop into a miserable, discontented -being on account of his affliction. He comes -under the influence of some teaching, of some -person, or of some sudden religious inspiration. -He is healed. Can he see again? No, but -he has risen superior to his blindness. He -is a <i>whole</i> man once more. This is all that he -and his lay friends know. He <i>may</i> even -enjoy better physical health than he did while -his blindness oppressed him. Or, again, there -may be morbid physical conditions directly or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span> -indirectly attributable to a morbid temperament, -sleeplessness due to wrongdoing, or -chronic dyspepsia due to worry. In such cases -as these, the doctor may do little or nothing. -The malady is only incidentally a physical one. -Here ‘Spiritual Healing’ in the true sense is the -only remedy, and every liberal-minded medical -practitioner would desire it for the patient.</p> - -<p>Practically, as I have repeatedly found -from experience, priest and doctor can combine -to the great advantage of the patient. Medical -practitioners need have no fear that, with -wise and experienced priests, they will find -their special province interfered with; on the -contrary, their hands will be strengthened, -the patients calmed, and their fortitude increased. -It has been my lot many times to -find the irritable patient resentful of her -illness, and of God’s dealing with her, brought -to a calm, hopeful, restful frame of mind, and -that by the ministrations and prayers of a -wise and tactful priest.</p> - -<p>Perhaps St. Catherine of Siena expresses -what is meant by all this in speaking of -praying for others. ‘It is toil for him . . . to -hold him in the presence of God.’ And it is -here that the priest can so greatly assist us in -our labours on behalf of those weak or sick ones -who have been entrusted to our care.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">THEO. B. HYSLOP, M.D.,</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">SUPERINTENDENT OF BETHLEM HOSPITAL</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FAITH_AND_MENTAL_INSTABILITY">FAITH AND MENTAL INSTABILITY</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By Theo. B. Hyslop</span>, M.D.</div> - - -<h3><i>The Tendency for Insanity to increase on -Account of the Stress of Life.</i></h3> - -<p>That there is a tendency for insanity to -increase on account of the stress of competition -and all the complexities of modern civilisation -few will deny. The burden of taxation upon -the nerve tissues and the drain upon their -stores of energy must necessarily go on increasing -as the uses for the physical mechanism -of the body and limbs diminish and become -replaced by the more complex nervous activities -essential to brain and mental avocations. -The influences of rural and urban life, trades -and occupations, &c., as favouring the occurrence -of insanity, have been dealt with in an -exhaustive manner in various reports, treatises, -and innumerable papers, and the result has -been to apprise us of the fact that the percentage -of individuals who are incapable by -reason of mental perversion or defect from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span> -taking active and useful parts as citizens far -exceeds our previous conceptions as to the -extent of the degeneration in our midst.</p> - -<p>It is well-nigh impossible to obtain a -complete census of the physical and mental -states of the people. Statistics furnish us -with so many fallacies that for present purposes -I prefer to omit them, and deal only with -broad issues which seem to have direct bearings -upon the mental health of the community.</p> - -<p>It is now an accepted fact that civilisation, -with its tendencies towards the aggregation of -individuals into dense communities, favours -the occurrence in those communities of overcrowding, -pauperism, crime, and degeneration. -For those designed by habit and heredity to -rural life, migration to cities where the struggle -for life is continued under totally different -circumstances is disastrous, and for them -the step from country to town is but one of -the commonest of all the steps towards -mental and physical deterioration, the accidents -of civilisation finding in them merely the -readiest victims.</p> - -<p>The necessity of this migration, as determined -by the state of agriculture, makes it -none the less an evil, and it is a symptom in -the evolution of an essentially agricultural -race which is fraught with extreme danger to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> -the maintenance of its nervous and mental -stability.</p> - -<p>The problem, however, has a different -aspect for those who by habit and heredity -are trained for city life, and certain it is that -increased facilities for travelling are tending -to decentralise our cities and thereby render -the city dwellers healthier and more fit to -cope with the drain upon their nervous -energies. As a physician, it would appear to -the writer that the problem of Sunday observances -in town and country have different -bearings on the health and physical fitness of -the people. There is no doubt that periodic -decentralisation of town dwellers is essential -to the maintenance of bodily health, and it is -also true that physical exercise and change -from mental to physical functioning and -<i>vice versa</i> is essential to all—i.e. if the balance -between the mental and physical powers is -to be adequately maintained. It is, of course, -to be understood that to a physician the -preservation of this balance is his first care, -and to him is entrusted the function of aiding -in the proper observance of all that is -in agreement with biological and, therefore, -natural laws. To him there is a great difference -between ‘observance’ and ‘belief’; and -he sees in them either mutually co-operative<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span> -or mutually destructive factors for good or -ill respectively.</p> - -<p>If religious observances, under determined -conditions, are found to be useful and essential -for the sane in mind and body, they are also -likely to be so, under conditions otherwise -determined and arranged, for the insane. Many -insane patients are totally incapable of attending -any religious function. Some must be -prohibited; others may be encouraged. As -an asylum physician the writer may state that -a generic case of religious excitement or -enthusiasm may most advisedly even be restrained -from religious functions until at -least the acute symptoms have subsided. -There can be little doubt that no religious -officer would be likely to succeed in accomplishing -much for patients without an accurate -knowledge of insanity and the mental experiences -of those whom he seeks to influence. -The fact that mental aberration forms a -special study and phase of life increases his -difficulties and limits his possibilities. Where -there is apparent failure both inside asylums -and without, such failures may very possibly -be attributed to the deficiencies of the doctrine, -the discipline of the religion itself, the organisations -peculiar to it, or the functionaries -associated with it in our day. If the Christian<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span> -religion is a true philosophy, it is the duty -of all who profess Christianity to assist in the -practical application of its precepts, where such -can be judiciously and safely applied, taking -religious things perforce as they find them, -and utilising their own special knowledge to -the best possible advantage, according to the -conditions they find.</p> - -<p>Is a person with deep religious conviction -better equipped to face the stress of life than -an unbeliever? An answer to this question -was given by the writer in a paper read at -the annual meeting of the British Medical -Association held at Leicester in 1905. In -stating that ‘a true and philosophical -religion raises the mind above a mere -incidental emotionalism’ he used the word -‘religion’ in its literal sense, as derived from -<i>re</i> and <i>lego</i>, to gather and consider, as opposed -to <i>negligens</i>. He in no way extended its -connotation so as to include demonstrations -of incidental emotionalism, superstition, or -fanaticism. Religion and moral obligation he -considered to be almost convertible terms, -both equally compatible with intuitionalism, -utilitarianism, or any other ‘ism’ derived -from the study of the laws of life and mind. -Moral laws are generally principles of thought -and action, which an intelligent being must<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span> -apply for himself in the guidance of his conduct, -and the translation of such general principles -(expressed either in general abstract form or -in the form of a command) into particular -actions. Conformity with such precepts -of morality may with reason be regarded -as a safeguard against the ‘lusts of the -flesh.’</p> - -<p>Religious enthusiasm in itself cannot -justly be termed an evil. Rather does it -embody the most healthy and preservative -development of our social forces. Like many -other tendencies of the mind, it is subject -to exaggeration, misapplication, and a predominance -of the emotions over the intellect. -The typical cases of religious insanity directly -developable from sectarian and even undenominational -religious enthusiasm, from -religious meditations, exercises, devotions, or -superstitions, are by no means so common as -they are supposed to be by the uninitiated -observer. The true point lies in this, that -very many mental cases bear a strongly -marked religious or at least moral aspect. The -psychology of the subject will show, for example, -that acute depression—a predominant -phase of abnormal emotional life—leads -almost necessarily to a religious interpretation. -And this is even more the case<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span> -with many actual sense perversions. Such, -I mean, as have ever been associated with the -ideas of the supernatural.</p> - -<p>These are not necessarily caused by religious -over-excitement or enthusiasm. They may -assume the appearance of it, because, being -the deepest and most real feelings, desires, -and convictions of the perverted organic life -or of the moral reaction which accompanies -it, they cannot well be expressed or described -except in strong moral terms. Over and over -again does this appear, and often among those -least likely to be suspected of any religious -predisposition. That these feelings should be -clothed according to the prevailing ideas and -creed of the patient is an essential reproduction -of the mind. But, after all, this only relates to -the form of their appearance, and there are -many things which lie deeper.</p> - -<p>Religious excitement is not infrequently -assigned as a cause of insanity. The writer -has stated elsewhere his belief that the philosophy -of the infinite, far from being a source -of aberrations of thought which may be deemed -insane, is the ultimate point of our mental -evolution, and that a true and philosophical -religion raises the mind above a mere incidental -emotionalism and gives stability. With no -religion and no moral obligation the organism<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span> -is apt to become a prey to the lusts of the flesh -and their consequences. Gasquet observes -that religion may either produce or tend to -hinder unsoundness of mind; that it may -cause certain symptoms of insanity or modify -them; and, lastly, that it may be employed -as a means of moral prevention and treatment. -He believes that every form of religion, -however widely it may differ from our standard -of the truth, if it enforces the precepts of -morality, is a source of strength to the sound -mind that sincerely accepts it.</p> - -<p>Clouston has justly observed that far -more depends upon the brain that goes to -church than upon what it may obtain in the -church. That is to say, there must be the -predisposition to break down, the religious -influence being often merely an accident. -It must also be remembered that religious -over-enthusiasm may be merely a symptom -and not a cause.</p> - -<p>Much misconception through misquotation -has arisen in connexion with the writer’s -views as to the therapeutic value of prayer. -Reference to the context of his views expressed -before the Society for the Study of Childhood -will show that reference was made to the <i>habit</i> -of prayer in childhood, and its therapeutic -value was there urged more as a preventive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span> -than as a curative agent. It was urged that -the mental hygiene of childhood was not to -be determined by any special denominational -method.</p> - -<p>Such limited methods may result in the -fixity of an idea or belief quite compatible -with usefulness in any sphere of activity, but -they do not deal with the broader and deeper -question of the preservation of the mental -health of the individual. The exaggerated importance -of the denominational question, which -has engendered passive resistance, ought to give -way to the question of mental health and -engender a strong and active resistance to -all that tends to narrow or circumscribe the -mental life of the infant. It ought to be our -object as teachers and physicians to fight -against all those influences which tend to -produce either religious indifference or intemperance, -and to subscribe as best we may to -that form of religious belief, so far as we can -find it practically embodied or effective, which -believes in ‘the larger hope,’ though it -condemns unreservedly the demonstrable superstition -and sentimentality which impede its -progress and power. As an alienist, and as -one whose whole life has been concerned -with the sufferings of the human mind, -the writer believes that of all the hygienic<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> -measures to counteract disturbed sleep, -depression of spirits, and all the miserable -sequelæ of a distrait mind, he would undoubtedly -give the first place to the simple -<i>habit</i> of prayer. Let the child be taught to -believe in an anthropomorphic God the Father, -or in an all-pervading medium of guidance -and control, or in the integrity of a cosmic -whole, with its transmutations, evolutions, -and indestructibilities. It matters little, for -they all lead in the same direction. Let there -but be a habit of nightly communion, not as a -mendicant or repeater of words more adapted -to the tongue of a sage, but as a humble -individual who submerges or asserts his individuality -as an integral part of a greater -whole. Such a habit does more to clean the -spirit and strengthen the soul to overcome -mere incidental emotionalism than any other -therapeutic agent known to him. Our schools -are as gardens for the cultivating, judicious -pruning and sustaining young life by gardeners -who have, or who ought to have, full knowledge -of the tender plants under their care. Our -churches are to the moral welfare of the -community as our schools are to the intellectual. -The church has been aptly termed ‘God’s -Garden,’ where the art of living good lives and -the making of character is helped by specially<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span> -appointed gardeners. It is needless to say, -however, that the light of reason or sanity, as -bestowed upon us by Nature, is the light to -which all other considerations must give way -lest we in our turn too soon pass the borderland -of knowing things as they are.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALING</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">H. G. G. MACKENZIE, M.A., M.B.</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MEDICAL_ASPECTS_OF_MENTAL">MEDICAL ASPECTS OF MENTAL -HEALING</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By H. G. G. Mackenzie</span>, M.A., M.B.</div> - - -<h3>I. <i>Spiritual Healing in the Light of Modern -Medical Science</i></h3> - -<p>I have been asked in this chapter to put -together some recent expressions of opinion -by members of my own profession on the -subject of ‘mental’ and ‘spiritual’ healing. No -attempt whatever is made to give an exhaustive -summary. It will be sufficient for my purpose -if I can make clear to the non-medical <span class="nowrap">reader—</span></p> - -<p>(1) That there is nothing new in the elaborate -and confident pretensions now being thrust -forward by a variety of ‘healers.’</p> - -<p>(2) That, so far from scientific medicine -‘standing helpless in the presence of a new -phenomenon,’ she is in possession of a very -large amount of clinical material on which -quite definite conclusions have been formed; -and, as always, she is perfectly ready to -consider and investigate any new evidence<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span> -which might tend to mitigate the force of such -conclusions.</p> - -<p>Now, there are obviously two main lines -of investigation. We may consider (1) the -<i>à priori</i> reasonableness of the claim that -certain bodily diseases can be cured by ‘mental’ -or spiritual processes, or we may proceed to -(2) an <i>à posteriori</i> investigation of cases of -alleged cures. A third method of investigation, -that which is, of course, adopted in <i>all</i> cases -of scientific treatment of disease by new -methods, viz. the tabulation of all cases -treated, with the diagnosis, extent of disease, -immediate and permanent results, negative -as well as positive, noted in each case, is not -usually possible, since no psychic or spiritual -healer whom I have ever met seems to consider -such tabulation at all necessary or even -desirable.</p> - -<p>In the first place, I submit a somewhat -long quotation from an admirable <span class="nowrap">paper<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">11</a></span> by -one of the greatest medical authorities in the -English-speaking world, Professor W. Osler.</p> - -<p>‘An influenza-like outbreak of faith-healing -seems to have the public of the American -continent in its grip. It is an old story, the -oldest indeed in our history, and one in which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> -we have a strong hereditary interest, since -scientific medicine took its origin in a system -of faith-healing beside which all our modern -attempts are feeble imitations. . . . Once or -twice in each century the serpent entwining -the staff of Æsculapius gets restless, contorts, -and in his gambols swallows his tail, and all at -once in full circle back upon us come old thoughts -and old practices which for a time dominate -alike doctors and laity. As a profession we -took origin in the cult of Æsculapius . . . -whose temples were at once magnificent shrines -and hospitals. . . . Amid lovely surroundings, -chosen for their salubrity, and connected with -famous springs, they were the sanatoriums of -the ancient world. The ritual of the cure is -well known, and has been beautifully described -by Pater in Marius the Epicurean. . . . The -popular shrines of the Catholic Church to-day -are in some ways the direct descendants of -this Æsculapian cult, and the cures and votive -offerings at Lourdes and Ste. Anne are in every -way analogous to those of Epidaurus.’</p> - -<p>Osler goes on to speak with much tenderness -of the apparently ineradicable nature of -the credulity evinced not merely by the -multitude but by persons educated widely, if -not well, in the matter of the healing of -disease. It is indeed a portentous fact. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span> -slightest acquaintance with the history of -therapeutics, the most casual examination -of the evidence of alleged cures, the faintest -stirring of the reasoning faculty, as the votary -asks himself whether the foremost pathologists -who work continuously with the best available -material in an institution devoted to the -scientific study of cancer will not be more -likely to arrive at a correct estimate of the -probability of cure, by means other than -extirpation, than a quite uninstructed <i>masseur</i> -who has taken to ‘spiritual healing,’ these, -one would suppose, would be sufficient to check -the growth of credulity which we see in such -evidence around us. Yet the reader will -probably feel that Osler is not going beyond -the warrant of easily ascertainable fact when -he says:</p> - -<p>‘We must acknowledge its potency to-day -as effective among the most civilised people, -the people with whom education is the most -widely spread, yet who absorb with wholesale -credulity delusions as childish as any that have -enslaved the mind of man.’</p> - -<p>Professor Osler’s conclusion is worth -quoting:</p> - -<p>‘Having recently had to look over a large -literature on the subject of mental healing, -ancient and modern, I have tried to put the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span> -matter as succinctly as possible. In all ages -and in all climes the prayer of faith has saved -a certain number of the sick. The essentials -are, first, a strong and hopeful belief in a -dominant personality, which has varied naturally -in different countries and in different -ages: Buddha in India and in Japan, where -there are cults to match every recent vagary; -Æsculapius in ancient Greece and Rome; -our Saviour and a host of Saints in Christian -communities; and, lastly, an ordinary doctor -has served the purpose of common necessity -very well. Faith is the most precious asset in -our stock-in-trade. Once lost, how long does -a doctor keep his clientele? Secondly, certain -accessories—a shrine, a grotto, a church, a -temple, a hospital, a sanatorium [Osler might -have added the admirably devised entourage -in such places as ‘Physical Culture’ Institutes -and ‘light cure’ establishments], surroundings -that will impress favourably the imagination -of the patient. Thirdly, suggestion in one of -its varied forms—whether the negation of -disease and pain [as among the ‘Eddyites’], -the simple trust in Christ of the Peculiar -People, or the sweet reasonableness of the -psychotherapeutist. But there must be the -will-to-believe attitude of mind, the mental -receptiveness—in a word, the faith which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span> -has made bread-pills famous in the history of -medicine.’ We must, however, recognise the -limitations of ‘mental healing.’ ‘Potent as is -the influence of the mind on the body, and -many as are the miracle-like cures which may -be worked, all are in functional disorders, and -we know only too well that nowadays the -prayer of faith neither sets a broken thigh nor -checks an epidemic of typhoid fever.’</p> - -<p>The following extract is from an article in -the <i>British Medical Journal</i> of March 13, 1909. -The article begins by quoting from a paper by -Dr. Allan Hamilton (U.S.A.) to the following -effect:</p> - -<p>‘In all this agitation, it would almost seem -as if the intelligent physician had never made -use of psychotherapy, but that he was a -mechanical giver of drugs and took little or no -interest in his patients. If the new critics of -the medical profession, who have been so -active of late, would take the trouble to investigate, -they would often find, among the -great and successful men of all times and of -to-day, that the human side is very strongly -developed, and that their patients are studied -from every point of view, and treated accordingly.’</p> - -<p>‘We would add,’ says the writer of the -article in the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, ‘that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span> -the intelligent application of the physician’s -knowledge of the influence of the body on -the mind is the one condition of success in -the difficult art of dealing with patients and -reinforcing the curative power of Nature or, -what comes to the same thing, enabling sufferers -to work out their own deliverance from the -thraldom of functional disease. All really -great physicians have used this force, sometimes, -it may be, unconsciously, but often with deliberate -intent. It is the power of influencing -the mind of the patient or, in other words, of -exciting confidence in his gift of healing, that -makes what is called “personal magnetism.” ’</p> - -<p>At this point I may be permitted to offer -one or two observations.</p> - -<p>(1) To speak quite strictly, it is not a -question of <i>‘à priori’ possibility or impossibility</i>. -As Huxley pointed out, twenty years ago, few -things can be said to be <i>impossible</i> except -mathematical misstatements or manifest contradictions. -Thus 2 + 2 cannot possibly yield -any result but 4. A square circle, a raised -depression, are, in the strictest sense of the -term, <i>impossibilities</i>. But, with regard to -an enormous number of alleged phenomena -popularly styled <i>impossible</i>, what is really -meant is either that they are not impossible -at all, but only in some high degree improbable,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span> -or that we have not sufficient knowledge -to enable us to say whether or not they are -impossible. In any case, before accepting -them, we are bound as honest men to demand -evidence which may be thoroughly sifted. -The sort of stuff which we usually get, when -we ask for such evidence, will be instanced -at a later stage.</p> - -<p>(2) Again, to speak quite strictly, I do not -know that anyone would care to draw a hard-and-fast -line between what is ‘functional’ and -what is ‘organic.’ These terms are extremely -convenient, but we must remember that they -are only terms. There is an oft-recurring -danger, against which we all require to be -continually on our guard, of falling into the -old error of the realists. ‘Animate and inanimate’ -(assuming that the recent claim -to have demonstrated in metals a process of -reproduction analogous to those observed in -protoplasm is endorsed, as seems probable), -‘genus and species,’ ‘animal and vegetable,’ -these and many others are eminently useful -classifications, and the border line between -each and its opposite varies from comparative -precision to extreme vagueness. But in no -case are they absolutely precise in the sense -in which the distinction between an integer -and a vulgar fraction is precise. And in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> -matter of the terms ‘functional’ and ‘organic’ -we must walk very warily indeed. Is epilepsy -a functional neurosis or an organic disease? -Analogy suggests organic changes. No such -changes have been constantly demonstrated -by <i>post mortem</i> evidence; partly, of course, -because <i>post mortem</i> examinations of cases of -death in the epileptic or epileptiform condition -have been extremely rare, and are not very -common in cases where there is a well-authenticated -history of attacks; but partly because -our investigations into the minute anatomy of -many morbid conditions are at present barred -by the limitations of microscopic vision. We -have no right whatever to assert dogmatically -that there is no organic change in a tissue -because we cannot see it under a magnification -of 1000 diameters—though for a variety of -reasons, which all pathologists will recognise, -it is not altogether <i>probable</i> that a magnification -of 10,000 diameters would in such cases demonstrate -a constant change. In any case, if we -are told by a spiritual or psychic healer that -he cures cases of, let us say, old-standing chronic -nephritis or cirrhosis of the liver by his own -peculiar methods, our reply must be, not that -this is impossible because we are dealing with -organic disease, but rather <span class="nowrap">that—</span></p> - -<p>(1) If he claims to act mentally or spiritually<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span> -on the higher centres of the brain and so to reach -the diseased tissues, a cure is in the highest -degree unlikely, for a reason which will be -given at a later stage;</p> - -<p>(2) If his method is avowedly quite empirical, -and he only professes to exercise a -power which he does not even dimly understand, -we must respectfully ask for evidence, -which can be examined and tested to the -satisfaction of a competent and impartial -mind.</p> - -<p>Now, as to the influence of ‘suggestion,’ -whether or not accompanied by other methods, -e.g. hypnotism, magnetism, electricity, &c., -on (so-called) functional conditions, modern -medical science speaks with no uncertain voice.</p> - -<p>At a meeting of the Harveian Society held -last October, much interesting information was -produced.</p> - -<p>A paper of great and permanent value -was read by Dr. Claye Shaw on the ‘Influence -of Mind as a therapeutic agent.’ It is impossible -in the space at my disposal to quote more than -two brief extracts from his paper. He thus -defines ‘suggestion’:</p> - -<p>‘Suggestion is the insinuation of a belief -or impulse into the mind of a subject by any -means, or by words or questions, usually by -emphatic declaration; also the impulse of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span> -trust and submission which leads to the -effectiveness of such incitement.’</p> - -<p>On the effects of treatment by suggestion, -Dr. Claye Shaw writes:</p> - -<p>‘It is with such conditions as chronic -inebriety, opium, or the drug habit, that -suggestion is most powerful; with acute -insanity I have not seen it successful, and, -though it has been fairly tested in asylum -practice, it has not obtained general recognition -as a therapeutic agent.’</p> - -<p>A considerable number of medical men, -alienists and others, took part in the discussion -which followed the reading of the paper.</p> - -<p>Dr. Bramwell cited many well-authenticated -cases where a cure or marked amelioration -had followed treatment by suggestion in cases -of this kind which had resisted all other -treatment. Among these were instances of -neurasthenia (‘la grande hystérie’), claustrophobia, -morphomania, tendency to suicide, -a morbid fear of cats. Dr. Seymour Tuke -said that he had found ‘suggestive treatment -marvellously effective in cases of inebriety -in which the will was under some sort of -control,’ but that he was ‘unable to make -encouraging report of the use of hypnotism -and suggestion amongst insane patients.’ [A -useful and discriminating testimony.] Dr.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> -Lloyd Tuckey had cured ‘many cases of -genuine dipsomania, which could not be -reached by drugs, by hypnotism—as well as -other intractable conditions, such as three -cases of Menière’s disease.’ Dr. R. H. Cole -said that, twenty years ago, when he was -a House Physician, he first tried to hypnotise -patients. Later, he went to Paris and attended -the ‘Salpétrière and Bernheim’s cliniques, -but was greatly disappointed in what he -saw. . . . In his experience of mental diseases -he had only seen it do good in one insane -patient. It had never had any effect in his -experience upon people with fixed delusions, -but it would cure dipsomania.’ Dr. T. F. -Woods had treated 4000 cases, and he described -a few of them in which he had obtained -remarkable results. One was that of a woman, -with severe asthma and delusions that she -was going to be cut in pieces, who was cured -by suggestion at one sitting, and had kept -well ever since. Another case of severe sciatica, -which had resisted every line of treatment -for eight months, was also cured rapidly. -He did not find it necessary to induce hypnotic -sleep. Dr. E. A. Ash thought that ‘genuine -hypnotism (the state of somnambulism) was -unsatisfactory in practice. Only a small proportion -of cases could be hypnotised, and these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> -in his experience did no better than those -treated by simple suggestion. He quoted -two cases of nocturnal enuresis, one of which -he had failed to cure by hypnotism, whilst the -other was cured by suggestion, and a case of -blepharospasm, which had been cured by -suggestion, with light massage on the eyelids, -although a similar case treated only by -suggestion had not been relieved.’ Dr. W. H. -Blake described ‘a series of cases in which he -had used hypnotism with the utmost benefit. . . . -His most remarkable cures had been -effected in a case of asthma, for which the -patient was accustomed to drench himself -unavailingly with drugs, and in a severe case -of dipsomania.’</p> - -<p>Here we have grouped together the expression -of the opinions of trained minds of -responsible medical men. The differences are -comparatively slight. The agreement is remarkable. -Not one of them (though in one -case as many as 4000 records are in his hands) -claims to have cured what are usually called -organic conditions. The whole question is -as to the best way in which suggestion can be -brought to bear on patients whose lives are -in many cases rendered miserable by persistent, -but none the less ‘functional,’ ailments.</p> - -<p>Moreover, we observe that the result of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> -years of patient clinical investigation is to lead -them to treat every variety of psychic therapeutics -as a form of ‘suggestion.’ In no case -is there so much as a hint that a new force, -viz. ‘spiritual healing,’ has appeared, different -in kind not only from other varieties of -suggestion but from the countless cults of -spiritual healing, which have flourished and -disappeared in the past or the relics of which -still survive in many continental and eastern -shrines.</p> - -<p>Now, with regard to ‘spiritual healing’ -in its present manifestation in our own country -the general attitude of medical science is well -described in an article which appeared in the -<i>British Medical Journal</i> of January 9, 1909. -The article begins by describing some meetings -of different societies, in some cases mutually -antagonistic, but all existing for the purpose -of advancing the claims of healing by ‘spiritual’ -means. It goes on to say:</p> - -<p>‘If all or any of them can show that they -have discovered a new force, or a new method -of applying one already known, to the cure of -disease, rational medicine will welcome a new -weapon. As we have often said, the wise -physician understands the action of the mind -or the spirit on the body, and uses it for the -benefit of his patient. A man who firmly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> -believes in his doctor’s skill, or in the efficacy -of the treatment to which he is subjected, is in -the best possible condition for the operation -of curative forces. On the other hand, a -patient who believes that nothing can cure -him helps to seal his own doom. Avicenna -well said, <i>Plus interdum prodesse fiduciam in -medicum quam ipsam medicinam</i>. The “lady -of the highest rank,” who is reported to have -said that she would rather die under the care -of Sir Henry Halford than recover under that -of any other physician, must have been a -living tribute to his skill.</p> - -<p>‘The fact cannot be too much insisted upon -that there is nothing in the least new about -faith healing. It is as old as medicine and -religion, which in the beginning were one, as -they still are among many savage tribes. -Faith can move mountains, and it matters -little on what it is based or how it is excited. -As John Hunter has told us, the touch of a -dead man’s hand has charmed away a tumour. -But there are limits to its action, and while -willing to accept faith as an adjuvant, no one -who knows anything about disease will admit -that by itself it can heal any but ailments the -origin of which lies hid in the unknown recesses -of the nervous system. By all means let us -know the full power of the spirit over the body.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span> -Only let us have facts that can be fairly and -fully tested. A scientifically trained doctor -takes nothing on trust, and there can be -no useful co-operation between medicine and -spiritual healing unless the facts of each case -are fully disclosed. That is the point where -science and faith part company; the former -is as importunate as Arthur Clennam at the -Circumlocution Office, and the wonder workers -are as painfully surprised at this as the youthful -Barnacle was at the persistence of “the -fella that wanted to know, you know.” ’</p> - -<p>Let us dispose at once of one simple -question of fact. Modern medical science has -given the ‘spiritual healers,’ who claim to -cure any and every disease by touch or prayer -or unction, an absolutely fair hearing. Evidence -is asked for, and, if it is forthcoming, is -patiently investigated, no matter how antecedently -unlikely may be the pretensions -which such evidence is brought forward to -support.</p> - -<p>The general attitude of mind of the supporters -of the ‘spiritual healers’ is shown by -the following illuminating extract, quoted by -Sir H. Morris in the course of a recent lecture -on ‘Looking back’:</p> - -<p>‘We have no difficulty in believing that -ulcers that have a malignant aspect may be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span> -healed by the hope that comes from a potent -suggestion. We have ourselves known of more -than one case in which every clinical sign -of malignant disease of the stomach was -present, and in which a cure was effected by -means that could only have derived their -potency from suggestion.’</p> - -<p>People who are prepared to accept this -<i>without clearly ascertained and properly sifted -evidence</i> will accept anything. They simply -believe what they wish to believe. When one -widely advertised ‘case of spiritual healing’ -breaks down on investigation, another is put -forward.</p> - -<p>Indeed, for the most part they have no -idea as to what constitutes evidence in these -matters. In many cases the unsupported -statement of a patient, as to the diagnosis -pronounced by a medical man, is calmly -accepted by them as though there were no -need of further investigation. We have heard, -perhaps, more than enough of a highly placed -dignitary of the Church who believes (no -doubt quite sincerely) that he was cured of -cancer by the ministrations of one of these -‘healers,’ after an absolute diagnosis as to the -existence of an inoperable tumour had been -made by a leading specialist. The repeated -denial by the specialist in question, that he ever<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span> -supposed the condition which he examined to be -cancerous, makes no difference. The patient -continues to announce as a fact what is almost -demonstrably untrue; and his followers will -no doubt continue to accept his statement in -preference to first-hand evidence, so long as this -particular cult survives.</p> - -<p>But, for those who are not blinded by -ignorant credulity, the following extracts from -a letter from Dr. Combe Atthill may be of -interest. Dr. Atthill’s experience could, of -course, be paralleled by any medical man -of long practice:</p> - -<p>‘Shortly after I retired from practice, -some ten years ago, a well-known clergyman -wrote to me, saying that members of his -congregation were being much disturbed by the -advent amongst them of a lady professing herself -to be a faith healer, and saying that her -conversion was due to the fact of my having -told her that she was suffering from a dreadful -disease, and that her sole hope of cure lay in -the performance of a very dangerous operation. -She refused to submit to this, and instead -placed herself in the hands of “the healer,” -and was cured. He concluded by asking me -to give him particulars of her case.</p> - -<p>‘I had no recollection of any such patient, -but, as the name was given, I traced her, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span> -found the following particulars recorded in my -case book.</p> - -<p>‘I had only seen the lady once in my own -house, when she stated that she was well past -middle life, and for more than a year had been -weakened by a well-known condition.</p> - -<p>‘On my telling her I must examine her -she replied that she could not submit to it that -day for sufficient reasons, so I arranged that -when she was in a condition for examination -she would let me know, and I would call on -her and examine her. I made no diagnosis, and -gave no opinion as to the nature of the case. -I said no word about performing an operation.</p> - -<p>‘Instead of writing to me to call on her, -she went to London. No doubt an examination -would have revealed the fact that no -disease ever existed.</p> - -<p>‘It is impossible to deal with patients of -this class. Their mental equilibrium is disturbed; -they distort what the doctor may -say, and not infrequently invent and circulate -statements he never made.’</p> - - -<h3>II. <i>The Society of Emmanuel</i></h3> - -<p>Special attention has been directed of late -to the claims of the ‘Society of Emmanuel.’ -This society appears to profess adherence to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> -the tenets of the Church of England, though, -except for Dr. Mylne (formerly Bishop of -Bombay), no well-known churchman, lay or -cleric, seems to be a member of the executive. -The names of some ladies of title are given -in the list of the General Committee. The -president and principal ‘healer’ is a Mr. -James M. Hickson. The objects of the society -are closely akin to those of other similar -societies, except that they have a distinctly -‘Church’ flavour. For instance:</p> - -<p>‘To develop the Divine gifts left to His -Church by the Master, especially the gift of -healing by prayer and laying on of hands, -with the object of using these Divine gifts . . . -for the healing of the body.’</p> - -<p>A perusal of its literature reveals the usual -pretension to cure and to have cured any and -every disease. Nothing like a tabulated list of -cases treated appears anywhere. The society -has now opened a ‘Hospice,’ where free treatment -(by prayer and laying on of hands, &c.) -is given by the aforesaid Mr. Hickson.</p> - -<p>For some time the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, -the official organ of the British Medical -Association, called attention to widely advertised -‘cures,’ and asked for information -which would make it possible for an investigation -into the true facts to be carried out. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> -results were hardly satisfactory. Here are -some of the cases:</p> - -<p>(1) In the <i>British Medical Journal</i> (May 1, -1909) the following case is given as recorded -in <i>The Healer</i> (the organ of the Society of -Emmanuel):</p> - -<p>‘The patient fell and injured the patella, -which had previously been broken four times—two -doctors expressed the opinion that he -would never have full use of the knee again. -It was very painful and quite callous (<i>sic</i>) at -the time of the first treatment by prayer, but -in twenty minutes he was able to bend it -without help; the following day to walk about -the house, and after four visits to resume -ordinary duties.’</p> - -<p>Inquiries failed to elicit any details which -would enable investigation to be made.</p> - -<p>(2) From the <i>British Medical Journal</i> of -June 5, 1909:</p> - -<p>‘Mr. Hickson is reported to have said that -he has another case of “cancer of the throat” -under his care; the patient had undergone -two operations before going to him, and is -now apparently getting well. We should be -glad to have particulars of so interesting a case, -but we doubt whether they will be forthcoming.’</p> - -<p>Apparently they were not. But the case -was identified without difficulty. A clergyman,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> -the vicar of a country parish in the -Oxford diocese, was under ‘treatment’ by -Mr. Hickson at this time for what was undoubtedly -cancer (epithelioma) of the larynx. -A friend of mine who saw him in the summer -described him as being quite certain that he -was being cured, though he looked extremely -ill and could hardly speak above a whisper. -A few weeks later the patient died. If -Mr. Hickson has anywhere publicly announced -the failure of his ‘treatment’ in this case, -after having stated that the patient was -‘apparently getting well,’ no such announcement -has come under my notice.</p> - -<p>(3) In its issue of June 12, 1909, the <i>British -Medical Journal</i> published a quotation from the -<i>Evening News</i>, which ran as follows:</p> - -<p>‘The following account of a cure of -cancer is furnished by a lady member of the -Society of Emmanuel: “The patient was a -Bishop of the Church of England. The doctors -abandoned all hope of a cure. Then Mr. -Hickson took the case in hand. He arrived -on the morning of the day on which the -sufferer had to undergo an operation. Mr. -Hickson prayed with him and anointed him, -followed by a laying on of hands (<i>sic</i>). In -the afternoon the surgeon arrived and made -his examination. He was greatly surprised.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> -‘The case puzzles me,’ he said. ‘There is -a mark of a new wound, but the cancer has -gone!’ The cleric in question is now perfectly -well, and was with us the other day, -but I believe the surgeon has not yet recovered -from his surprise.” ’</p> - -<p>The usual request to Mr. Hickson or any -member of the Society of Emmanuel to furnish -details of this truly miraculous cure, which -could serve as a basis of investigation, followed, -but no reply came to hand. Again, I ask, -has Mr. Hickson publicly repudiated this -account of his healing powers?</p> - -<p>(4) The following is an extract from an -article in the <i>British Medical Journal</i> of May -22, 1909:</p> - - -<p class="tac mt15em">‘SPIRITUAL HEALING AND CANCER.</p> - -<p>‘One of the most serious difficulties in arriving -at a correct conclusion as to the curative powers -claimed for spiritual healing is the intangible -nature of the evidence. For instance, most -of the patients on behalf of whom prayers were -asked in the earlier numbers of <i>The Healer</i>—which -is published by Mr. J. M. Hickson, and -which, we suppose, may be regarded as the -organ of the Society of Emmanuel of which -that gentleman is the president—are vaguely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span> -described as suffering from “rheumatism,” “loss -of nerve power,” “spinal trouble,” “internal -weakness,” “low vitality and great weakness,” -“heart trouble,” “internal trouble.” Some, indeed, -are said to be the subjects of “locomotor -ataxy” and “consumption,” but no particulars -are given by which the diagnosis can be -checked, and it is difficult or impossible to -trace the result of the treatment. In a report -of the past year published in the number for -November 1908, Mr. Hickson does give some -details of a few cases. The two following -taken at random may be given as specimens: -“Priest. Cancer in bowel. Specialist, who -examined him nine months ago under an -anaesthetic, said that an operation was impossible, -and that he could not live for more than -about three months. He then sought help -through Divine Healing, when he was anointed -with oil in the name of the Lord, and Mr. -Hickson laid his hands on him in prayer, -after which he was examined by the same -Specialist, who found that a process of absorption -was taking place. He is now quite well.” -“Lady’s Maid. Age about 28. Suffering from -rupture, which gave great pain. One year -under treatment at Middlesex Hospital, and, -while waiting for an in-patient’s bed for operation, -was advised to seek help through Divine<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span> -Healing. After three visits to Mr. Hickson, -two months ago, she is now quite well and -strong, with no pain or swelling. Her mistress -also reports that serious defects of her character -are no longer apparent and her whole spiritual -nature is quickened and her duties are better -done.”</p> - -<p>‘These cases are sufficiently definite to be -tested, and we should be glad if Mr. Hickson -would supply us with the information necessary -for the purpose. We should undertake not -to publish the names of the patients or any -particulars by which they could be identified. -We should place the results of our investigation -honestly before our readers.’</p> - -<p>Result: No reply. If the first of these -cases is the one already referred to, it will be -observed that the clear and definite denial of -the specialist in question goes for nothing; -also that, like all other stories of the kind, -this has lost nothing in the telling.</p> - -<p>(5) The article goes on:</p> - -<p>‘In the meantime, we have succeeded in -tracing a case more remarkable than either -of the two just cited, and the result is -very instructive. It was related in the third -number of <i>The Healer</i> (March 1908, p. 9) -by the Right Rev. L. G. Mylne, D.D., formerly -Bishop of Bombay, in a paper entitled “The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> -Anointing of the Sick for their Healing.” -It has already been quoted in the <i>British -Medical Journal</i> of January 9, 1909, p. 109; -but, to enable the reader to form a correct -judgment on the subject, it must be repeated -here. Bishop Mylne said: “In the latest -up-to-date book on cancer, which is in the -hands of the most scientific men of to-day, -there is a case quoted which is, I have no doubt, -correctly said to be a unique one of <i>abortive</i> -cancer. The case is fully described from a -medical point of view—how a patient, stricken -unquestionably with cancer, was found to have, -in place of the tumour, something which -could only be called abortive cancer, the like -of which was never heard of before. I happen -to know the whole history of the case from -the brother of the patient, himself a medical -man. It was this: The patient had been -suffering from a serious affection of the throat. -He went to one specialist after another. -Three eminent men told him without hesitation -that he was suffering from a cancer growing -on the vocal cords, and that nothing but their -total excision could save his life. He was a -hard-working priest of our Church, and, of -course, the operation meant that he would -never utter a word again. However, his life -had to be saved. The doctors came; the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span> -throat was laid open; the operator had his -knife in his hand to excise the vocal cords. -He stopped dead. Instead of applying the -blade of the knife, he took hold, between his -thumb and the handle, of all he found there, -and peeled it off, just like the skin of a fruit. -Between the diagnosis and the operation the -patient had been anointed with oil in the name -of the Lord. That is one of not a few cases -which some of us know about, but it is by far -the best defined one I know of, and one that -is actually celebrated in medical circles; not, of -course, being quoted as an instance of what -may be done by anointing, but as a case -unique in surgical experience.” We went on to -say that we should be glad to have fuller -particulars, and we respectfully invited Bishop -Mylne to furnish us with the name of the -“latest up-to-date book on cancer” from -which he quoted.</p> - -<p>‘In the meantime, we had been put on the -track of the case by a distinguished physician, -and had obtained a report of the case from -the surgeon who operated. All, therefore, -that was wanting was the name of the book -from which the quotation purported to be -taken. We communicated with Bishop Mylne -on the subject, and we have to acknowledge -the courtesy with which he received our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span> -request for information and the pains he took -to procure it for us. <i>His Lordship was, -however, unable to gain the consent of those -to whom he applied to help in any way in -supplying an answer to a very simple question</i><span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">12</a></span> -As the matter is one of general interest not only -to the medical profession but to the whole of -mankind, we think it right to give the true -facts of the case, of course without disclosing -the patient’s identity.</p> - -<p>‘The operator was Mr. Butlin, who has been -good enough to give us permission to publish -the following account. He saw the patient, -who was at that time thirty-seven years of age, -in 1890. There was then a very white patch, -flat and sessile, on the middle of the left vocal -cord, looking like a papillary growth. A month -later the surface seemed to be ulcerated. -The patient was seen by other well-known -specialists, who, like Mr. Butlin himself, were -puzzled as to the nature of the disease. -Tubercle, papillary growth and malignant<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> -disease were in turn considered, but no -definite conclusion was arrived at. The -patient was treated in various ways for four -months before it was thought right to open -the larynx. Mr. Butlin then operated in the -presence of an eminent specialist, a distinguished -surgeon, and another medical man, a friend of -the patient.’</p> - -<p>Somewhat to curtail the account, let me -simply say that when the larynx was opened it -appeared that they had to do with a case either -of what is known as leukoplakia or a rather -rare form of papilloma. The latter seemed on -the face of it to be the more probable, though -evidently Mr. Butlin did not think so. Whatever -it was, it was certainly not malignant. -It was scraped away without difficulty: no -signs of infiltration were observed, and, when -last heard of, the patient’s recovery seemed -to be complete. The rest of the article in -the <i>British Medical Journal</i> consists of some -criticisms of Dr. Mylne’s proceedings, which -certainly do not appear to me to err on the -side of severity.</p> - -<p>The Society of Emmanuel has at last -consented to allow the British Medical Association -to carry out a full investigation into its -alleged cures. The report will be interesting -reading. Incidentally, it will be instructive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> -to note how many of the above cases have -been submitted to the investigators.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the danger is a real one. -Probably an investigation into the facts -of the ‘cures’ reported by other ‘psychotherapeutic’ -societies would yield much the -same results as have attended the inquiries -into the claims of the Society of Emmanuel. -Not one of them, so far as I know, even -attempts to put its work on a scientific basis; -and all claim implicitly, if not explicitly, that -they possess a power to cure the most malignant -organic diseases as well as functional -neuroses.</p> - -<p>If this cult is allowed to spread among the -ignorant and credulous (and it seems to me -that, <i>pari passu</i> with waning faith, the most -childish credulity is rapidly increasing in our -midst, often appearing in the most unexpected -places), a golden opportunity will be offered -to plausible impostors, without even the pretence -of a scientific training, to set up as -‘healers’ and reap a rich harvest of gain. -A few startling successes will be widely -advertised, and the huge tale of failures -quietly ignored. But a more serious danger -lies behind.</p> - -<p>I take the following from the <i>British Medical -Journal</i> of May 1, 1909:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span></p> - -<p>‘A man with some slight symptoms of -bladder trouble consulted an eminent specialist, -who discovered a small growth which could -easily have been removed. It was arranged -that the patient should undergo an operation. -In the meantime he fell among Christian -Scientists, who persuaded him that he was quite -well. And, indeed, for a time the symptoms -almost ceased. But the insidious disease -remorselessly went its way, till the unfortunate -patient was past all surgery.’</p> - -<p>If it be said that the societies I have -mentioned repudiate all connexion with Christian -Science, I reply that by their fruits must -they be judged. Both Christian Science and -the various associations for spiritual healing -profess to heal any and every disease, and -offer proofs of their claim, which, whenever -they have been tested, have been shown to be -utterly without foundation.</p> - - -<h3>III. <i>Spiritual Healing on a Scientific Basis</i></h3> - -<p>In a book which has recently appeared, -‘Body and Soul,’ by the Rev. Percy Dearmer, -we have a serious and able attempt to put -‘spiritual healing’ on a scientific basis. Considerations -of space do not permit me to deal -as fully as I should wish with this really<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> -interesting book, but, if I may try to put the -general argument into a single paragraph, -Mr. Dearmer’s contention is as follows:</p> - -<p>Bodily functions and bodily health are -regulated and sustained by what may be called -the lower nerve centres in the medulla of the -brain. It is by the exercise of these centres, -which in turn control the circulation, the -secretion of various glands, &c., that the body -combats disease. This work is continually -going on and we are for the most part quite -unconscious of it. But, says Mr. Dearmer, -‘we now know that these centres are in direct -connexion with the higher centres of the -cortex of the brain.’ I should think we do. So -did our ancestors a hundred years ago. Their -knowledge of the work of such centres as the -vasomotor, the respiratory, the heat-regulating, -&c., was fragmentary and imperfect to the last -degree, but not one of them had any doubt -that myriads of nerve fibres connected the -cortex with the medulla. Let us, therefore, -know how to stimulate the cortex, and all -disease (organic as well as functional) can be -cured. Hence, when our Lord cured Bartimæus’s -blindness, and when a ‘healer’ cures -locomotor ataxy, they are performing a function -quite as natural as in the case of a doctor -who cures malaria with quinine or restores the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span> -use of muscles in musculo-spiral paralysis by -the use of the interrupted current.</p> - -<p>This sounds plausible enough. There is -nothing very new in it; indeed, when we come -to analyse it, we shall see that, so far as general -principles go, there is nothing which was not -perfectly familiar in Sydenham’s day, or which -the most materialistic practitioner of our own -time would not admit without a moment’s -hesitation. But, of the limitations of his -process, Mr. Dearmer only seems to have a -confused idea. Let us take one of the instances -which he adduces in illustration of his argument. -He is speaking (p. 33) of the familiar phenomenon -of blushing. ‘When a person blushes,’ -says our author, ‘the small arteries are relaxed -and dilate, the amount of blood in them is -increased, and this hot red fluid flows in such -quantities through the capillaries of the skin -that the skin itself becomes hot and red. It is -strange that the thought “He says I am a -pretty girl” should cause the small arteries -to behave in this way; but the physiological -explanation is simple enough. These arteries -are supplied with muscles which regulate -them, and all muscles are worked by nerves. -The thought in the higher conscious centres -has somehow seen fit to hitch itself on to the -arterial muscles, just as when we telephone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">150</span> -to a friend in the City the exchange connects -us on to his office. <i>Now, supposing it to be -possible to cure a man, say of indigestion by -thought, the process would be the same.</i>’</p> - -<p>‘Supposing it to be possible to cure a man -of indigestion by thought,’ this is a statement -which no one would wish to dispute. But -I expect Mr. Dearmer would be surprised to -hear that the analogy of the excitation of the -vaso-dilator centre, which causes blushing, can -be applied to only a few varieties of indigestion. -Roughly, the commonest causes of indigestion -might be said to be: (<i>a</i>) anæmia, or an -insufficient supply of blood to the mucous -membrane of the stomach; (<i>b</i>) an imperfect -secretion of hydrochloric acid and the digestive -fluids owing to structural defects in the glands -of the stomach, usually a hereditary condition; -(<i>c</i>) a dilated organ; (<i>d</i>) some pathological -condition of the accessory large glands, e.g. -liver and pancreas; (<i>e</i>) dyspepsia, owing to -faulty balance of the nervous system. Any -one of these five is fairly common, but only -in the last is there a shred of evidence for -supposing that suggestion or any other -factor which would cause the higher, and -through them the lower, nervous centres to -show a healthy activity, would bring about -amelioration or a cure, while there is much<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">151</span> -evidence against any supposition of the -kind.</p> - -<p>Mr. Dearmer elsewhere lays it down that -healing by excitation of the ‘undermind’ is -only possible where the case is ‘curable.’ If, -he says in effect, the case is incurable, then -anything like spiritual or faith healing or -suggestion will fail to bring about a cure -[will the faith-healers kindly take note of this -admission?], <i>but so will any other more material -means</i>. To this one may be permitted to reply:</p> - -<p>(i) In many acute infections, e.g. scarlet -fever, typhoid fever, cholera, where complete -recovery may be expected if (<i>a</i>) the infection -is not too virulent, (<i>b</i>) the resisting power of -the tissues is vigorous and unimpaired, suggestion -in any form—hope, the desire to live, -the unexpected arrival of a much-loved friend, -&c.—will most certainly assist the patient to -battle with the disease. But these factors -will always operate without the elaboration -of a psychotherapeutic philosophy, and really -I do not like the idea of encouraging the -adoption of a solemn form of prayer, unction, -and the laying on of hands, when all the -evidence to hand points to this ‘treatment’ -having in acute infections just as much value -as (but no more than) the realisation on the -part of the patient that, if he dies at that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">152</span> -particular time, his business will be left in an -unsatisfactory condition and perhaps in incompetent -hands.</p> - -<p>(ii) In the case of what are usually termed -chronic ‘organic’ conditions, honours are no -longer even. Let us take four crucial examples.</p> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) Malignant tumours.</p> - -<p>Certainly we have no warrant for supposing -that in any, except cases of the extremest -rarity, the ‘undermind’ can possibly effect a -cure. But in a very large number of cases -which are taken sufficiently early and are -otherwise favourable, extirpation by the surgeon’s -knife can and does save the life of -the individual and prevent recurrence of -the tumour. I say again that an attitude -of hesitancy on this subject by those who, -like Mr. Dearmer, approach the question in a -scientific spirit, and their quasi-acceptance of -the alleged cures of cancer by spiritual and -other healers, which hopelessly break down -when anything like impartial investigation is -brought to bear on them—all this is likely -to be productive of infinite harm. In the -case of cancer or sarcoma a day’s delay may -make the whole difference between hope and -despair.</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) A class of disease of which a good -example is tuberculous affections of bone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">153</span></p> - -<p>Here we have to do with what is strictly -a non-malignant condition. That is to say, -there is always a fair ground for hoping that -surgery may operate like auxiliary steam -power in the battleships of the Crimean period. -Help nature (or the ‘undermind’) enough and, -other conditions being favourable, a tolerably -satisfactory result may be expected. But, -really, clinical experience in all civilised communities -for the past fifty or sixty years -must be allowed to have some value; and the -value surely lies in this, that the experienced -surgeon knows more or less exactly when to -excise or scrape and when to refrain. That -anyone should prefer to this the services -of some unqualified, inexperienced ‘healer,’ -who bids his patient trust in prayer, unction, -or whatever his method is, telling him that -if his faith is sufficient the largest sinus -will be cleared up and the most distressing -ankylosis broken down, simply strikes me -with amazement. If the ‘healers’ really wish -us to believe their claims, let them produce -a properly codified list of cases which can be -thoroughly investigated.</p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) Diseases in which certain drugs are -empirically known to act with marked success, -e.g. malaria. Here, properly graduated -quantities of quinine <i>can</i> and <i>do</i> effect an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">154</span> -absolute cure. There is no evidence whatever -that suggestion in any form can do the -same.</p> - -<p>(<i>d</i>) What may be called progressive organic -conditions, e.g. cirrhosis of the liver.</p> - -<p>I entirely agree that, in the conditions of -which this is an example, scientific medicine -can only hope to ameliorate and render life -more tolerable to the sufferer.</p> - -<p>But here I come to close grips with our -author, whose close and fair reasoning it is -a real pleasure to follow. In a very large -proportion of the diseases from which people -die, the pathological condition consists in the -deposition of fibrous tissue in some organ or -part of the general system. The causes and -clinical varieties are endless, but the result -the same. To instance only a few, we have:</p> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) Granular kidney, i.e. chronic Bright’s -disease.</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) Cirrhotic liver.</p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) Arterio-sclerosis, resulting in cerebral -hæmorrhage (stroke—apoplexy—paralysis).</p> - -<p>(<i>d</i>) Locomotor ataxy.</p> - -<p>(<i>e</i>) Tuberculous peritonitis with adhesions.</p> - -<p>Now, in all these, the fibrous tissue is first -deposited as an effort on the part of Nature to -repair the damage done by an acute or chronic -inflammation. But, unfortunately, not only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">155</span> -does this fibrous tissue take the place of -normal cells, whose activity is of the utmost -importance in preserving the health of the -individual, but it invariably tends after a time -to contract; from which contraction further -damage and the gravest results are likely to -ensue. It will be observed that in its simplest -form a fibrotic change is of the nature of real -repair. Thus, after a deep cut or extensive -injury to the skin, we all know that a ‘scar’ -results. This affords admirable protection to -the damaged area. Nor does the subsequent -contraction seriously matter. Care has to be -taken to allow for it in the treatment of -extensive burns, and considerable allowance -is made for contraction in the suturing of skin -incisions made in the course of an operation. -But except when the scar is on the face, where -it is objectionable for cosmetic reasons, a -contracting superficial scar is seldom a cause -of serious inconvenience. But the case is -very different in the kidney or the spinal -cord. Contraction there causes an extensive -destruction of delicate cells, and, by cutting off -the blood supply, a great impairment of -function, if not actual necrosis, of an infinite -number of cells which were not directly -affected by the preceding inflammation. And -so the vicious circle goes on.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">156</span></p> - -<p>Does Nature make no effort to play the part -of the spear of Achilles and ‘heal the wounds -which she herself has made’? Only to a -negligible extent, on account of the vicious -circle just alluded to. So we have the curious -phenomenon that in the skin and round the -broken ends of a fractured bone (for what is -called callus is really only fibrous tissue with -special bony elements superimposed) fibrous -tissue is very slowly but more or less steadily -absorbed; while in the places where such -absorption would be of the utmost value to the -individual it hardly takes place at all.</p> - -<p>Now, the reader will observe that this -fibrous tissue is, in the first instance, laid down -by the activity of leucocytes acting, to some -extent at any rate, in obedience to impulses -from the circulatory centres of the medulla, -to which Mr. Dearmer quite rightly attaches -considerable importance. They make up, in -fact, his ‘undermind.’ I can only say that, -so far as any pathological evidence which we -possess justifies us in coming to a definite -conclusion, we can but suppose that a stimulation -of these lower centres to greater activity, -by excitation through suggestion of the higher -ones, would lead to a further deposition of -fibrous tissue, to the great detriment of the -general condition of the patient. Any attempt<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">157</span> -at subsequent absorption seems to be practically -negligible.</p> - -<p>So, in the case of blind Bartimæus, Mr. -Dearmer’s contention that our Lord acted by -suggestion is almost demonstrably untrue. -At least, it is only even remotely probable on -the supposition that Bartimæus was suffering -from snow blindness, toxic amblyopia, or -one of those rare conditions following on such -a sudden, but transitory, disturbance of the -nervous system as sea-sickness. And since -snow blindness is for obvious reasons unknown -in Palestine, and since he certainly did not -use tobacco, and probably, like most Jews, -hated the sea, this does not seem to be a likely -explanation. If, on the other hand, it was -a case of corneal opacity following trachoma, -cataract, or glaucoma, or some condition -resulting in atrophy of the optic nerve, it may -be safely affirmed that the method of healing -was emphatically not that so carefully worked -out by Mr. Dearmer.</p> - - -<h3>IV. <i>The ‘Neurotic’ Theory of the Miracles of -the New Testament</i></h3> - -<p>The whole question of our Lord’s miracles -of healing, regarded merely as so many faith -cures, has been discussed in an admirable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">158</span> -essay contributed by Dr. R. J. Ryle to the -<i>Hibbert Journal</i> of April 1907. He had before -him no such systematic attempt to defend -this view as that made by Mr. Dearmer, -but only the rather loose theorising of certain -‘Modernists’ who, however competent they -may be to deal with textual criticism, are -hardly in their element when reviewing pathological -probabilities. Dr. Ryle quotes Professor -Harnack as saying:</p> - -<p>‘That the earth in its course stood still, -that a she-ass spoke, that a storm was quieted -by a word, we do not believe, and we shall never -again believe; but that the lame walked, the -blind saw, and the deaf heard will not be so -summarily dismissed as an illusion.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">13</a></span></p> - -<p>Others write to the same effect. ‘Progressive -criticism,’ says Dr. Ryle, ‘has adopted, -with much assurance, the opinion that the -diseases which were healed were what doctors -commonly speak of as functional diseases of the -nervous system, and that the production of a -strong mental impression was the means by -which the miracles of healing were brought -about. Upon this point there seems to be a -practical unanimity no less decided than that -which has been reached among critics of the -liberal school upon the other two points.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">159</span> -Thus Dr. Abbott tells us that the mighty -works were simply “acts of faith-healing on a -mighty scale.” The “Encyclopædia Biblica” -lays it down that “it is quite permissible for us -to regard as historical only those of the class -which, even at the present day, physicians are -able to effect by psychical methods.” Principal -Estlin Carpenter (in the “First Three Gospels”) -says, “The real force which worked the patient’s -cure dwelt in his own mind: the power of -Jesus lay in the potency of his personality to -evoke this force.”</p> - -<p>‘The writers have adopted what may be -called, for brevity, the Neurotic Theory. It -is for them to show by an actual examination -of the records that the ministry of healing -which is admitted “to stand on as firm historical -ground as the best accredited parts of the -teaching,” consisted in the curing of neurotic -patients by strong mental impressions. Have -they done so?’</p> - -<p>Dr. Ryle has, of course, no difficulty in -showing that they have done nothing of the -kind.</p> - -<p>‘It is not too much to say that no one of the -writers who has pinned his faith to the Neurotic -Theory has made any attempt to carry it out -in detail. We are offered a number of quite -commonplace allusions to the power of mind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">160</span> -over body, and we find a complacent conviction -expressed in several ways by several writers -to the effect that a certain class of disorders, -which are vaguely alluded to as “nervous,” are -promptly curable by emotional methods. But -we do not find any recognition of the fact that -only a small portion of the diseases to which -human flesh is heir are nervous diseases; and -that of nervous diseases, again, only a very -small and unimportant group admit of cure -in this way.</p> - -<p>‘What the critics have to do if they wish to -convince their readers of the Neurotic Theory -of the miracles of healing is nothing less than -this:</p> - -<p>‘1. They must show that the diseases which -Christ is said to have cured were of the kind -which experience proves to admit of psychical -treatment.</p> - -<p>‘2. They must show some good grounds for -the assertion that the way in which the cures -of the healing ministry were effected was the -way by which at the present day such cures -are effected, when what has been called moral -therapeutics has been the method employed.’</p> - -<p>The difficulty is obvious. If our Lord was -merely a faith healer, the results of long and -laborious investigations into many faith-healing -systems, all presenting very much the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">161</span> -same features both in methods of treatment -and effects, justify us in assuming that the -number of cures would have been strictly -limited.</p> - -<p>‘But then, quickly enough, would follow the -discovery that the powers of healing were -available not for all, but only for a small -and limited group of disorders; for in any -casual collection of sick people, though there -might be perhaps here one and here another -suitable patient for a faith-healing exhibition, -the majority would be unsuitable. What, -then, of the failures?</p> - -<p>‘The difficulty here referred to has not been -wholly overlooked, and it is worth while to -notice how the attempt has been made to -meet it. “Did a kind of instinct (asks Dr. -Abbott) tell Him that the restoration of a lost -limb was not like the cure of a paralytic, not -one of the works prepared for Him by His -Father?” and again, “Experience and some -kind of intuition may have enabled Him to -distinguish those cases which He could heal -from those (a far more numerous class) which -He could not.”</p> - -<p>‘The suggestion would not commend itself -to a medical reader as a very happy way out -of the difficulty. The naïve supposition that -in cases of disease which require unusually<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">162</span> -minute and scientific investigation diagnosis -was made “by a kind of instinct” or “some -kind of intuition” is quite on a par with the -innocent conception of the nature of diseases of -the nervous system which Dr. Abbott shows -elsewhere. Dr. Abbott would hesitate to allow -that Jesus had a kind of instinct to guide -Him safely concerning the Davidic origin of a -psalm or the date of the taking of Jerusalem. -Why should he imagine that he was less likely -to be at fault in the presence of equally -difficult problems of another kind? The -assumption of an infallible capacity for discrimination, -which could arrive at correct -conclusions without the use of any of the -methods and appliances of scientific medicine, -is merely to substitute one kind of “supernaturalism” -for another. A miraculous faculty -of diagnosis is no easier of acceptance than -a miraculous cure. A “kind of instinct” is -an absurd supposition.’</p> - -<p>Dr. Ryle then examines in detail certain of -the healing miracles as related by the Evangelists. -The result is to leave the intelligent -reader in no doubt that in nine out of ten of the -cases of ‘paralysis’ brought to Him, our Lord -would have been, on the ‘neurotic’ hypothesis, -no more likely to effect a cure than (to take -Dr. Abbott’s example) in ‘the restoration of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">163</span> -a lost limb.’ His clear account of the case of -the man with the withered hand, which the -non-medical reader will be able to follow -without difficulty, is worth quoting in full.</p> - -<p>‘In the story of the man with the withered -hand it is probable that we have to do with -another case of paralysis; and if so, we may -assume with considerable confidence that the -case was one of “infantile paralysis.” This is -the affection to which at the present day nearly -all the instances of “withered hand” or of -“withered leg” are owing. A child who has -been in good health, or has suffered perhaps -from a few days of feverishness, is found to -have lost power in an arm or leg. The limb -hangs flaccid and motionless. The muscles are -found to be wasting when the limb is examined -a week or two later, and the limb to be cold. -For a month or two there may be a little -recovery of movement. This soon stops, and -the arm or leg remains ever after more or less -powerless and shrunken and cold. Normal -growth is largely checked, and, in addition to -the actual atrophy and arrest of development, -various contractions and deformities become -established as time goes on. After death the -muscles are found to have become much -diminished and shrunken, and throughout a -certain portion of the spinal cord, corresponding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">164</span> -with the affected limb, destructive changes -are found to have occurred where the normal -structure of ganglion cells and nerve fibres is -replaced by the remains of the inflammatory -process which has been the cause of the palsy. -Such is the ordinary history of a withered hand. -Here the very word “withered,” which aptly -describes the condition of the limb, is the most -appropriate description of the result of the -process which has taken place. If such was the -pathology of the case described in Mark iii. 1, -it is needless to say that, although it belongs -to the group of the nervous diseases, it does -not belong to that class of nervous disease -which admits of treatment by moral impression -or emotional shock.’</p> - -<p>If this is accepted in the case of what -may truly be described as ‘nervous diseases,’ -then <i>à fortiori</i> the improbability of the view -taken by ‘progressive criticism’ is enormously -enhanced when we come to consider the healing -of the blind, the ‘woman with an issue of blood,’ -and others where the nervous system was not -primarily, if at all, affected.</p> - -<p>The conclusion of the whole matter seems -to be this. Medical science has at her command -a vast accumulation of clinical material -on which she is able to form a clearly reasoned -judgment. There is no such thing in Medicine<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">165</span> -as a ‘chose jugée.’ No single verdict ever -found but is open to revision if the evidence is -satisfactory. But we do claim that it should -be recognised, by all who have the interests of -truth at heart, that the limits of ‘psychotherapeutics,’ -‘spiritual’ or otherwise, are, -according to our present knowledge, sufficiently -well defined, and that nothing has yet been -brought forward to warrant anyone in making -an exception in favour of any one society or -method.</p> - - -<h3>V. <i>Clergy and Doctors</i></h3> - -<p>So much may be said on the critical side.</p> - -<p>A few words, for many are not needed, may -be added as to the positive advantages of a -clear understanding between the Church and -scientific Medicine, as to the spheres in which -both may hope to operate in fulfilment of a -genuine desire to cure or alleviate bodily disease.</p> - -<p>(1) The clergy have an unrivalled opportunity -of taking the lead in educating public -opinion on the subject. In no other religious -body in the world is the ministry of so high -a class, not merely socially (a small matter) but -intellectually, morally, and spiritually, as in -the Anglican Communion. As a result, I know -no body of men better able to come to sane<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">166</span> -and balanced conclusions on any subjects, -the details of which are within their own -experience. They touch life at many points. -Their calling brings them into contact with vast -numbers of people, and they usually show in -their dealings with others a broad-minded -tolerance and shrewd common-sense which is -beyond praise. I do not hesitate to say that, if -I were accused of a crime which I knew I had -not committed, I should feel safer if the trial -were conducted before a jury of Anglican -clergymen than before men drawn from any -other profession; but in this matter of -‘spiritual’ or ‘psychic’ healing they have not -risen to the occasion. An article in the -<i>Church Times</i> of February 18, 1910, lies -before me. A dogmatic gentleman (or lady, -perhaps—the style is essentially feminine) -writes the most confident nonsense on the -subject of the ‘Gift of Healing’ that ever -filled two columns. Here is an extract, not -by any means the most precious gem from the -entire chaplet, but a fair example of the whole:</p> - -<p>‘The gift of healing is simply a human -gift . . . like the gift of music or any other gift, -and also, like music, present in some people -more than in others, though probably present -in some degree in nearly everybody. . . . The -gift transcends all knowledge, it cures diseases<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">167</span> -considered incurable. Consumption, cancer, -blindness, deafness, cripples (<i>sic</i>), &c., this is -within our practical experience to-day, so that -it stands to reason that the art of curing by -medicine will gradually disappear as the gift -of healing grows and develops. Not so the -scientific knowledge of the doctors, which -will be used more and more where it ought to -be used, and that is <i>in the prevention of disease</i>.’</p> - -<p>Comment would be quite superfluous. But -what follows is instructive. In the next issue -of the <i>Church Times</i> the irrepressible Mr. -Hickson and the ‘Warden of the Guild of -Health’ rush into print with some rather vague -assertions about the ‘spiritual nature’ of this -gift. There is an extremely sensible letter -from a doctor, pointing out with great moderation -that, if there is any evidence for those -confident assertions, he would be glad to know -what it amounted to. No clergyman seems -to have thought it worth his while to disclaim -agreement with the wild statements of the -writer of the article.</p> - -<p>In the first place, then, I would appeal to the -clergy to inform themselves as to the limitation -of ‘spiritual healing,’ according to the immense -mass of evidence which has been -collected and does enable us to lay down those -limitations with sufficient accuracy for the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">168</span> -practical purpose of life; and to act as wise -advisers to their people in this matter.</p> - -<p>(2) The clergy will do well to remember -that a great deal of bodily <i>ill-health</i> may exist -quite independently of bodily <i>disease</i>. These -cases are commoner than cases of organic -malady. There is plenty of scope for ameliorative -work in connexion with them. At the -risk of being thought egotistical, I may be -allowed to quote a case which recently came -under my own observation, and which is -typical of a large number of others.</p> - -<p>A young man, who was clearly very far -from being of a neurotic or hysterical type, -came to me complaining of severe pain in the -region of the heart. It had, according to his -account, been gradually increasing for some -time. It frequently came on after he had run -upstairs, and on one occasion had been intense -after running to catch a train. It was sometimes -accompanied by violent palpitation and -breathlessness, and had no relation to food. -Would I tell him if his heart was all right? -I examined the heart and could find no trace -of any abnormal condition. Nor could I find -any evidence of anything in the abdomen -which would be likely to account for the pain. -I told him that his heart was absolutely sound -and that there appeared to be nothing to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">169</span> -suggest disease anywhere. A rather careful -diet would do him no harm. If it did not do -any good, it would be easy enough to prescribe -a tonic, but I did not think it necessary. -I never expected to see him again. Five -months later, however, he called and explained -with much gravity that he had come to thank -me for ‘curing his heart.’ I then remembered -the case, and was fairly staggered. ‘But bless -my soul,’ I said rather brusquely, ‘there never -was anything the matter with your heart.’ -‘No,’ he replied, this time with a quiet smile, -‘I know there wasn’t. All I can say is that -from the time you told me it was all right, -the pain disappeared, and I have never had -any return of it. But, look here, when it was -there, <i>the pain was real</i>.’</p> - -<p>I have no doubt it was. To label all such -cases as ‘hysterical,’ ‘neurotic,’ and so on -(in the ordinary connotation of these terms) -is utterly unscientific. This young fellow was -a sensible, cheerful, rather unimaginative youth -without a trace of ‘<i>neurasthenia</i>’ about him. -Yet, by coming to believe that his heart was -diseased, he had quite unconsciously so excited -the higher centres that the vagus nerve returned -exactly the impressions to the brain which -would be conveyed by various morbid organic -conditions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">170</span></p> - -<p>Now, in such a case as this (and the number -of them must be very large indeed) the parish -clergyman has a great scope for quiet, useful -work. Let him urge the patient not to dwell -on his supposed condition, but go at once to -a competent practitioner and find out what -exactly (if anything) is the matter. The -clergyman will find that (if he has the patient’s -consent) the doctor will make no difficulty -about affording him the fullest information -about the physical condition of the patient, and -from their co-operation the happiest results -may be expected.</p> - -<p>(3) Conversely, there are many cases where -a sympathetic doctor would be only too glad -to be in touch with a parish clergyman. -Occasionally we get at the hospital a note from -a clergyman, saying that X. Y. is to call at the -Out-Patients’ Department to-day, and that -the writer would be glad to know in confidence -what is the matter with him. I only -wish we had more. If there is no objection -raised by the patient, there is no difficulty -whatever about entering into the fullest particulars, -and in those cases (and they are far -from infrequent) where the patient complains -of ‘worries,’ a sympathetic adviser on the -spot will probably do more to bring about an -improvement in the physical condition than all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">171</span> -the compounds of iron, strychnine, &c., in -the hospital pharmacopœia. The full consent -of the patient is, of course, an indispensable -preliminary. When this is obtained, the rest -is easy enough.</p> - -<p>(4) In the same way, when there is a -suspicion or fairly clear evidence that health is -being undermined by some evil habit, the -sympathetic clergyman, who knows the patient -well, can do far more for him than the most -skilled doctor who has probably only seen him -once or twice. Why any clergyman should -want to babble about a special ‘gift of healing’ -in dealing with these most distressing cases, -considering what the evidence on the subject -of a ‘gift of healing’ is, I cannot conceive. -The unostentatious, healthy influence of a -cultured Christian gentleman has a potency -which no manipulation or ritual is in the least -likely to enhance. If he will equip himself -with the necessary information as to the -‘patient’s’ actual physical condition, he can -set to work to exercise his influence, with the -knowledge that he will probably effect more, -so far as a permanent result goes, than all -the self-styled ‘healers’ who ever supported -scientific misstatements with bad logic, or -clouded with frothy verbiage what intellect -they possess.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SICKNESS</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">VICAR OF CHEDDAR AND PREBENDARY OF WELLS</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">175</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="OUR_LORDS_ATTITUDE_TOWARDS">OUR LORD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS -SICKNESS</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By W. Yorke Fausset</span>, M.A.</div> - - -<p>(1) Men are commonly influenced by actions -and personal example much more powerfully -than by abstract teaching; and the Christian -tradition conforms to this principle in placing -the three Synoptic Gospels in the forefront -of the New Testament. For they set before -us the mind of Christ in the words and acts of -Jesus. Thus when the thoughtful Christian is -asked, ‘What is the Gospel view of disease?’ -he will be inclined to reply, ‘The question is a -difficult one, but we may say with some confidence -that our Lord answered it by His -miracles of healing.’ A study of these and -of their underlying principles may help us -towards the definition we seek.</p> - -<p>The records are fragmentary. Yet they are -warm with living realism. The great facts of -our Faith stand out before us in the moving -drama of the Synoptic Gospels<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">14</a></span> just as truly as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">176</span> -they are interpreted for us in the spiritual -Gospel, the Fourth. Jesus Christ is portrayed -as the Son of Man: and whatever else that -most significant title denotes, it speaks to us of -His human activity, His practical and energetic -sympathy with the sins and sorrows of men. -And this activity found its exercise in two -directions: teaching and healing. The association -of the two things is noteworthy, as indicating -a great principle. The sins of mankind -are not unconnected with their sicknesses; -spiritual restoration with bodily relief. A -calm of soul may bring rest to the body. -He who fulfilled in His earthly ministry the -prophetic office was also a ‘Physician of -extraordinary achievement.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">15</a></span> To render Professor -Bousset’s words, though we cannot -reproduce their eloquence:</p> - -<p>‘How the simple populace must have hailed -this Deliverer in every time of need! With -what unspeakable confidence they must have -thronged him! At his coming, despair lifted -its head, dull eyes glistened, weary hands -and arms reached forth towards him. They -trusted him for everything, all things became -possible. Body and soul with all their needs -they brought to him for healing. The cries -of need and anguish, the confidence which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">177</span> -knew no limitations, the craving for help, -the faltering prayer, the shouts or sobs of joy, -the tears of gratitude—daily he moved in the -midst of it all.’</p> - -<p>Are we then to conclude that our Lord -attached no less importance to the cure of -bodily ailment than to the spiritual redemption -of men? Much has been written of late years -which might seem to imply this. But the -whole trend of Christ’s teaching forbids us to -emphasise the value of physical well-being -at the expense of the master claims of the -spirit: witness His words in the Sermon on -the Mount about taking thought for the life -or the body<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">16</a></span> And therefore we must avoid -mere rhetoric and special pleading.</p> - -<p>(i) It is plain, at the outset, that our Lord -set certain limits to the exercise of His healing -activity. What has often been said of miracles -in <span class="nowrap">general<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">17</a></span> may be said of the miracles of -healing. There is a severe economy in the -exercise of such supernatural, or extranatural, -powers. This is illustrated by our Lord’s -apparent reluctance to work miracles when it is -not certain that a true faith asks for it<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">18</a></span> In<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">178</span> -other words, the receptivity of men is necessary -to the Divine transaction with the sufferer.</p> - -<p>Again, He is slow to exercise His power -outside the boundaries of Israel, within which -He was pleased to confine His work of preaching -and healing. Possibly He knew that there He -would be welcomed as a mere wonder-working -magician. He makes it a condition of His -action that the atmosphere should be one of -real faith<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">19</a></span> He could there do no mighty works -because of their unbelief<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">20</a></span> Was it because of -the waning faith of the multitudes that, -towards the end of His work on earth, the -Healing Ministry almost ceases<span class="nowrap">?<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">21</a></span> Whether -on this account, or in the desire to escape the -demonstrations of popular interest which the -miracles evoked, or because the full evidential -effect of these ‘signs’ was now almost attained, -He restricts His healing, life-giving power to -some four cases, one of them the raising of -Lazarus. For each and all a special reason -can be found<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">22</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">179</span></p> - -<p>(ii) Christ’s healing activity was therefore -strictly limited in scope. It may be asked, -Was it a ‘unique manifestation of a unique -Personality<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">23</a></span> or did it differ in degree rather -than in kind from the wonderful works of -human healers, or, at all events, of healers who -have wrought ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’? -The latter view by no means commits its -advocates to a ‘humanitarian’ view of the -Person of Jesus Christ: while it amply satisfies -the facts. Again, it is not necessary, for the -purpose of the present discussion, to digress -into the field of New Testament criticism. -Renan, in his ‘Vie de Jésus,’ feels himself -constrained to apologise for the miraculous -action of Christ, on the ground that ‘the rôle of -thaumaturge was unwelcome to him, but was -imposed upon him by his contemporaries.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">24</a></span> -To Loisy, a critic of profounder learning and -far more reverent temper, it appears that the -miracles were in reality ‘works of mercy . . . -and not a direct argument in favour of the -Messiahship of the Saviour,’ a complexion -which was afterwards put upon them more -or less unconsciously by the Evangelists<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">25</a></span> -But it is quite consistent with a reverent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">180</span> -acknowledgment of the Divinity of our Lord, -and an acceptance of the Gospel records in substance -as they stand, to hold that the miracles -of healing—with the nature-miracles we are -not here concerned—were the simple outcome -of that all-embracing human pity which, in -itself, betokened the expected Messiah; rather -than an immediate exercise of Almighty power, -and the utterance, within the physical order, -of the Eternal Word. We find our Lord -proclaiming Himself, in the synagogue of -Nazareth, the Fulfiller of that great prophecy -of Isaiah in his sixty-first chapter, in which the -Messianic mission is set forth in language in -which a spiritual and a physical deliverance -are inseparably intertwined<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">26</a></span> Similarly, in -answer to the Baptist’s message, the same -blending of evangelical teaching and spiritual -healing is to be noticed; and, once again, sin and -disease stand out as the dominant factors in the -condition of this present world.</p> - -<p>(iii) But if the source of the miracles is -thus to be sought in the Sacred Humanity, that -Humanity is, after all, the perfect ideal and -norm of all humanity. Whatever exceptional -powers of genius, whatever special faculties -and latent gifts of mind and will have appeared -at rare intervals among men, these we should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">181</span> -expect to find exemplified, one and all, in the -Life of Christ, had that Life come down to us in -a complete form. Now, it cannot be questioned -that in every age a few individuals have been -found, who were endowed with a preternatural -therapeutic power, connected generally with -a very subtle power of sympathy, but, in some -instances, if we may believe what we are told, -inherent in a person who had no wish whatever -to exercise it<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">27</a></span> That some such virtue resided -in Christ, and accounts for some part of His -healing work, need not be questioned. The -records may be said to imply it in two -passages<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">28</a></span> that which relates to the act of the -woman who touched the hem of His garment -in the crowd, and that which speaks of this -method of cure as ofttimes repeated. They -besought Him that they might touch if it -were but the border of his garment—and as -many as touched were made whole.</p> - -<p>It is possible, no doubt, to account for such -cures on a purely naturalistic hypothesis, -such as that which <span class="nowrap">Keim<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">29</a></span> accepts, viz. that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">182</span> -they were cases of faith-healing; a phenomenon -which recurs in connexion with nearly -every form of religious belief, and in every -stage of social development. The influence of -the spiritual imagination on the bodily state -is undeniable. Everyone knows something -about the phenomena of Lourdes and Bethshan, -healing resorts which, theologically speaking, -lie at opposite poles. In a cruder form the -same effects are found in connexion with -holy wells and relics of the saints<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">30</a></span> We may -go back to the ancients and find wonderful -cures reported in the pagan world, from the -shrines of Asclepius (the patron deity of -physicians). A blind man touches the altar -of Aesculapides (as he was called at Rome) -on the island of the Tiber and receives his -sight<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">31</a></span> The Emperors Hadrian and Vespasian -used to touch for the ‘King’s evil.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">32</a></span></p> - -<p>But can anyone study the miracles of our -Lord as a whole (for we must not lose sight -of those wrought upon inanimate nature) and -feel that they are sufficiently explained by a -familiar truth in psychology, viz. that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">183</span> -religious imagination is able to stimulate the -bodily forces, whatever may be the spiritual -soil in which that imagination is bred? -Faith, or a conscious receptivity in the mind -of the patient, was a frequent factor in the -healing process; although there is really -nothing in the records to make us predicate -it of Jairus’s daughter or the centurion’s slave -or the nobleman’s son. It is surely remarkable -that our Lord held Himself aloof from all those -methods of cure which might have suggested -the enchanter and magician, particularly in -the case of demoniacs. The Jews, like other -ancient nations, resorted to the use of exorcism, -incantation, and talismans, which owed their -potency to their effect on the imagination. -Christ does not hypnotise men or throw them -into an ecstasy. Where faith is present, He -gladly works through it towards the salvation -of the whole man. But often there is a mere -flicker of faith, a spark in the flax. In the -sick room, when the vital forces are enfeebled, -the brain clouded, and the spirits depressed -by physical malady, it is a rare thing, surely, -for the flame of faith to burn brightly and the -imagination to glow with the consciousness -of an unseen Presence. And the Church -would have but little encouragement to invoke -for her own ministries the healing Power of her<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">184</span> -Master, if it could only be enlisted on behalf -of such patients as already possessed ‘comfort -and sure confidence in their Lord.’ We believe -that the Church has something less elusive to -offer her people in their hour of need: and we -return to the records of Christ’s miracles in -order to discover it.</p> - -<p>(iv) The value of what is called ‘mental -therapeutics’ is no longer contested; it receives, -and has received for some time, the -careful attention of the medical profession<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">33</a></span> -We approach the subject from the religious -standpoint, we base our study of it upon the -teaching and practice of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, -we must discriminate between psychic -treatment and spiritual treatment. The former -term, if applicable to religious treatment, can -also denote forms of mental cure which are -unconnected with religion, e.g. the use of -hypnotism. But Christ addresses Himself to -the Spirit (πνευμα), that highest element of our -nature, through which the mystics hold that we -have kinship with God, and in unison with which -the Holy Spirit attests our Divine sonship. -His miracles are works of <i>spiritual</i> healing, they -are wrought for the whole man, not only for -soul, and certainly not only for body. Christ’s -view of healing is relative to His view of disease,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">185</span> -His view of disease to His view of human -nature. Had he attached to bodily health -the supreme importance which it is the -tendency of our day to assign to it, and -regarded bodily pain as a thing at all costs -to be effaced, we must suppose that His -whole Life upon earth would have been devoted -to the relief of sickness and pain, and that the -‘Healing Ministry’ of His Church would have -been far more clearly defined. But no more -does He abolish disease than He abolishes -pauperism. The tendency of His teaching is -to inculcate self-sufficingness (the αὐταρκεία, -of St. <span class="nowrap">Paul<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">34</a></span> and the Greek philosophers) in the -face of all temporary evils and ailments, the -conquest of things material by the spirit, its -supremacy in the hierarchy of human nature; -in a word, the principle of inner control or -autonomy, as the birthright of the human -spirit. In his great picture of the Transfiguration, -Raphael has caught this contrast -between the calm of the heavenly Mount above -and the ineffective, agonised distraction of -suffering humanity here below, in the person -of the lunatic boy and his father. But that -heavenly calm of spirit is not the self-centred -aloofness of the Stoic. The doctrine of the -Incarnation brings the Divine Saviour down<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">186</span> -to men, lifts man up to the peace of heaven<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">35</a></span> -and at the same time bids him find that peace -in fulfilling the bodily duties of his corporate -Church life. It will not admit of a selfish -quietism. But before this peace of God which -Christ proclaims, the worry and ‘fear-thought’ -of our overstrung modern age, its neurotic -sensationalism and morbid self-analysis, would -retire abashed. Christ would teach us that -human nature is itself only when it is itself in -its completeness, when the physical is truly -the instrument of the spiritual. There is no -dualism, no schism in human nature as -Divinely planned. The voluptuary and the -ascetic are both at fault, the former more -so because he sins against the higher self. -Christ is the Saviour of the whole man, and to -the sick He restores ‘perfect soundness,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">36</a></span> nor -does He refuse to be called the Saviour of the -body<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">37</a></span></p> - -<p>(v) It is a significant fact that in the Gospels -the word for ‘save’ (σῴζειν) is applied -to bodily as well as spiritual salvation; it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">187</span> -denotes ‘to restore to health or sanity.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">38</a></span> A -protest may here be entered against the very -prevalent opinion that God sent sickness upon -man, by an Almighty fiat, in order to discipline -him into patience and other Christian virtues. -Such a view, crudely stated, has led to much -perplexity and distress of faith, and it is not -warranted by the teaching of the New Testament. -God can bring good out of evil, even -in its worst forms. But that is not to say that -God by a deliberate act designs and causes -evil. More than once in the New Testament -sickness is attributed to Satanic agency, in the -case of ‘the woman which had a spirit of -infirmity eighteen years,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">39</a></span> and in that of St. -Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">40</a></span> Disease is a -disturbance of the balance of human powers, -mental and bodily, a derangement of faculties -and functions. Consider the bearing of this -upon life. Modern science teaches us the -doctrine of the persistence of matter; in Sir -Oliver Lodge’s words, ‘a really existing -thing never perishes, but only changes its -form’—in the case of our complex human -constitution, that change of form is what we -call death. It is vital force which maintains -that inner harmony which we call health: it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">188</span> -is disease, an accident, which impairs it. This -derangement and discord is but one instance -of that general disturbance of the world’s -harmony which sin has introduced. Sometimes, -as in the case of the impotent man of -St. John v., disease is the direct consequence -of sinful conduct. It is the work of the Son -of Man to restore harmony and repair the -breaches in Nature’s order. And this His -healing power on its spiritual, which is its -essential, side effects. Incidentally, miracles -are ‘signs,’ evidences of the Christian Revelation, -but their primary character is that -of ‘mighty works’ (δυνάμεις), particular manifestations -of that Power (δύναμις) which resides -in the Person of the Lord. As such they -impressed King Herod, though he attributed -their authorship to the Baptist risen from the -dead<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">41</a></span></p> - -<p>(vi) This Healing Power of Christ stands -in closest relation to His claim to be ‘the -Life of them that believe and the Resurrection -from the dead.’ It flows from His Personality. -Though that Personality is veiled for us in -profound mystery, we know that in It the -Human will and the Divine will are in perfect -accord; and, therefore, it does not surprise -us that, while a place is found in the Saviour’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">189</span> -Life upon earth for weariness and pain, none -is found for sickness; for, in all things, He -conformed to the Will of God for man, which is -health, not sickness. Sickness is a violation of -that normal condition which God has appointed -for man. When infection and disease entered -into the world, we must believe that they were -part of that general imperfection which God -can only be said to will as a means to an end, -or as a passing stage in the evolution of good. -God does not send sickness to scourge us, but -overrules it to purge us. In saying this, we -need not deny the possible place of death in a -perfect cosmos; a death which should have been -the gradual ebbing of physical vitality, not -its sapping and undermining by the malignant -forces of disease. We should expect, then, that -our Lord’s healing power would be the action -of the life-giving Spirit of God upon the spirit -of man, from the very fact that in Christ man -was brought into living contact with God.</p> - -<p>Recent psychology, especially in the investigations -of Professor W. James and the -late F. W. H. Myers, has thrown a new light -upon those recesses of human nature in which -our religious experiences take place. We have -learned that there is a subconscious self, -a submerged portion of our faculties, which -responds to spiritual impressions and accepts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">190</span> -those suggestions of a Higher Power, to which -mind and intellect are sometimes deaf, a -‘subliminal self,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">42</a></span> in which religious faith and -the inspirations of genius are alike rooted, -and which is <i>en rapport</i> with another world -than that of the senses. We are reminded of -Tennyson’s words:</p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Moreover, something is or seems,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That touches me with mystic gleams,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Like glimpses of forgotten dreams—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of something felt, like something here;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Of something done, I know not where<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_43" href="#Footnote_43" class="fnanchor">43</a></span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p>It is through that under-self that mental -cures appear to operate<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_44" href="#Footnote_44" class="fnanchor">44</a></span></p> - -<p>The theory certainly contributes something -to our problem, making it conceivable, even -to our finite intelligence, how the Divine Life -of Christ should enter into man, sick of body -and sad of soul, and this quite in the line of the -order and natural law of God’s universe. Christ -is one with the Father; He came down from -Heaven to do the will of the Father; His works -are done in the Father’s name (John x. 25). -The Father hath given the Son to have life<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">191</span> -in Himself (John v. 26). The Divine Life is -communicated to those who seek it in Christ. -We are not to restrict the thought of that Life -to the immaterial part of our nature; it is the -more abundant life which floods the being -of him who ‘liveth unto God.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_45" href="#Footnote_45" class="fnanchor">45</a></span> We may not -fathom its hidden processes: like spiritual -teaching, spiritual healing can come home -only to the ‘spiritual men’ whose minds are -‘in tune with the Infinite.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_46" href="#Footnote_46" class="fnanchor">46</a></span> But some desire -for ‘more life and fuller’ is found in every man. -Classical scholars will remember the pathetic -lines written by the statesman Mæcenas in his -last illness:</p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Debilem facito manu,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Debilem pede, coxa . . .</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Vita dum superest, bene est<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_47" href="#Footnote_47" class="fnanchor">47</a></span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p>In this universal fact of human nature, this -desire to live, which varies infinitely among -men from the mere craving of animal existence -up to the desire for the life in God, we see man’s -response to the Giver of Life.</p> - -<p>The appeal of the Good Physician is to -human nature, and ‘He knows what is in man.’ -He takes a natural emotion or faculty, vitalises<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">192</span> -and invigorates it. We have had to keep -the connexion of spiritual health and physical -health constantly before us. There is a -parallelism between them which is no mere -analogy, but is a sort of pre-established -harmony; and therefore a wise interpretation -of Scripture has seen in the Miracle an ‘acted -parable.’ Thus it is in regard to the ‘desire -to live’ which supports our bodily vitality. -This categorical imperative or instinctive -‘ought’ of health is a primary instinct. The -‘will to be well’ corresponds with the ‘will -to be good’ which is the basis of the moral -life.</p> - -<p>(2) Bearing these principles in mind, we -must turn to a closer examination of some -of the miracles, with a view to some practical -conclusions in regard to the healing office of the -Church of our own day.</p> - -<p>(i) Has the age of miracles long ceased? -It has long been assumed by religious minds, -as a kind of axiomatic truth, that this is so. -They have seen in the healing miracles of -Christ the unique exercise of a power specifically -Divine, a power which was continued for -a time, with other extraordinary gifts, to the -early Church for reasons which no longer held -good when once she had taken firm root in the -world. But we have already shown reasons<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">193</span> -for the opinion that, unique as is our Lord’s -Humanity, we are to regard it as conditioned -by those laws of nature and material existence -which are the expression in the visible sphere -of the Creative will. ‘It behoved Him in all -things to be made like unto His brethren.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_48" href="#Footnote_48" class="fnanchor">48</a></span> -And there is strong reason to hold that the -true believer will be permitted, in virtue of -his fellowship with Christ, to do ‘greater -works’ than those which Christ Himself -wrought<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_49" href="#Footnote_49" class="fnanchor">49</a></span> greater, that is to say, not in a -material but a spiritual way. That the works -in question were wrought ‘in the spirit’ is -unquestioned. Consider what those ‘spiritual’ -methods of the Great Healer were. He -wrought His mighty works in the Father’s -name. Not only does He lay down for others -the principle of intercessory prayer, but as -Man He exercises it Himself. Of the demoniac -boy He says: ‘This kind goeth forth not but -by prayer and fasting.’ St. Luke records -the fact that He made the importunity of the -multitude, who sought His teaching and healing -grace, a fresh occasion for retirement and -prayer<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_50" href="#Footnote_50" class="fnanchor">50</a></span> The same Gospel tells us of a night -spent in prayer before the election of the Twelve -Apostles<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_51" href="#Footnote_51" class="fnanchor">51</a></span> They received His commission to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">194</span> -heal and to teach on the succeeding day, -which saw also the vast concourse of people -resorting to Him once more from all quarters. -In the account of the raising of Lazarus it -is clearly laid down that Jesus Christ knew -the Father’s will in virtue of fellowship with -Him in prayer and meditation, and that -He exercised His own life-giving powers in -accordance with that Will.</p> - -<p>Health in itself is an ideal, the perfect -harmony of all the elements, the spiritual and -the material, which constitutes a man. One -of the greatest living authorities writes: -‘Health, like every other such name, is to be -used in a relative sense; absolute health is an -ideal conception.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_52" href="#Footnote_52" class="fnanchor">52</a></span> This being so, it is apparent -to any religious mind that the true concept of -the well-being, physical and even mental, of -any person is only to be found in the Mind -of God. And that is only an abstract way -of saying that, if we follow Christ’s example, -we shall seek to enter into His fellowship -with the Father. In that Divine fellowship -we shall be able to pray for the true health -and recovery of our sick people. ‘The prayer -of faith shall save the sick,’ for faith implies -a whole-hearted acceptance of the Will of God<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">195</span> -for the uncertain future. This gives a man -the tranquillity of soul which is no less needed -for prayer than for action. Such an one -possesses his own soul. Our Lord promises -to those, who ‘have faith and doubt not,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_53" href="#Footnote_53" class="fnanchor">53</a></span> that -they shall ‘remove mountains,’ a hyperbolic -expression, but yet one which seems to claim -a certain power of acting upon inanimate -nature<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_54" href="#Footnote_54" class="fnanchor">54</a></span> Such a power need not carry with it -a positive breach of cosmic law. It is impossible -for any really reverent mind to wish, -even in the supposed interest of his dearest -friend, to bend the Will of God to his own -desire. Such a rash prayer involves the fatal -flaw of that ‘doubting mind’ which is forbidden -us, the mind ‘divided’ between God -and self. The spirit which unites us to God, -that unfathomed inner self, desires the universal -good.</p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Our wills are ours, we know not how:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>God wills the true health and salvation of each -human soul, as He alone can view it, in its -relation both to the vast whole of immaterial -being and to the order of the material universe.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">196</span> -‘His will He knoweth which way to accomplish.’ -Prayer is the act of resignation of our -individual desires and thoughts into His all-wise -hands. Prayer universalises a personal -longing; and so wonderful is the magic of -true prayer, fetching up from the deep of our -being suggestions, inspirations, forces unperceived -by man, that it can never fail to -induce a sense of calm, the most favourable -for a physical recovery; and many a time it -has effectuated that recovery itself. Science -may teach the ‘reflex action of prayer’; -religion will always find authentic answers to -prayer.</p> - -<p>Prayer is the spiritual instrument on which -our Lord in His Human Nature relies, and on -which He encourages His Church to rely—‘a -mighty engine of achievement.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_55" href="#Footnote_55" class="fnanchor">55</a></span> His method -was grounded in prayer, the prayer of that -Divine fellowship, which is His, as it cannot -belong to any of the sons of men, and yet in -Him, ‘in the Name of Christ,’ the Church -must still expect to accomplish the miracles -of faith, in proportion to the degree of her own -spirituality. Who, indeed, would have looked -for miracles of healing in the English Church -of the eighteenth century, unless it were among -the non-jurors, who actually revived the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">197</span> -apostolic rite of unction<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_56" href="#Footnote_56" class="fnanchor">56</a></span> and the pious followers -of John Wesley<span class="nowrap">?<a id="FNanchor_57" href="#Footnote_57" class="fnanchor">57</a></span></p> - -<p>(ii) But that spiritual power, thus resident -in the Healer, has to communicate itself to -the subjects of His grace; subjects they must -be rather than objects. And His first purpose -is to excite the dormant energies of life and -action. He does it as a wise physician will -do it, by concentrating the patient’s mind -upon Himself<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_58" href="#Footnote_58" class="fnanchor">58</a></span> This is done by a question, -or other means, adapted, with His profound -insight into character, to the individual case. -In the case of the deaf man who had an impediment, -He effected this by isolating him<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_59" href="#Footnote_59" class="fnanchor">59</a></span> -and then using physical means (with finger and -saliva). Exactly parallel is the case of the -blind man, which, like the former, is recorded -by St. Mark alone<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_60" href="#Footnote_60" class="fnanchor">60</a></span> He asks blind Bartimæus, -‘What wilt thou that I should do unto -thee?<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_61" href="#Footnote_61" class="fnanchor">61</a></span> And this is one of several cases in -which the sovereign faculty of will leaps forth, -and the confession of faith attends it<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_62" href="#Footnote_62" class="fnanchor">62</a></span> In -the cure of the lame man by St. Peter (in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">198</span> -Acts iii. 4, 5) this concentration of the thought -of the patient upon the healer is reciprocal -(ἀτενίσας . . . ἐπει̑χεν).</p> - -<p>The tonic influence of a healthy personality -upon the hysterical, neurotic, and mentally -diseased, not to speak of minds depressed in -a normal way, is familiar to everyone. In -Dinah Morris’s visit of comfort to the widowed -Lisbeth, we have a sample of that subtlest -perception and ‘subduing influence of the -spirit’ which we may call inspiration<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_63" href="#Footnote_63" class="fnanchor">63</a></span> In -the New Testament it appears at its highest in -treatment of those strong cases of dual personality, -mental disorder, or hysteria, which we -know as demoniacal possession. We cannot -here discuss the question, whether the sufferer -was the victim of the lower elements in -his own nature or of a malignant outside influence -(known in the language of the day as a -‘demon’). On the other hand, it has to be -remembered that the Jews personified ordinary -diseases; and our Lord conformed to popular -ideas when ‘He rebuked the fever’ of Simon’s -wife’s mother, unless we hold that the -evangelist has coloured the record of His -action by his own mentality<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_64" href="#Footnote_64" class="fnanchor">64</a></span> On the other -hand, we know little as yet of the psycho<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">199</span>logical -problems of civilised humanity and -less of those of half-civilised or uncivilised -peoples, such as the Galileans of our Lord’s -day. But if we should allow that the demon -was merely the sufferer’s lower ego, the marvel -of the cure is not lessened. There is a great -power of evil in the world; and the lower -self was entirely dominated by it until Christ -emancipated the man by His sovereign demand -upon his spirit. Inner harmony was restored. -They find the man ‘sitting at the feet of -Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.’ The -bodily and the mental well-being are combined -in the cure. The sufferer’s enfeebled will is -braced up to respond to the Will of the Healer, -that ease shall expel disease. Within the -man’s being, as truly as without it, ‘imperavit -ventis, et facta est tranquillitas magna.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_65" href="#Footnote_65" class="fnanchor">65</a></span></p> - -<p>(iii) An analysis of the miracles of Christ -indicates His attitude towards the material and -outward means, on which the physician still -so largely relies. The letter of King Abgarus -to our Lord (preserved by Eusebius), genuine -or not, indicates, we may believe, the feature -in His treatment which most impressed the -men of His day. ‘The story hath reached -my ears of Thee and Thy healings as wrought -by Thee without drugs and simples.’ Though<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">200</span> -this was so, He did not eschew the use of -material and visible signs, such as clay and -saliva, which were adapted to convey to sick -folk that ‘mental suggestion’ of returning -health, which was His constant method of -healing. In the following miracles the use -of such material means is recorded: the case -of the deaf man with an impediment (Mark vii. -33), of the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark viii. -24), of the man blind from his birth (John ix. -6), who also was sent to wash in the pool of -Siloam. Of the Apostles, on their first mission, -it is said that they anointed with oil many -that were sick, and healed them (Mark vi. 13). -Probably this element, which was in frequent -medicinal use, was in their hands ceremonial, -a symbol of that healing power of their Master -which they were allowed in His name to -exercise. He Himself is found, in the great -majority of instances, to rely on the touch of -the hand alone<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_66" href="#Footnote_66" class="fnanchor">66</a></span> He knew that it spoke to -the heart of a Divine effluence of power as -well as a human sympathy. In one of the -frescoes of the Creation, on the roof of the -Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo has pictured the -form of the first man, perfect as a statue, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">201</span> -lifeless until the Finger of God quickens it -with a touch. And, after all, a universal -instinct associates ideas of sympathy and -positive relief with the movement of the hand. -Thus in the Greek myth, the distracted Io -is comforted by the prophecy of Prometheus -that the God would restore her by his -touch<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_67" href="#Footnote_67" class="fnanchor">67</a></span></p> - -<p>(iv) The healing of the nobleman’s son, of -the centurion’s slave, and that of the Syrophœnician -woman’s daughter stand by themselves -as instances of ‘absent treatment.’ -The strong impression wrought in the mind -of the father, the master, the mother, respectively, -is conveyed by a sort of telepathy to the -mind of the patient. ‘Why herein,’ surely, -is a marvellous thing for those who cannot -accept our Lord’s claim to be the Son of Man -in a unique sense—that He should thus have -possessed, 2000 years ago, a knowledge of the -mysterious processes of human nature which -modern science is only now beginning to -divine. It is in that fact that the ‘glory’ -(Luke xiii. 17; John xi. 40), the ‘wonder’ -(Matt. xxi. 15), the ‘strangeness’ (Luke v. 26) -of the miracles of Christ consist. They are -‘works of power,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_68" href="#Footnote_68" class="fnanchor">68</a></span> ‘outcomings of that mighty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">202</span> -power of God which was inherent in Christ,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_69" href="#Footnote_69" class="fnanchor">69</a></span> -and which He exerted within a region of -human nature then unexplored. We cannot -ponder too deeply on that great saying of -St. Augustine, ‘Portentum fit non contra -naturam, sed contra quam est nota natura.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_70" href="#Footnote_70" class="fnanchor">70</a></span> -Who shall attempt to lay down the laws which -govern the operation of the spiritual upon -the material? and still more to delimit the -powers of the Personality and Will of Him, in -whose name Apostles, Saints of the Church, -and humble Christians unrecorded in history -have wrought cures, which only a purblind -scepticism can gainsay?</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">VICAR OF CHEDDAR AND PREBENDARY OF WELLS</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">205</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_PRINCIPLES_OF">THE PRINCIPLES OF -MODERN CHRISTIAN HEALING</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By W. Yorke Fausset</span>, M.A.</div> - - -<p>The psychologists teach us that a man’s -‘self’ is a larger thing than the ‘me’ which, -we might say, a child has in view when it puts -out a hand to get a sweetmeat for itself. As -Professor W. James says, ‘The old saying -that the human person is composed of three -parts—soul, body, and clothes—is more than -a joke’; and he goes on to include in that self -the man’s immediate family, his home, the -property he has collected<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_71" href="#Footnote_71" class="fnanchor">71</a></span> And then we -think of Aristotle’s definition of man as a -‘political’ or social animal—the social self -with its wider or narrower reach—for ‘properly -speaking a man has as many social selves as -there are individuals who recognise him.’</p> - -<p>(i) All this has an important bearing on the -subject of health and disease. We are all -influenced by our environment for better or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">206</span> -worse. The material and visible conditions -of life, our home, our friends and associates, -our country, our daily occupations, contribute -to make us what we are. Life is defined by -Herbert Spencer as ‘the continuous adjustment -of internal relations.’ It may be difficult -or even impossible to attain to the stable -equilibrium of perfect goodness, perfect health, -perfect happiness; and, in fact, neither science -nor religion encourage us to expect such a -consummation within the limits of this earthly -existence.</p> - -<p>But there may be a ‘continuous adjustment’; -and it must be the practical aim alike -of religion and of science to mould the individual -by the environment which will best -harmonise his personal good with the good of -the whole. We have to elevate the conditions -of human existence. The individual -has not only to adapt himself to his environment, -in the temper of <i>laisser faire</i>, but to -adapt it to the satisfaction of his highest good. -‘Great religious consciences have taken their -post, confronting society, as representing in -themselves truth and right, because behind -them was God, while behind existing societies -there is only man, nature, and circumstances. -Far from consenting to identify himself with -the social conscience, the religious conscience<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">207</span> -disposes man to oppose the rights of God to -those of Cæsar, the dignity of the human -person to public constraint.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_72" href="#Footnote_72" class="fnanchor">72</a></span> In the language -of religion, ‘No man hath seen God at any -time: if we love one another, God dwelleth -in us, and His love is perfected in us.’ That is -the ideal of the Christian Society, the Body of -Christ, actuated by the great principles of faith, -hope, and love. And much might have been -said of the duty of a Christian State to secure -to all its members the elementary conditions -of a healthy, useful citizenship. Most of our -disease is a disgrace to our Christian civilisation, -because it is preventable. The ancient -poet rightly associates the spectres of Care, -Hunger, and Fear with the grim forms of -Disease at the portals of his Inferno:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Vestibulum ante ipsum primisque in faucibus Orci</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Pallentis qua habitant Morbi, tristisque Senectus,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Et Metus et malesuada Fames, ac turpis Egestas<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_73" href="#Footnote_73" class="fnanchor">73</a></span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>(ii) But the problem of the prevention of -sickness scarcely concerns us here, though it -requires a passing reference. It has been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">208</span> -sufficiently shown that you cannot isolate the -individual from the society in which he moves; -that were to make him an unreal abstraction. -The Church has never committed that mistake -in her dealing with the sick. When we pray, -in the Office for the Visitation of the Sick, -that God would ‘preserve and continue this -sick member in the unity of the Church,’ the -prayer breathes the very spirit of ancient -piety. It is an unspeakable help, in dealing -with a sick man, to be able to appeal to his -own conscious and sincere membership in -the Body of Christ. The Visitation Office is -‘peculiarly a ministration for those who have -been trained beforehand in the fulness of -Church life and privileges.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_74" href="#Footnote_74" class="fnanchor">74</a></span> Herein, as often, -the Prayer-book sets up an ideal standard. -But, however far our actual practice falls -short of it, we must work towards it. It is -said of St. Francis of Assisi that, ‘in each one, -with whom he had to deal, he saw a possible -Christ.’ A bold saying, had it not been that -the Master Himself had anticipated it<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_75" href="#Footnote_75" class="fnanchor">75</a></span> In -the Christian view of things, the sick and -suffering, whatever their religious attainments -and professions may have been, have a clear -claim upon the other members of the One<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">209</span> -Body. Christian faith can only heighten -human sympathy.</p> - -<p>And in the New Testament there are not -wanting indications that the faith of friends -has a vicarious efficacy. In such faith the -force of suggestion is at work, but it is a -collective suggestion. There is the typical -case of the four friends, who were not to be -put off by the crush at the doors, but resolutely -stripped the roofing in order to lower -the paralytic, as he lay on his pallet, into -the Saviour’s immediate presence. Such unconventional -faith was irresistible. ‘When -Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick -of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_76" href="#Footnote_76" class="fnanchor">76</a></span> -The bodily cure soon followed. The fact is, -that such faith diffuses a spiritual atmosphere; -it is contagious and works from mind to mind. -‘Our bodies isolate us, our spirits unite us.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_77" href="#Footnote_77" class="fnanchor">77</a></span></p> - -<p>Similarly, in the raising of Jairus’s daughter -an emphasis is laid on the necessity of a -sympathetic atmosphere: first, by the fact that -only three, the elect among the chosen Twelve, -SS. Peter, James and John, were allowed to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">210</span> -attend their Lord; secondly, by the exclusion -of all others in the house, except the father -and mother of the child. The professional -mourners and musicians were turned out—not -merely because they ‘insulted the dumbness -of sincere sorrow and the patient majesty -of death’ (Farrar), but because they diffused, as -their behaviour soon showed (κατεγέλων αὐτου̑), -an atmosphere of unbelief. The Lord wishes -to remove all antagonistic and disturbing -human presences and to speak Himself in power -to the innermost soul of the departed maiden. -On the other hand, if the air was charged with -unbelief, if those He wished to help were -without faith, as was the case in His own -village of Nazareth, ‘He could there do no -mighty work.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_78" href="#Footnote_78" class="fnanchor">78</a></span></p> - -<p>We trace the same principle in His dealing -with those whom He had healed. Sometimes -He bids them ‘go and tell their friends how -great things God has done for them,’ as when -he refused to keep the Gadarene demoniac by -His side. At another time he bids them -tell no man of the cure which had been -wrought. This difference of treatment can -be explained most simply, if we suppose that -in the one case Christ knew that the -patient’s ordinary <i>milieu</i> was favourable to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">211</span> -his progress in bodily and spiritual health, in -another case He knew that this was not so. -So it was in the case of the leper of St. -Mark i. 44. And, again, this difference of -treatment may have been ‘grounded,’ as -Archbishop Trench says, ‘on the different -moral conditions of the persons healed.’ It -is so still, for human nature remains constant -to certain broad types. Some overwrought -people require the absolute isolation of a ‘rest -cure’; others, who are moody and self-centred, -can only rally their disused powers in contact -with invigorating companionship. They are -the unhappy victims of that numbness of -spirit of which R. L. Stevenson writes so -pathetically in his essay entitled ‘Ordered -South.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_79" href="#Footnote_79" class="fnanchor">79</a></span></p> - -<p>(iii) This brings us naturally to consider -the special value which Christ attaches in His -teaching to a corporate act of prayer. For -this is the meaning of the words ‘If any two -of you shall agree on earth as touching anything -that they shall ask, it shall be done for them -of my Father which is in Heaven; for where -two or three are gathered together in My -Name, there am I in the midst of them.’ -And this it is which has moulded the form -of the Lord’s Prayer, and that of the great<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">212</span> -Sacrament of Unity, our highest act of intercession. -Thus our Lord enjoined upon His disciples -the duty and the efficacy of combined -spiritual effort<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_80" href="#Footnote_80" class="fnanchor">80</a></span> There is a power intensive, as -well as extensive, in collective prayer. In this, -as well as in other activities of the spirit, the -total effect gained is larger than the sum -total of units of effort. There is a sort of -analogy here with the force of collective -suggestion, which we have been considering -above: but we must not expect to find a -complete philosophical explanation of any -great spiritual principle. Our personal experience -verifies the value of corporate prayer. -If it were not so, religion would be an individual -matter alone; it would lack its most universal -expression, that of common worship. It is -because the Church in our country lost for a -long period her corporate consciousness, at -least in a large degree, that she lost sight of the -power of corporate intercession for the sick -members of the Body of Christ. (Of the faithful -departed we may not here speak.) But her -formulas and liturgy have been a standing -witness against such obliviousness, with which -the Church of to-day can hardly be taxed, and -those who profess their belief in the Communion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">213</span> -of Saints find in such intercession its most -practical expression.</p> - -<p>Consider the bearing of all this on our -highest act of worship, the Holy Communion. -There are few parish priests who cannot -testify from their own experience to the -wonderful—if not miraculous—effects of the -reception of the Sacrament upon apparently -dying persons, who had been given up by -medical science. There is nothing in this that -need surprise the Christian believer, nothing -that is really repugnant to the findings of -modern science. The Apostle Paul, writing to -the Corinthians about the profanation of the -Lord’s Supper, attributes to this cause certain -physical consequences incurred by the offenders. -‘For this cause many among you are weak -and sickly, and not a few sleep.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_81" href="#Footnote_81" class="fnanchor">81</a></span> There is a -natural and proper antipathy in many minds -to the idea that the Sacramental Elements -operate as a charm. Such an idea would be -irrational and superstitious, and we are not -intended to conceive of a vindication of the -sanctity of the Lord’s Supper by material -and simply magical penalties. The offence of -the Corinthians was the irreverence of ‘not -discerning (or discriminating) the Body,’ -and Apostolic teaching plainly implies that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">214</span> -a spiritual offence of itself acts upon the -bodily organism, by a mysterious law of the -Divine government<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_82" href="#Footnote_82" class="fnanchor">82</a></span> (Here again we must not -say that God sent the disease.) Surely, then, -it may be argued, per contra, that a reverent -reception of the Eucharist makes for health and -life, for it brings the failing bodily and spiritual -powers of the sick into contact with the -Divine and immortal life which animates the -mystical Body of Christ. This line of argument -may be illustrated by the words of the -late F. W. H. Myers: ‘To keep our chemical -energy at work, we live in a warm environment -and from time to time take food. By analogy, -in order to keep the spiritual energy at work, -we should live in a spiritual environment, -and possibly from time to time absorb some -special influx of spiritual life.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_83" href="#Footnote_83" class="fnanchor">83</a></span> It remains -only to add that the words of administration -in our Communion Office embody the truth for -which we are pleading. ‘The Body of our -Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, -preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting -life.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">215</span></p> - -<p>(iv) The charisma, or gift, of healing, is -named by St. Paul among the spiritual gifts -of the Apostolic Church<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_84" href="#Footnote_84" class="fnanchor">84</a></span> and is associated -in one place with the working of miracles -(‘powers’)<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_85" href="#Footnote_85" class="fnanchor">85</a></span> We have endeavoured to show -that it was not intended as a transient but -a permanent endowment of the Church. But, -in the degree in which the Church corporate -falls short in spirituality, her spiritual powers -wane. The Encyclical Letter and Report of -the recent Lambeth Conference mark a step -in advance, though it may not be a long step, -towards the revival of this healing agency -of the Church. The Committee appointed to -report on this particular subject was of opinion -‘that the prayers for the restoration of health, -which it recommends, may be fitly accompanied -by the apostolic act of the Laying-on-of-Hands.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_86" href="#Footnote_86" class="fnanchor">86</a></span> -We may be disposed to regret that -this primitive rite is not mentioned in Resolution -35, which recommends ‘the provision for -use in Pastoral Visitation of some additional -prayers for the restoration of health more -hopeful and direct than those contained in the -present Office for the Visitation of the Sick.’ -Desiring, as we do, to follow ‘the example’ -of our Lord Himself and not merely of ‘His<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">216</span> -Holy Apostles,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_87" href="#Footnote_87" class="fnanchor">87</a></span> we may most reasonably ask -for authority to administer the blessing through -one of the outward signs which He employed. -A ceremony, duly authorised by the Church, -would have much value, as regulating and -controlling the impulse to invoke the healing -‘charisma,’ which at present is often bestowed -and received through ‘spiritual healers’ -who lack the full official sanction of the -Church.</p> - -<p>(v) There is another Ministry of Healing, -which the Divine Love has provided for the -weary body and the careworn mind, which -contributes its own part to the restoration of -the sick. It is the silent ministry of Nature. -Within the ailing body she exerts her healing -power; the doctor’s best ally, on the physical -side, is the <i>vis medicatrix naturae</i>, that -strange recuperative power which resides in -organisms, and offers a standing resistance -to the inroads of disease and age<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_88" href="#Footnote_88" class="fnanchor">88</a></span> And then -outside there are the soothing influences of the -world of Nature, which steals into the troubled -spirit to bring the calm which Wordsworth, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">217</span> -his poem on ‘An Evening by the Sea,’ likened -to the hush of worship:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">The holy time is quiet as a nun</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Breathless with adoration.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Hebrew literature shows little trace, even -indirectly, of that sympathy with Nature, -which is the best contribution of what is -called ‘natural religion’ to the inheritance of -the human spirit, except when Nature is -regarded in her grander and more awe-inspiring -aspects, those of the thunder-cloud, the -whirlwind, the raging fire, the roaring sea. -Yet it is not altogether fanciful to find, in our -Lord’s habit of retirement to the mountain’s -side for prayer, His invitation to the disciples -to come apart by themselves to rest awhile in -a ‘desert place,<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_89" href="#Footnote_89" class="fnanchor">89</a></span> His choice of the evening -hour, at the setting of the sun, for performing -His works of mercy, some sanction for that -modern sense of the Divine beauty and -mystery of Nature in her quiet aspects<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_90" href="#Footnote_90" class="fnanchor">90</a></span></p> - -<p>We must believe that Christ Himself was -susceptible in a singular degree to those -natural influences. After the intense spiritual -strain of the Temptation, ‘angels came and -ministered to Him.’ A great modern artist, -M. Tissot, pictures the scene as only the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">218</span> -imaginative symbolism of genius would have -done. The Saviour lies at full length, utterly -exhausted, with every muscle, as it were, -relaxed, and through the twilight appear -myriads of outstretched angel-hands, reviving -the Sacred Body with the touch of spirit-life. -Here we have, as in a figure, the expression of -the unseen forces of Nature, ministering to the -Will of the God of Nature, on behalf of the -heirs of salvation and of Him who is the author -of our salvation and the Prince of Life.</p> - -<p>There is no rule absolute about the influence -of familiar scenes and old associations upon -the weary or ailing spirit. For some people -the cure lies in surroundings as novel and -unfamiliar as possible. This is where tact -and sympathy on the part of the doctor and -nurse and friends come in—questions which -must not be confused with natural affection, -for in that case they would vary directly, -whereas they have been known to vary -inversely, with nearness of blood relationship. -The quick intuition of sympathy can judge -of the environment best adapted to the -patient’s individual need. The rigid order and -routine of the hospital ward may be torture -to the sick person who comes from one sort -of home and paradise to one who comes -from another. The more we can bring of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">219</span> -‘mind of Christ’ into the tender care of the -sick, the more right we shall have to expect -that the power of His name will bless our -efforts.</p> - -<p>(vi) Again, our Lord’s attention to details, -i.e. the material conditions of health, calls for -notice. We have referred to His provision -of rest for His tired followers. We find Him -giving directions, after the recall of Jairus’s -daughter to life, that food should be given to -her. ‘Life restored by miracle must be supported -by ordinary means.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_91" href="#Footnote_91" class="fnanchor">91</a></span> The familiar -routine of healthy life is to be resumed as -soon as possible. Lazarus is to be loosed from -his cerements, when the awe of the bystanders -blind them to the practical and obvious. And -quite in line with this is Christ’s readiness -to conform, in His dealings with men, to the -existing social and religious system. It was -so notably in the case of the leper, who was -bidden, after his cure, to go and show himself -to the priest and to make the customary -offerings<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_92" href="#Footnote_92" class="fnanchor">92</a></span> At the pool of Bethesda Christ -helps the impotent man, who has no friend -to help him. He leaves the rest of the -multitude to the natural operation of the -waters<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_93" href="#Footnote_93" class="fnanchor">93</a></span> It was a different matter when, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">220</span> -in the case of the Rabbinical rule of Sabbath -observance, the conventional practice was -inimical to the freedom of the spirit. Our -Lord will never allow the spiritual and essential -in things to be overlaid by the material and -accidental. Traditionalism was then broken -through. The principle, that we must render -to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s and -to God the things that are God’s, manifests -itself in various ways, and this is one of them. -But, on the whole, Christianity knows no -revolutionary breaches in the established social -order, as the history of its attitude towards -the institution of slavery shows. Men were -encouraged to work out their own salvation -under existing political and social conditions.</p> - -<p>This spirit of conformity to the existing -order in all lawful things, and especially our -Lord’s attitude towards priestly ceremonial, -in the case of the leper, throws a good deal of -light upon the relation which should subsist -between the clergyman and the doctor in the -treatment of sickness. The Christian doctor -will gladly subscribe to the words of the -favourite physician of Louis XIV, Ambroise -Paré, ‘I treated the wound, God healed it.’ -Reverently and thoughtfully he will acknowledge -the power of prayer and the tranquillising -influences of the spirit, and will yield to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">221</span> -Church, acting by her representative duly -accredited and trained, her proper part in the -work of restoration. The parish priest will -freely allow that the doctor and the nurse, with -all the appliances of modern medical science, -provide the largest part of the environment -and conditions indispensable to recovery; -and that it is an act of presumption to reject -all these scientific aids in favour of some -process of healing by faith alone without -expert medical aid<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_94" href="#Footnote_94" class="fnanchor">94</a></span></p> - -<p>Finally, it must be remembered that we -cannot expect to find many favourable notices -of medical practice in an age and country in -which medical skill was at a very low ebb. -‘Medicorum optimus dignus est Gehenna,’ -said the Rabbis of the later Judaism<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_95" href="#Footnote_95" class="fnanchor">95</a></span> In -nothing has human knowledge made more -astonishing strides than in medical and in -surgical discovery; and, though we have been -too prone in the past to credit the medical -profession with the whole of the healing work -done in Christ’s Church, the opposite extreme -is to be avoided, and it is well to acknowledge -thankfully that ‘discoveries in the region of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">222</span> -medicine and surgery come to man through -Him who is the Light and the Life, the Divine -Word.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_96" href="#Footnote_96" class="fnanchor">96</a></span></p> - -<p>(vii) In a previous chapter we dwelt -at some length on the Gospel conception of -salvation (as illustrated by the words σῴζειν -ὁλοκληρία), as a just equipoise of spiritual, -mental, and physical faculties and functions. -Two remarks may find a place here. The -first is, that too much stress may be laid upon -the distinction between functional and organic -complaints. There are modern critics who -wish to eliminate the miraculous from the -Gospel narrative, and deal with the sacred -text accordingly. For example, Professor -Bousset says, in his vivid way, ‘The community -of the faithful drew the simple human -picture of Jesus on the golden background -of the marvellous. But the picture can be -detached from that background with comparative -ease.’ In cases which are not to be -explained simply by psychology, ‘the historically -intelligible is still close below the surface, -and appears as soon as we remove a few -additions which are due to modern tradition.’ -We have to regard certain narratives as -‘legendary accretions (<i>Wucherungen</i>).’</p> - -<p>If we cannot accept that position, it is not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">223</span> -open to us to explain all the miraculous agency -of our Lord and His Apostles and the later -Church as consisting in the power to deal with -functional ailments by mental or psychic treatment. -Nor is it open to us to limit the efficacy -of prayer to the stimulation of function and the -treatment of nervous disorders. And as, with -the progress of medical science, the sphere -of the organic is continually growing at the -expense of the functional, the ultimate effect -of such a concession on the side of religion -would be to limit her action to a negligible -minority of cases. How would a place be -found for the healing of Malchus’s ear, if the -organic be excluded? But the Church believes -that Christ is the Saviour of the body and that -the Holy Spirit is, as an early Father says, -‘given that He may dwell in our bodies and -sanctify them, that in so doing He may bring -them to eternity and to the resurrection of -immortality, while He accustoms them in -Himself to be conjoined with heavenly powers -and to be associated with the Divine eternity -of the Spirit.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_97" href="#Footnote_97" class="fnanchor">97</a></span></p> - -<p>A second remark is this. Whatever is -allowed for the moulding force of environment, -Christ plainly teaches that man is never the -mere creature of circumstances. Christ is no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">224</span> -fatalist philosopher. It is only the evil that -man deliberately assimilates which defiles him. -‘There is nothing from without a man that -entering into him can defile him’—a parabolic -saying which has a deep meaning. As it -is with sin, so it is with disease. Wilful sin is -lawlessness in the spiritual being; disease -is disorder in the material being. Much -remains yet to be done, which lies well within -the range of the free human will, to combat -this lawless disorder in the life of body and -soul. We believe that the spirit can impose -its own order and law and harmony upon the -material elements of our bodily frame. This -creed may be an ideal, but it is the only really -inspiring ideal; for beyond it lies the hope -of final perfection. Therefore, with faith and -courage, let us press forward.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Neither mourn if human creeds be lower than the heart’s desire!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thro’ the gates that bar the distance comes a gleam of what is higher<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_98" href="#Footnote_98" class="fnanchor">98</a></span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE CHURCH AND MENTAL HEALING</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">ELLIS ROBERTS</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">227</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_CHURCH_AND_MENTAL">THE CHURCH AND MENTAL -HEALING</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By Ellis Roberts</span></div> - - -<p>The object of this paper is to show and -comment on the present attitude of the -Church of England, and of the Churches -in communion with her, towards psychic -healing: but it may be advisable to remove -at the outset one or two misconceptions. -With the theory and practice of the Church -in this country before the Reformation I am -not now concerned. It did not differ essentially -from that of the Churches on the Continent. -But it should be noticed that a large number -of centres for psychic healing, spiritual -hospitals, if one may use the term, were -removed by the destruction of shrines. In -the medieval Church the healer, with his -specific charisma, was generally one who -was reputed a saint; and usually he healed -more people after his death than before. -The curious in this matter may consult the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">228</span> -evidence gathered in Dr. Abbott’s ‘St. Thomas -of Canterbury,’ and I think an unprejudiced -reader will gather from that book conclusions -somewhat different from those expected by -the author.</p> - -<p>After the Reformation what signs are -there of psychic healing encouraged and -sanctioned by the Church? We are compelled -to answer that, in spite of great need, -there is very little evidence of an intelligent -effort at mental therapeutics. ‘In spite -of great need,’ I say; for this country and -Scotland were affected most terribly by the -disgraceful witch mania which raged over -Europe, especially in the Protestant countries. -There was ample material for the quiet, -consoling influence of psychic healing; but -alas! the unfortunate ‘witches’ were left -to the mercy of scared judges and malicious -finders, to the horrors of the trial by floating, -or the ordeal of the secret mark. The Church -was, apparently, bigoted and powerless.</p> - -<p>Yet the existence of an official power, -inherent in the Body and acting normally -through the Ministers of the Church, was -recognised officially in the Canons of 1603–4, -which, of course, are still of authority. In -the 72nd Canon we read:</p> - -<p>‘No Minister or Ministers shall, without<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">229</span> -the Licence and direction of the Bishop of the -diocese first obtained and had under his hand -and seal, appoint or keep any solemn Fasts. . . . -Neither shall any Minister . . . presume -to appoint or hold any meetings for sermons . . . -nor, without such licence, to attempt -upon any pretence whatsoever either of possession -or obsession, by fasting and prayer, to -cast out any Devil or Devils, under pain of -the imputation of imposture or cosenage, and -deposition from the ministry.’</p> - -<p>It is evident from this that, however -little it was used, the Episcopate was regarded -as possessing the power to licence exorcisers -who might deal with diseases that we should -call mental.</p> - -<p>There is one other piece of evidence—practical -this time—that the healing power -of the Church was not entirely forgotten or -neglected. Up to the time of the Hanoverian -dynasty, the Kings of England touched for -scrofula, popularly known, from this method -of cure, as ‘The King’s evil.’ The most -celebrated patient I can call to mind is Dr. -Johnson. It may be objected that this -practice was not the work of the Church’s -ministry; but it must be remembered that -most Canonists regard the King of England -as <i>mixta persona</i> (that is, semi-clerical) by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">230</span> -virtue of his Coronation; and also the position -given the Sovereign as ‘Supreme Governor’ -of the Church would appear to invest him -with an ecclesiastical status<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_99" href="#Footnote_99" class="fnanchor">99</a></span></p> - -<p>I admit, however, as must all candid -persons, that on the whole the Church has -grossly neglected all forms of psychic healing; -and so welcome the more gladly the definite -stand taken in the Lambeth Report, 1908.</p> - -<p>That Report is the unanimous act, not -merely of the Church of England, but of those -numerous bodies in communion with her: on -the committee which drew up the report -were bishops from America, India, Scotland, -Central Africa, New Zealand, and England—a -fact that can vouch for the significance of -the Report’s admissions and contentions. This -Report I shall take as the basis of my inquiry -into the official attitude of the Church of -to-day towards Medicine and Psychic Healing.</p> - -<p>The Report opens with a statement that is -refreshing in its admission of ignorance after -the ready words of many sciolists and ‘quack’ -healers.</p> - -<p>‘Your Committee, which has had under<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">231</span> -consideration “Ministries of Healing,” has -felt itself at a disadvantage in discussing -phenomena which only in recent times have -been the subject of scientific investigation. -In the present stage of knowledge it would -be premature for any except experts to -hazard an opinion upon such topics as the -powers of “Mental Suggestion,” and the -range of “Subliminal Consciousness,” or to -attempt to forecast the possibilities of -“Mental” or “Spiritual Healing.” ’</p> - -<p>While, however, displaying this diffidence -in dealing with the scientific side of their subject, -the Committee is quite definite about the -spiritual aspect of pain, sickness, and suffering.</p> - -<p>‘The Committee believes that Christ still -fulfils in Christian experience His power to -give life, and to give it more abundantly; -and that the faith, which realises His Presence, -is capable of creating a heightened vitality -of spirit, which strengthens and sustains the -health of the body. The Committee believes -that sickness and disease are in one aspect a -breach in the harmony of the Divine purpose, -not only analogous to, but sometimes at least -caused by, want of moral harmony with the -Divine Will; and that this restoration of -harmony in mind and will often brings with -it the restoration of the harmony of the body.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">232</span> -It believes that sickness has too often exclusively -been regarded as a cross to be borne -with passive resignation, whereas it should -have been regarded rather as a weakness to -be overcome by the power of the Spirit.’</p> - -<p>Then the Committee considers briefly the -‘Mental Healing’ movement outside the -Church, and concludes the first part of their -Report with a very necessary warning ‘against -the peril of being thoughtlessly drawn into -alliance, in the desire for health, with any -who, under whatever attractive name, are -in antagonism with the Christian faith upon -any such subject as the Incarnation, the -Resurrection, the reality of Sin, and the -use of the Holy Sacraments.’</p> - -<p>In the second part it discusses ‘Spiritual -Healing’ in the Church, and makes the following -statement:</p> - -<p>‘The Committee would not wish to say a -word in disparagement or discouragement of -those who may be pioneers in a new branch -of service, but it believes it would for the -present be unwise to depart from an attitude -of watchfulness and reserve; and it is not -therefore prepared to recommend that at the -present stage any authoritative recognition -should be given to those who claim to exercise -these “Gifts of Healing.” ’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">233</span></p> - -<p>In the third part is a most welcome -recognition of the position in the Church of -that profession which the Evangelist of the -Nativity followed.</p> - -<p>‘The Committee believes that medical -science is the handmaid of God and His Church, -and should be fully recognised as the ordinary -means appointed by Almighty God for the -care and healing of the human body. The Committee -believes that discoveries in the region -of medicine and surgery come to man through -Him who is the Light and the Life, the Divine -Word.’</p> - -<p>Then we have a brief recommendation that -there should be an ‘addition to the office -for the Visitation of the Sick of more hopeful -and less ambiguous petitions for the restoration -of health, always subject to the Will of God . . . ; -and that these petitions be used in -close connection with prayer for pardon and -peace.’ And these prayers ‘may be fitly -accompanied by the Apostolic act of the Laying -on of Hands.’</p> - -<p>In the final paragraph the Committee -considers the suggestion ‘that these prayers -should be accompanied by the anointing of -the sufferer with oil,’ and after a brief historical -<i>résumé</i>, concludes:</p> - -<p>‘In view of this evidence and the conditions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">234</span> -prevailing in the Church at the present time, -the Committee is not prepared to recommend -the restoration of the unction of the sick, -but it does not wish to go so far as to advise -the prohibition of its use, if it be earnestly -desired by the sick person. In all such cases -the parish priest should seek the counsel of -the Bishop of the diocese. Care must be -taken that no return be made to the later -custom of anointing as a preparation for -death.’</p> - -<p>With unction I do not propose to deal here. -The question is really theological; and the -discussion as to its revival does not come -within the scope of this book. It may be -said, however, that the problem will probably -solve itself in the near future, as in many -missionary and colonial dioceses, and in not -a few English ones, the oil is blessed by the -Bishop, and may always be had by any parish -priest whose sick people desire this ancient -rite.</p> - -<p>With one exception, to which I shall return -later, the Report may be commended as a -courageous, if rather jejune, effort to keep -abreast of modern psychology and its more -practical manifestations. Let me indicate -briefly the encouraging signs in the Report.</p> - -<p>(1) We have the definite confession that our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">235</span> -present visitation service is not all that can -be desired. That we should use more definite -prayers for the recovery of the sick.</p> - -<p>(2) The Report lays emphasis on the important -truth that there must be no banishing -of the doctor. Enormous harm has been -done by the crude dualism of ‘Christian -Science’—a theory which, if logically applied, -would prevent persons renewing the tissues -of their body by food, or removing dirt by -soap and water. A doctor’s medicine is just -as much a prayer, a spiritual thing, when it is -properly used, as any formula of consolation -inculcated by folk in ‘tune with the infinite,’ -or people who indulge in ‘higher thought.’</p> - -<p>(3) The Report guards—though perhaps not -quite strongly enough—against the modern -tendency to lay too much stress on mere bodily -health. As Christians and men of sense, we -can have nothing to do with a mode of thought -that, by exaggerating the value of physical -well-being, would cheerfully have condemned to -some lethal chamber an Erasmus, a Coleridge, -a Stevenson, or a Beardsley.</p> - -<p>Now in these three matters the Report -does seem to represent the real central body -of opinion in the Church of England. No -living man, perhaps, better expresses the -view of the ‘man in the pew’ than the Bishop<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">236</span> -of London, and he has been one of the first -to recognise the reality of the need for a -greater recognition of the place of psychic -healing. Here is what Dr. Ingram said in -his sermon on St. Luke’s Day, 1909:</p> - -<p>‘We have on the one side those who really -seem to have forgotten the message of the -Gospel of the body, who practically in their -teaching and even in their own belief simply -think of the Gospel as addressed to the soul. -They seem to have forgotten that, in our -own Holy Communion Service, we pray that -our sinful bodies may be made clean by His -Body, and some of St. Paul’s most stirring -passages are about the body. “Glorify God -in your body.” But in their teaching and -in their belief they have lost to a certain -extent the idea that the Gospel has a message -to the body at all. While on the other hand—and -it is so very characteristic of the history -of the Church that this should happen—outside -the Church, with great exaggeration—and -with, in my opinion, much false teaching—people -are calling the attention of the -Church to a forgotten truth. Yes—but with two -very grave mistakes. First, they ignore the -learning and teaching which God has given -us through medical study and investigation -about His laws and about His will, and still<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">237</span> -more they ignore those blessed means of -grace which Christ Himself has laid down -as the means of our communion with His -life.’</p> - -<p>Or again, in a diocesan letter of May last -year the Bishop of Winchester (who was -Chairman of the Lambeth Committee) emphasises -the right of medical science, of -healing, and of nursing, to their due place in -the Church’s spiritual life, to a part in her -prayers and thanksgivings.</p> - -<p>‘At the recent Lambeth Conference the -view was expressed that we as a Church have -failed to show sufficient sympathy with the -great works of healing, of conflict with disease, -and of the alleviation of suffering carried on -by the medical and nursing profession. The -Divine blessing vouchsafed in modern times, -through the progress of knowledge and the -advancement of skill, have only in too small -a degree been allowed to enter into the prayers -and thanksgivings of the Christian Church. -It is right that, with greater faith and a larger -intelligence, the Church of Christ should acknowledge -that the gifts of healing and the -discoveries of science come from the Spirit -of God, and should seek more systematically -to include this and kindred subjects in intercession -and praise.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">238</span></p> - -<p>Not only, however, do we find the Bishops -laying stress on the Church’s duty in the -matter of healing; but we also find eminent -physicians, who are also Churchmen, welcoming -the priest in the sick room. In a remarkable -article contributed to the <i>Guardian</i>, -Sir Dyce Duckworth wrote:</p> - -<p>‘Next, I will express my opinion that our -twentieth-century Christendom is generally -lax and feeble in offering earnest prayers for -the sick in all stages and for a blessing on -the remedial means employed. We should -look to a higher Power than that of man to -aid us at the bedside, and as thoughtful -physicians we do seek these means to aid us.</p> - -<p>‘Mental healing has a recognised and long-acknowledged -basis of truth and fact, and may -be employed by honourable and skilled doctors -who have the gift and power to use it. I do not -regard it as a fitting duty for the “priests of the -soul,” but one to be employed in its appropriate -place, as it becomes better understood in the -course of time as a part of legitimate ordinary -treatment. I see no objection to the practice -of unction and laying-on of hands by Christian -ministers for those who desire it, but I regard -this as an additional means of help, a solemn -form of assurance and comfort, together with -prayerful ministration, in conjunction with,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">239</span> -and as a reinforcement of, the best skill of -legitimate medicine. To replace the latter by -the former I regard as a withholding of God’s -gifts to man and therefore unjustifiable. I -conceive and believe that the gifts of the Holy -Spirit are capable of development in the course -of the ages and under our present dispensation, -and that they were not limited in form and -exclusiveness to the age in which they were first -somewhat crudely manifested.’</p> - -<p>We may welcome particularly Sir Dyce -Duckworth’s emphatic pronouncement about -prayer. After all the basis of psychic healing -is, and always has been, prayer—whether -the means used is oil, or water, or the relics -or even the shadow of holy men, as reported -in the Acts of the Apostles. The motive -power that makes any of these means availing -is simply prayer. Prayer, whether spoken, -desired, or acted, is the vital force that gives -the psychic movement all its validity. In -insisting on the importance and reality of -prayer we have the support of such a psychologist -as Professor James, who writes: ‘As -regards prayers for the sick, if any medical -fact can be considered to stand firm, it is -that in certain environments prayer may -contribute to recovery and should be encouraged -as a therapeutic measure.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">240</span></p> - -<p>And if the doctor is willing to recognise -the great value of prayer, the divine should -not be backward in welcoming the doctor; -nor should he regard the medical man and -the philosopher with suspicion if they lay -stress chiefly on the ‘reflex’ value of prayer; -regard its subjective effects, rather than investigate -its real or objective power.</p> - -<p>Once more let me quote the Bishop of London:</p> - -<p>‘If I was ill, I would send for the best -doctor, and get my parish priest to come and -pray by my side, believing that the double -work of Jesus Christ is shared by two great -professions. It would be bad for either to be -banished from the sick room.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_100" href="#Footnote_100" class="fnanchor">100</a></span></p> - -<p>That is the position on which we should -lay stress. The future, I am sure, lies with -those who are willing to accept the religion of -the Incarnation and all that it signifies; the -men who proclaim joyfully and unwaveringly -that Spirit has dwelt in flesh, but who also -never hesitate to assert that it is real Flesh in -which the Spirit dwelt. We must have no -quarter with the damnable heresy that denies -to sin and suffering and disease a reality that -it concedes to food and to fees: and we can -have no truce with the hard materialism that -will acknowledge the truth of nothing that is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">241</span> -not revealed to the scalpel or the test-tube. -We may be thankful to-day that so many of -our leading physicians are becoming more -and more willing to admit the reality of prayer -and the rights of the priest; we must take care -that no headstrong divines, in their new zeal -for psychic healing, disparage or despise the -profession of St. Luke.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY WELL-BEING</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, D.D.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">VICAR OF ALL HALLOWS BARKING, EXAMINING CHAPLAIN TO THE -BISHOP OF LONDON, AND RURAL DEAN OF THE -EAST CITY OF LONDON</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">245</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_EUCHARIST_AND_BODILY">THE EUCHARIST AND BODILY -WELL-BEING</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By Arthur W. Robinson</span>, D.D.</div> - - -<p>The editor of this volume thinks that it should -include a paper upon the relation of the -Eucharist to bodily well-being, and he has asked -me to deal with the question. I am fully -aware of the difficulty of doing so, and shall -be well content if what I am able to say should -lead others to feel, as I do, that the subject is -one which deserves much reverent and careful -attention. Perhaps that is all that any of us -who are taking part in the production of this -book can hope to achieve. Our desire is to be -allowed to prepare the way for the clearer and -stronger action of the future. Little by little -we are coming to see that the scope of Christianity -is bigger and more comprehensive than -has for some time been supposed. We can -trace the steps by which religion and its -benefits had got to be looked upon as chiefly, -if not exclusively, concerned with individuals<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">246</span> -and their souls. And we can recognise that -there have been, and are, counter-movements -at work whose tendency is to raise us out of -the limitations within which we had settled -and to place our feet in a larger room.</p> - -<p>To begin with, there has been the revival -of the Corporate aspect of the faith, with an -insistence upon the truth that the fullest life -is only to be realised through fellowship. -Very slowly we have been learning that we -are not meant to be perfected as individuals, -but as parts of a whole of which Christ is the -head and we are all of us members. Already -this sense of a corporate ideal has made a great -difference to our thoughts about the Church -and the Sacraments, and has begun to work -a change in our beliefs as to the importance of -unity and the possibilities of spiritual power. -And now it looks as if we are being called to -a yet farther enlargement of our conceptions -and hopes. To-day we are bidden to add to -our knowledge in another direction. This -time it is the Corporal aspect of the Christian -message which is coming into view. We are -to learn that our religion is not only for us all -as a whole, but that it has to do with the whole -of each of us. In other words it is good for the -body as well as for the soul. In some degree, -no doubt, we have been accustomed to admit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">247</span> -that the fact of the Incarnation is a witness to -the dignity of our bodies, and a pledge of their -ultimate glorification; but the admission has -too often lacked the full force of a living -conviction. At the present moment, however, -many influences are combining in a remarkable -way to send us ‘back to Christ’ with quite a -new willingness to believe that He meant His -Church to stand in the forefront of all endeavours -to bless men’s bodies as well as to save -their souls. Some day the world may be -filled with astonishment when it sees the fuller -life of Christian fellowship brought to bear -upon the social and physical problems that -are waiting all around us for the power that -can successfully deal with them.</p> - -<p>Now, plainly such lines of thought must -sooner or later converge upon the Eucharist. -We may confidently assert that if the fuller -life, corporate or corporal, is to be realised and -manifested by us, it will be through a more -faithful and more intelligent use of the great -means which our Lord has provided for -establishing a vital inter-communion between -Himself and His members.</p> - -<p>Let us, then, approach the consideration -of the mystery patiently, and make a serious -effort to grasp what we can of its meaning -in right perspective and due proportion. To<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">248</span> -this end it will be best to set before our minds -a clear statement of the aims and objects of the -highest of all Christian services.</p> - -<p class="mt15em">Briefly, we may say that the Eucharist is -designed to fulfil a threefold purpose for us. -In the first place, it is a <span class="lowercase smcap">SIGN OF PROFESSION</span>. -Sacraments are ‘not only badges or tokens -of Christian men’s profession’ (Art. xxv.); but -this they most certainly are. Again and again -our Lord laid stress upon the duty and -necessity of an open acknowledgment of -discipleship. From the earliest times the -Sacrament of His Body and Blood has been -regarded as the oath and pledge of a Christian’s -loyalty. We may be sure that Christ meant -it to be this. Perhaps it is not altogether -without significance that while the ancient -allegory of the Old Testament had made the -test of obedience, ‘Thou shalt not eat’; in -the sacred symbolism of the New Covenant -it became, ‘Do this,’ ‘Take eat.’ Through -the Eucharist we declare our readiness to be -known as members of the Christian fellowship, -and our determination to be the true followers -of Christ. That is its first and simplest and -most obvious signification.</p> - -<p>Then further the Eucharist is <span class="lowercase smcap">AN ACT OF -WORSHIP</span>. It has a Godward aspect, as well<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">249</span> -as a bearing towards the Church and the world. -The original institution had for its background -the slaying of the lambs and the pouring out -of the blood of the Passover sacrifices. This, -said our Lord, is My way of celebrating the -redemption, not merely of a nation, but of a -world. ‘This is My Blood of the Covenant, -which is shed for many.’ And accordingly -whenever we solemnly repeat His words and -His acts, we do it in a Consecration Prayer -addressed not to man but to God. It has been -thus that from the beginning the Church has -made the ‘perpetual memory,’ setting forth the -finished sacrifice of the Cross as the one and only -ground and hope of man’s salvation. It is thus -that we draw nigh by the ‘new and living way -which He has prepared for us’ until we find -ourselves amid all the company of heaven, nay -more, suppliants before the very throne of -God, humbly but confidently asking for the -grace to help us in our earthly need. The -prayer is freely granted. The very offerings -we present are blessed and returned for our -enrichment.</p> - -<p>And so, finally, the Eucharist is a <span class="lowercase smcap">MEANS -OF GRACE</span>. The Altar becomes a Table, and -the Sacrifice ends in a Feast. We are bidden, -not only to ‘do this,’ but to ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ -the Body and Blood. Here it is that we reach<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">250</span> -the most mysterious aspect of all. Christ -died and rose again for us that we might live -by Him. In this holiest fellowship He fulfils -His promise to be with us; in this highest -worship we are made partakers of His very self. -How the blessing is bestowed we are unable -to explain. The explanations that have been -attempted are not really explanations, for -they are not themselves intelligible. But we -can do better than explain. We can accept -the fact, and look to prove it in experience. -That is the way of our English Church teaching. -‘The benefit is great,’ we are assured, ‘if -with a true penitent heart and lively faith we -receive this Holy Sacrament, for then we -spiritually eat the Flesh of Christ and drink -His Blood.’ ‘The Body and Blood of Christ -are verily and indeed’—not merely metaphorically -and symbolically—‘taken and -received by the faithful.’ So it has been -believed since the foundation of the Church. -‘The doctrine of the reality of the gift bestowed -in the Holy Communion is universal in the -writings of the early Christians.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_101" href="#Footnote_101" class="fnanchor">101</a></span> And so it -will be to the end, when the holy feast is to be -royally ‘fulfilled in the kingdom of God.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_102" href="#Footnote_102" class="fnanchor">102</a></span></p> - -<p>It is in connexion with this third aspect<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">251</span> -of the Eucharist that we are to attempt some -further inquiry. Granted that ‘the benefit is -great,’ of what does it consist? When we -meet together in the gladness of loyal fellowship -to ‘lift up our hearts’ through the -worship which unites us to the Great High -Priest within the veil; when we receive, as -from His hands, the more than tokens of our -participation in His present life and coming -triumph; when after meekly kneeling for the -benediction of the heavenly peace, we rise and -go our way—what thoughts may we dare to -cherish with regard to the blessing that has -been granted to us?</p> - -<p>Shall we answer that the gain must be -of a spiritual character, that what we have -received is ‘the strengthening and refreshing -of our souls,’ that this is what is intended when -the Eucharist is spoken of as a ‘means of -grace’? Assuredly we shall be right to -answer thus. We cannot insist upon it too -strongly, or claim it too confidently. We may -not feel at the moment that we are stronger -and more able for our life and duty; but then -we do not always feel the benefit of physical -food and medicine the moment they have been -taken. The gain may not appear for hours -or even days, when perhaps we have ceased -to think of the source from which it came.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">252</span> -Strangely enough, too, the immediate effect -of a medicine may be to bring out the mischief, -and to make us imagine that we are the worse -for it rather than the better; and, as we know, -there have been times when it has almost -seemed as if we had become more distressingly -conscious of our faults and failings as a result -of our Communion. In spite of it all, faith -takes and gives humble thanks for the blessing -which has been received.</p> - -<p>But, when we say that the blessing is of -a spiritual nature, does that mean that its -effects are therefore limited to the spiritual -sphere? Can we think that they could be -so limited? Is not the spiritual the dominant -factor in all our life, and must not the quickening -and gladdening of our spirits be felt, sooner -or later, through every department of our -being?</p> - -<p>Is it not true that the mind is profoundly -influenced by the state of the spirit; that, -when the soul is at peace and in harmony -with God’s will, light shines as it were from -within upon the hardest and most perplexing -problems around us? The good and wise -Bishop Harold Browne once declared at a -Church Congress that he had never known -what it was to have intellectual doubts when -present at the Holy Communion. So, too,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">253</span> -one of the most brilliant of our living teachers, -speaking of what he owed to the school chapel -at Eton, has said, ‘There I mercifully gained -the habit of constant Communion; and this -habit was the one permanent stronghold of -my faith when in after years at Oxford the -violent storms of intellectual trouble broke -over my mind.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_103" href="#Footnote_103" class="fnanchor">103</a></span></p> - -<p>If the mind may be helped through blessing -received by the spirit, why not the body also? -We are realising more and more forcibly every -year how intimate is the connexion between -mental action and the physical organism. -The two are so linked that every change in the -one would seem to be accompanied by a change -in the other. Moreover, we are assured by -recent psychology that there are regions within -us which lie outside—above and below—the -levels of our ordinary consciousness; and that -influences exerted in these regions are determining -causes, not merely of mental, but of bodily -states. The close connexion between the -spiritual and the physical is clearly insisted -upon in the New Testament teaching. Our -Lord showed plainly that the problem of -bodily disease was not to be treated apart from -the more baffling needs of the soul. In -unhesitating terms He traced the miseries of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">254</span> -morbid physical conditions to moral wrongdoing -and the presence of spiritual forces of -evil. The great word ‘Salvation’ strictly -interpreted meant health; and it was applied -to both body and soul. It is no small part of -Christ’s redemption to ‘quicken your mortal -bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in -you.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_104" href="#Footnote_104" class="fnanchor">104</a></span></p> - -<p>The fact that the body has its appointed -part and share in the Holy Communion is -in itself significant of the honour to be paid -to it, and might be taken to imply that it too -is to be partaker of the benefit. And when -St. Paul declares that to receive ‘unworthily’ -is to be in danger of bodily sickness and even -of death<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_105" href="#Footnote_105" class="fnanchor">105</a></span> we can scarcely avoid the inference -that for the worthy recipient there might be -expected some corresponding advantage of -quickened health and physical vitality.</p> - -<p class="mt15em">If we ask what the thoughts of early -Christianity were in regard to this matter, we -need remain in no uncertainty as to the reply. -Recent discovery of documents and the critical -study of the primitive liturgies have given us -a great deal of knowledge as to the religious -conceptions of those who met for Christian -worship in the centuries after the Apostles.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">255</span> -At first it was with reluctance that they -committed their most sacred formularies to -writing. Even as late as the time of Athanasius -the precise nature of the liturgy was -kept as a secret, to be revealed only to those -who would be certain to regard it with reverence -and understanding. ‘It is not permitted,’ -he wrote, ‘to describe the mysteries to those -who are not initiated.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_106" href="#Footnote_106" class="fnanchor">106</a></span> Not until this discipline -of secrecy was gradually abandoned, as -Christianity came to be accepted throughout -the empire, were the actual forms of service -allowed to become public property. From -these we are able to gather much as to the -place which the Eucharist held in the life of -the Church, and as to the hopes that were -centred in it. These hopes, without question, -were primarily of a spiritual sort. Intercession -was offered with a fulness and intensity which -witness to a wonderful power of sustained -devotion and a boundless range of sympathy. -There were many and various prayers for the -peace and perfecting of the Church and the -enlightenment of the world, for the spread of -true knowledge, for the sanctification of all -estates of believers, and above all, and most -of all, for the exaltation and glory of God in -earth as in heaven. But no one can so much<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">256</span> -as glance over these liturgies without being -strongly impressed by the fact that those who -framed them and used them had no notion -of drawing any sharp line of distinction -between the spiritual and the material, between -the blessing of the soul and the good to be -desired for the body. If they made intercession -for the Church that it might be ‘kept -sheltered from storms’ and be ‘preserved -founded upon the rock until the consummation -of the world,’ and were careful to remember -the higher needs of all classes of Christian -people, they were quick to add, ‘Let us pray -for our brethren exercised by sickness, that -the Lord may deliver them from every disease -and from every infirmity, and may restore -them whole to His Holy Church.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_107" href="#Footnote_107" class="fnanchor">107</a></span> In the -prayer of Consecration they would ask that -the Bread and the Wine might be made to all -who received them a means of ‘faith, and -watchfulness, and healing, and sober-mindedness, -and sanctification, and renovation of -soul and body and spirit.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_108" href="#Footnote_108" class="fnanchor">108</a></span> When they had -partaken of the elements they implored that -these might ‘not be unto condemnation but to -salvation, for the benefit of soul and body.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_109" href="#Footnote_109" class="fnanchor">109</a></span></p> - -<p>Just ten years ago a very important<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">257</span> -addition was made to our store of early -liturgical documents by the publication of the -Sacramentary of Bishop Serapion, which dates -from 350 <span class="lowercase smcap">A.D.</span> The work consists of thirty -prayers such as a bishop would be likely -to use<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_110" href="#Footnote_110" class="fnanchor">110</a></span> Of these the first six and the last -twelve have to do with the celebration of the -Eucharist; the remainder relate to Baptism, -Confirmation, Ordination, and Burial.</p> - -<p>‘Life is a remarkable note of the collection,’ -and it is life in the fullest sense of the word. -A few quotations will indicate this, and will -serve to strengthen the impression we have -already sought to convey as to the content of -the blessing to be expected in the Eucharist. -In the opening Offertory prayer we find the -words, ‘We beseech Thee, make us living -men.’ At the invocation of the Word upon -the elements, ‘Make all who communicate -to receive a medicine of life for the healing -of any sickness.’ In ‘the prayer for those -who have suffered,’ ‘Grant health and soundness, -and cheerfulness and all advancement -of soul and body.’ And in the final Benediction, -‘Let the communion of the Body and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">258</span> -Blood go with this people. Let their bodies -be living bodies, and their souls be clean -souls.’ Provision is also made for special -prayer for the sick, and for the blessings of oils -and waters for their benefit, and in these -connexions we find such expressions as the -following: ‘Be propitious, Master; assist and -heal all that are sick. Rebuke the sicknesses.’ -‘Grant them to be counted worthy of health.’ -‘Make them to have perfect health of body -and soul.’ ‘Grant healing power upon these -creatures that every power and every evil -spirit and every sickness may depart.’</p> - -<p>It need scarcely be said that all such -references to bodily wants are set in a context -which is marked by the simplest and most -ardent spiritual devotion. The physical is -never allowed to usurp the first place. But -it is never forgotten. The early Christians -believed that the Life which was offered to -them in fellowship with their Lord was to -extend to every part of their constitution, -to ‘spirit and soul and body.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_111" href="#Footnote_111" class="fnanchor">111</a></span></p> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">259</span></p> -<p>In the light of our increasing knowledge of -psychological processes, we to-day are turning -with new interest and sympathy to the old -stories of marvellous healing that have come -down to us from early and medieval times; -and we are doing our best, by careful investigation -and analysis, to separate the well-authenticated -cases from those for which the evidence -is not satisfactory. Already it is clear beyond -reasonable doubt that the instances in which -directly religious influences wrought extraordinary -cures were far more numerous than -have been generally admitted by critical -students of the history. In Mr. Percy Dearmer’s -volume entitled ‘Body and Soul’ a -large number of testimonies have been collected -relating to such experiences at various -times throughout the Christian centuries. Thus -the passage from St. Augustine is quoted, in -which he said that in his days miracles were -still being wrought, ‘partly by the sacraments,’ -and partly through other instrumentalities. -And instances of such miracles are described -as they were recorded of Bernard, and -Francis, and Catherine of Siena; of Philip -Neri, Fox, Wesley, Cardinal Hohenlohe, -Pastor Blumhardt, Father John of Cronstadt, -and many more. At least two cases are -given in which the benefit was definitely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">260</span> -connected with the reception of Holy Communion<span class="nowrap">.<a id="FNanchor_112" href="#Footnote_112" class="fnanchor">112</a></span></p> - -<p class="mt15em">It remains now to ask how far we English -Church people have any guidance to which -we can appeal in our liturgical forms. We -have to admit that the well-being of the body -does not receive the amount of consideration -in our Prayer-book that it did receive in more -primitive days. And yet the allusions are -more frequent than many imagine. At the -outset of Morning and Evening Prayer we -are reminded that we have met ‘to ask those -things which are requisite and necessary as -well for the body as the soul.’ Over and over -we repeat the clause in the Lord’s Prayer—‘Give -us this day our daily bread.’ In the -Creed we joyfully attest our belief in the -‘resurrection of the body.’ In the Litany we -pray to be delivered from ‘plague and pestilence.’ -A special intercession is appointed -for use ‘in the time of common plague or -sickness,’ as well as the more general one for all -who are ‘any ways afflicted, or distressed, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">261</span> -mind, body, or estate,’ with a particular -remembrance of ‘those for whom our prayers -are desired.’ In the Collects, which were -intended primarily for use at the Eucharist, we -find petitions for help in ‘our infirmities,’ for -defence from ‘all adversities which may happen -to the body,’ for preservation ‘both in body and -soul,’ and for readiness of ‘body’ to do the -Divine will. In the Office for Holy Communion -we may be glad to note even clearer -traces of the Scriptural and primitive conception -as to the place which the physical -part of our nature is entitled to hold in the -religion of the Incarnation.</p> - -<p>When we say the prayer for the whole -Church, we humbly beseech God ‘to comfort -and succour all those who in this transitory -life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, -or any other adversity.’ In the Prayer of -Humble Access there are petitions, first to be -met with in the earliest form of the English -service (1548), which sound like an echo -from the already quoted Prayer-book of -Serapion, ‘that our sinful bodies may be -made clean by His Body, and our souls washed -through His most precious Blood.’ Even -more intentionally significant are the words of -administration appointed to be addressed to -every communicant, ‘The Body of our Lord<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">262</span> -Jesus Christ preserve thy body and soul unto -everlasting life’; ‘The Blood of our Lord -Jesus Christ preserve thy body and soul -unto everlasting life.’ These references to the -‘body’ appear to have been deliberately -introduced into our service. In the Latin -form the celebrant had said, ‘custodiat animam -meam in vitam aeternam.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_113" href="#Footnote_113" class="fnanchor">113</a></span> And as the body -has its place of privilege, so also it has a share -of the corresponding responsibility. In the -Prayer of Oblation ‘we offer and present our -souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy, and -lively sacrifice.’ Finally, among the Collects -suggested to be said after the Offertory, and -at other times ‘as occasion shall serve,’ the -foremost place is given to two which are -closely connected with the thought of bodily -welfare. The first, ‘Assist us mercifully, O -Lord,’ was a prayer used in medieval times -for persons who had gone on a pilgrimage to -seek physical as well as spiritual blessings; -the second is for the sanctification and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">263</span> -governance of ‘both our hearts and bodies,’ -that we may be ‘preserved in body and -soul, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus -Christ.’</p> - -<p>So then, in our Prayer-book, as in the -older service books, the benefit of the body -is closely associated with the gain which is -sought for the soul. The physical effect is -regarded as dependent upon the spiritual -gift. As the Bishop of Birmingham has put it, -‘though in the Holy Communion the body -is sanctified through the sanctification of our -spirit, and transformed and endowed, in subtle -and secret ways which pass our comprehension, -with capacity for the life immortal; yet it -is through the spirit and not directly.<span class="nowrap">’<a id="FNanchor_114" href="#Footnote_114" class="fnanchor">114</a></span> The -blessing begins with the spirit, but it certainly -does not end there.</p> - -<p class="mt15em">This sketch of a great subject, imperfect -as it has been, may serve to turn the thoughts -of some of us to an aspect of our religious -privileges which has not been very much -before our minds. A friend who had been -spending a good deal of time on ‘cures’ on -the continent as well as in this country, wrote -to me lately to say that he was beginning to -think that he ought to get more assistance<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">264</span> -towards recovery from his religion than he had -been getting. That is an idea which accords -with the temper of the first Christians, and is -certainly encouraged by a careful study of our -own Prayer-book. We dare not assert that all -‘the ills that flesh is heir to’ would disappear -before a quickened vitality of soul, and the -mental soundness which might follow from -this; but we can well believe that the tendency -of true religion is all in the direction of physical -health. Indeed, we may go so far as to say -that there is no restorative force that we know -of to compare with the influence of spiritual -peace and gladness. We have amongst us -those who are fully conscious that they have -owed much bodily strength to prayers and to -sacraments. And there are medical men who -would not hesitate to give their confirmatory -testimony from what they have seen in their -experiences of the sick.</p> - -<p>Sometimes we hear of small attendance -at the weekly or daily Eucharist. If this -is to be remedied it will be because truer -views have come to prevail again of the meaning -of the greatest service of the Church. We -shall recover the spiritual fervour and force -of primitive Christianity when we learn once -more to give the Eucharist its proper place -in our worship and our life. We might be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">265</span> -helped to do this if, like the first Christians, -we accustomed ourselves to look to our -Communions not only for the blessing that -they can bring to our souls, but for the lesser, -and yet not less real, blessing which we may -find in them for the sanctification and preservation -of our bodies.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">ARTHUR CHANDLER, D.D.</span><br /> - -<span class="aa">BISHOP OF BLOEMFONTEIN</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">269</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PRAYER_AND_MENTAL_HEALING">PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALING</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By the Bishop of Bloemfontein</span></div> - - -<p>This paper is concerned with Mental Healing; -its object is to suggest, in a tentative way, -how Mental Healing may be effected by Mental -Prayer. But, in order to do this, it is necessary -(at the risk of repeating what may have been -written by others) to refer to certain premises -leading up to the conclusion which I wish to -draw.</p> - -<p>(1) In the first place it is coming to be -recognised that ‘consciousness’ must be understood -in a far wider and more general sense -than we have been accustomed to associate -with it. Alongside of the active work of the -intellect with which, e.g., we study mathematics -or pursue our profession, there is a -large, dreamy, half-conscious tract of mind, -not sharpened to a single point, like the active -intellect, but consisting in a multiplicity of -mind-centres (mental ganglia, as we might -call them) diffused throughout the body. We -knew before that our body was a microcosm -or an epitome of the world in which it was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">270</span> -found, and now we are learning that the same -is true of our minds. Primitive kinds of -consciousness have been carried up with us in -our ascent from lower grades of being, and -survive, dormant but real, over against the -intellect which is the palmary achievement -of our race. This residual consciousness (the -consciousness which exists outside of the -rational intellect) consists largely of instincts -and capacities which regulate the lives of -other animals, and which were employed by -man in his primitive state, but for which he -has no use in his present-day existence; -modes of receptivity and reaction, which -were natural to him in his dreamy childhood, -but which are discarded by him in the aggressive, -self-assertive, wide-awake condition in -which he now lives. Mr. Myers, in his ‘Human -Personality,’ gives a very attractive and -convincing account of this inheritance from -our ‘lowly ancestors.’ But probably we have -to go deeper still to account for parts of the -consciousness which we thus inherit. The -rooted attachment to home, and the blind -tenacity with which, in the teeth of reason, -men cling to life, exhibit a more primitive -mode of consciousness than that of animal -life. Here we will quote some very suggestive -words of Professor Stewart:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">271</span></p> - -<p>‘Transcendental feeling I would explain -genetically as an effect produced within consciousness -by the persistence in us of that -primeval condition from which we are sprung, -when life was still as sound asleep as death, and -there was no time yet. That we should fall -for a while, now and then, from our waking, -time-marking life, into the timeless slumber of -this primeval life is easy to understand; for -the principle solely operative in that primeval -life is indeed the fundamental principle of our -nature, being that “vegetative part of the -soul” which made from the first, and still -silently makes, the assumption on which our -rational life of conduct and science rests—the -assumption that life is worth living. -When to the “vegetative” the “sensitive” -soul is first added, the Imperative (Live thy -Life) is obeyed by creatures which, experiencing -only isolated feelings, and retaining no -traces of them in memory, still live a timeless -life, without sense of past or future, and consequently -without sense of selfhood. Then, -with memory, there comes, in the higher -animals, some dim sense of a self dating back -and prospecting forward. Time begins to be.’</p> - -<p>This, then, is our starting point; that -besides the single, supreme, rational activity, -which we call intellect, there exist in us other<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">272</span> -forms of consciousness similar to those which -accompany the growth of the plant or the life -of the animal; and that this residual consciousness, -however much we may discard or disown -it, continues to live and work, and does things -which the proud intellect is unable to do. -On the other hand, we must not forget that -these forms of feeling and instinct, of perception -and reaction, which we regard as our -heritage from lower grades of life, are enormously -modified by their juxtaposition with a -rational intellect. The unity of nature which -comprehends both the intellect and them, -makes itself felt; this lower form of mentality -is still the mentality of a rational being; -and the general position may be described -by saying that there exists a decentralised -consciousness, diffused through the organism, -‘irrational, but capable of sharing in reason, -and of listening to it,’ as Aristotle would say, and -manifesting itself in a power of receiving impressions, -manipulating them, and reacting upon -them, which in our present state of ignorance we -describe by the convenient word ‘abnormal.’</p> - -<p>(2) Because the residual consciousness is -thus diffused throughout the body, it can -exercise control over the various parts of the -body, just as the central intellect exercises -control over the body as a whole. As the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">273</span> -reason can set the body in motion by commands -issued through the brain and travelling down -the motor nerves, so the departmental consciousness -can initiate changes and disturbances -in the various nerve centres with which it is -associated. This, we take it, is what happens -in all cases of mental healing. The phenomenon -is physical as well as psychical; it consists -not merely in the inhibition of the feeling of pain, -but in such a modification of the nerve tissues -as removes the cause of the pain. A real cure -is effected, and it is effected by the action of -the residual consciousness upon that particular -part of the organism.</p> - -<p>(3) This decentralised, residual consciousness -can work best when the rational intellect -is quiescent—when, we may say, the central -office is closed. At such times man ceases -for the time to be an argumentative, striving -creature; the placid, vegetative, ruminative life, -the life of growth and instinct, asserts itself; -submerged modes of consciousness begin to stir -and act, like fairies dancing when the sun has set.</p> - -<p>And as sleep is the typically quiescent -state, it will be specially in sleep, natural or -induced, that these lower modes of consciousness -will exhibit their activity.</p> - -<p>(4) In order that they may act, a ‘cue’ -or suggestion of some sort must be given to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">274</span> -them. The most marked characteristic of -this residual consciousness is its receptivity. It -executes, but cannot originate. It can retain -in the memory the whole of a long poem -which it has heard, and it can solve a problem -by right adjustment of its elements; but in -each case the facts must be given to it in -order that it may deal with them. In itself -it is dreamy and desultory; if it is to work -efficiently, it must be stimulated and concentrated -by the transmission to it of a clear -and forcible suggestion.</p> - -<p>(5) On the other hand, although it must -take its orders from the reason, it is only natural -that one residual consciousness should be more -<i>en rapport</i>, feel more at home, with another -residual consciousness. The reason is like a -parent or schoolmaster, and these consciousnesses -are like children. They receive their -directions from above, but are far more at -home with each other, canvassing their instructions, -and sometimes parodying and -making fun of them, as children do with the -admonitions of their elders. In matter of -fact there is often something freakish and -elfish about this consciousness, it reminds -one of the submerged spirit of Dionysus -reasserting itself in Denys l’Auxerrois as -described by Mr. Pater.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">275</span></p> - -<p>(6) Now, if one residual consciousness can -be brought into a relationship of definite -and serious purpose with another residual -consciousness, the influence thus exerted will -be stronger than any which can be exerted -directly by the reason itself. To revert to our -former illustrations, a monitor whose own -character is receptive of the master’s ideals -can exert on other children an influence greater -than that of the master himself.</p> - -<p>(7) The reason of man, then, may be well -able to convey clear instructions to his own -residual consciousness, and send it to associate -with, and work upon, some other residual -consciousness. And if the instructions conveyed, -and the work done, concern the curing -of some ailment, a case of mental healing will -be the result.</p> - -<p>Let A be the healer and B the patient; let -<i>a</i> and <i>b</i> represent the residual consciousness -of each of them; further, let A<sup>1</sup> be the rational -intellect of A, and B<sup>2</sup> the seat of B’s disease. -In that case the following diagram will illustrate -the process:</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_275" style="max-width: 15.625em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_275.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">276</span></p> - -<p>That is, A concentrates his intellect (A<sup>1</sup>) on -transmitting a message to his own submerged -consciousness (<i>a</i>); this submerged consciousness -works upon B’s submerged consciousness -and stimulates it to curative action on the -seat of B’s disease. Further, the best time -for <i>a</i> to thus work upon <i>b</i> will be when A and B -are both asleep. A will have concentrated -the reason on the idea of helping B just before -going to sleep. Mr. Hudson, in his ‘Psychic -Phenomena,’ gives many illustrations of cures -thus effected.</p> - -<p>(8) But the capacity of A to exert a strong -and right influence must depend on the -strength of his will and the clearness of his -insight; and if he is a humble man, he will -recognise his own weakness and ignorance. -In proportion, then, to his affection for B, -he wants to bring to bear on B a stronger -force and a higher wisdom than his own. A -few exceptionally strong and wise people may -bring help, of themselves, to their friends in -the manner described in the last section; but -the majority, being conscious of their own -limitations, will turn elsewhere for succour, i.e. -will pray.</p> - -<p>(9) In very many cases prayer is a definite -petition to God, that God will Himself act -directly on our friend by bestowing a definite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">277</span> -blessing on him, e.g. recovery from a specific -ailment. But that is not quite the highest -or the best kind of prayer. God loves to act -through us; Christ sends out his disciples, -that through them He may continue to do His -gracious works. We can combine a humble -reliance on God with the offer of ourselves as -His instruments, if our prayer conforms to -that Prayer of Quiet or Silence of which -mystical writers tell us. Then, instead of -ourselves acting directly on our friend, and -instead of asking God to act directly upon him, -we shall just concentrate our attention upon -God with special intention for our friend. -We shall hope that a Divine response from -God will, during our sleep perhaps, enter our -own subconscious self (which we have, through -the concentration of our attention, made receptive -of such responses) and through us work -upon that of our friend. In such a case the -diagram will be as follows:</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_277" style="max-width: 24.375em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_277.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>We may add that this Prayer of Silence not -only renders us receptive of Divine influences, -which may then through us be transmitted to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">278</span> -our friend; also it embodies the true attitude -of humility in relation to God. We know not -what we should pray for as we ought. We are -not to dictate to God what blessing He is to -send. We simply bring our friend’s evil case -before Him in the very act of our own loving -concentration upon Him, and offer ourselves -as the agents for the transmission of that -blessing, whatever it may be, which He in His -wisdom may will to send. By a strong act -of sympathy we identify ourselves with our -friend, and trust God to provide the right -remedy. ‘Have mercy upon <i>me</i>,’ said the -woman in the Gospel, ‘my daughter is grievously -vexed with a devil.’</p> - -<p>If we can combine this living sympathy -for our friend with a humble trust in God’s -power and wisdom, and further offer ourselves -as the instrument through which God may act, -we shall be practising the highest and purest -form of intercession within our reach. And -this form of intercession may be offered in a -silent act of Contemplation, in which distracting -thoughts are set aside, the favourable -attitude of receptivity is attained, and a loving -and concentrated appeal is made to the love -of God. It may, perhaps, encourage us to -engage in this highest form of prayer, if we -recognise that it has this intercessory side.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">279</span> -An objection is sometimes brought against the -practice of Contemplation as described by -spiritual writers, on the ground that it is self-centred -and selfish. There is never much -force in such an objection, since the contemplative -who is concentrating his soul on God is -thereby making himself a ladder down which -Angels of Grace descend on others as well as -himself; he is diffusing an atmosphere of God’s -presence, with the blessings that flow from it.</p> - -<p>When, however, Contemplation is practised -with definite intercessory intention, its beneficence -is clearly and unmistakably emphasised.</p> - -<p>(10) It is well to dwell a little more on the -quality of humility which should characterise -all such prayers. We have no right to dictate -to God what His answer shall be. We have -no right to assume that it must be His will -to remove all pain and suffering. Any such -assumption leads logically to conclusions which -those who make it might not be prepared to -accept. If pain and suffering are contrary -to God’s will, and God is omnipotent, it follows -that there can be no such thing as pain and -suffering; and as pain and suffering are -located in the body, it will further be concluded -that there is no such thing as a body; and -here at once we have Christian Science in a -nutshell.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">280</span></p> - -<p>We may try to escape from this conclusion -by distinguishing an absolute and a contingent -will of God, and arguing that pain, as such, -is contrary, but under certain circumstances -is not contrary, to the will of God. But this -really abandons the whole position, since we -do not know whether the case of our friend -is covered by the ‘certain circumstances’ -or not, and therefore are unable to dogmatise -as to God’s will in the matter. No one in his -senses imagines that God wills pain for the -sake of pain. Everyone would agree that, if sin -had not come into the world, there would be -no occasion for pain. But then sin has come -into the world; the only condition of man -with which we are acquainted is his fallen -condition; in that fallen condition sin and -suffering are mingled inextricably to a degree -which utterly condemns dictation or dogmatism -on our part. Ignorant people like ourselves -must, then, be humble in our prayers. We -bring our friend’s illness before God; ‘Lord, -he whom Thou lovest is sick’; often God’s -love may be shown in the removal of the -suffering; sometimes in the provision of -grace sufficient to enable the sufferer to rejoice -in his infirmities.</p> - -<p>(11) What has been said in this paper is -liable to an easy and obvious criticism. It<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">281</span> -will be said that the whole thing consists of -guesses; and further, that these guesses are -incapable of scientific verification. I cheerfully -accept both statements, and am not -particularly affected by either. All increase -of knowledge has been made through guesses, -and in the case of an intricate subject like -that before us, we must be content to go on -guessing for a long time. Further, there may -be verification which would not conform to -the more rigorous methods, but which would -be sufficient for practical purposes. If we -find that such prayer as I have described is -followed by relief, either physical or spiritual, -to him for whom we pray; and if this sequence -occurs again and again under different conditions, -the cumulative weight of such experience -will justify a humble belief that God -is indeed using us as vehicles of His grace and -love.</p> - -<p>(12) Finally, I should like to add a few -words as to the general attitude which, it -seems to me, we should adopt with regard -to facts of mental healing. I have assumed -that we are face to face with certain psychical -facts which for the first time are winning -general recognition of their authenticity. That -is, we are witnessing the birth and development -of a special branch of psychology. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">282</span> -whole inquiry into the phenomena of the -subconscious, or subliminal, or subjective, or -residual consciousness (whatever we choose to -call it) is a psychological inquiry. It is for -the psychologist to investigate the relation in -which such phenomena stand to the normal -working of the mind; and it is for the psychologist -and physiologist together to probe the -method by which subconscious mentality -affects the diseased tissue, and in many cases -effects a cure. The facts are becoming patent -to all; the causes are a subject matter for -science. Where, then, does religion come in? -I answer that whilst the forces at work are -psychical, and the inquiry into their mode of -operation is scientific, they can be best put in -motion by religion.</p> - -<p>Some such demarcation of spheres seems -to me to be essential. It would be fatal -to assume that all manifestation of subconscious -activity is supernatural; that all mental -healing is necessarily spiritual healing. The -facts postulate neither a special spiritual gift, -nor a special theory of the universe (such as -that of Christian Science) to account for them. -They are, we repeat, psychical facts, and come -under the domain of psychology.</p> - -<p>Further, as I have suggested above, -religion is not the only motive power by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">283</span> -which they can be roused to action. A -rigorous process of attention and concentration -of the mind, which has been rendered -quiescent by the elimination of other thoughts -and ideas, seems to be the condition under -which the healer acts successfully; and such -a process is not confined to the sphere of -religion.</p> - -<p>But, on the other hand, we Christians -possess two great qualifications in this matter. -First, in the higher forms of prayer we have -ready to our hand a peculiarly effective method -of concentration and attention; and, secondly, -through the use of this method, we can link -our own action with the action of God, -correcting our ignorance by the wisdom of -God, and supplementing our weakness by the -power of God.</p> - -<p class="mt15em"><span class="smcap">Note.</span>—In this article I have dealt with -healing as exercised on the ills of another, not -on one’s own ills; and the prayer associated -with such healing has therefore been presented -as intercessory prayer. But of course the -troubles which we have in view may be our -own. In such a case the method will be much -the same as that sketched above; relief may be -effected subconsciously through the medium -of prayer. But the procedure is now much<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">284</span> -simpler. Instead of sending out our subconsciousness -(the phraseology is necessarily -materialistic and fearfully inadequate) to work -on that of another, we merely commission it -to work on the seat of our own malady. The -method now becomes one of auto-suggestion, -i.e. the healing suggestion is made by us to ourselves. -We know the power of this process in -the moral sphere; we know how, by fixing our -minds on lofty and ennobling ideas, we can -break the power of temptation, not by a frontal -attack, but by getting round it and above it to -a higher level of life and thought. This, in -fact, is the main purpose and effect of meditation -as ordinarily practised. The scope of -meditations only have to be slightly extended -in order to apply to our physical as well as our -moral troubles. But, although this method of -healing becomes simpler in procedure, because -applied to ourselves, yet for the same success -it demands still greater humility and purity -of intention. If, when we pray for others, it -is hard for us to believe that the prayer may be -really and effectually answered in other ways -than by the removal of the physical suffering, -it is still harder for us to recognise this in our -own case. To meet this difficulty, it will be -well that prayer for our own relief should be -as much as possible silent prayer. We shall<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">285</span> -concentrate our attention on God’s love and -power, as revealed in Christ, just spread out -our trouble before Him, and resolve to trust -Him to the uttermost. The suggestion thus -conveyed to our own subconscious life will be -charged with God’s grace; if physical healing -results, the restored health will be transformed -by dedication to God’s service; if the relief -takes the form of strength to endure, it will be -none the less relief, lifting us above the level -of self-pity into tranquil communion with -Christ crucified, and may be none the less an -instrument in God’s hands for the doing of His -blessed will.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="title"> -<div class="head">THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE</div> - -<div class="auth1"><span class="aa">BY</span><br /> - -<span class="bb">M. CARTA STURGE</span></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">289</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_METAPHYSICS_OF_CHRISTIAN">THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN -SCIENCE</h2> -</div> - -<div class="auth2"><span class="smcap">By M. Carta Sturge</span></div> - - -<p>In attempting to criticise the Metaphysics of -Christian Science, as put forth in the book -which claims to be the authority for its -doctrine, ‘Science and Health, with Key to -the Scriptures,’ one is tempted to quote the -famous chapter on ‘Snakes in Iceland,’ which -runs ‘There are no snakes in Iceland,’ and to -say at the outset that Christian Science has -no Metaphysics. Since, however, it claims -to explain the Universe, and to give a theory -of such metaphysical subjects as Matter and -Spirit, as well as of Unity and Reality, it -may be well to examine its statements on -these abstruse matters to see if they can -justly claim to have value as Metaphysics, -to search the island, as it were, before pronouncing -that there are no snakes in it.</p> - -<p>Undoubtedly Christian Science owes a -good deal of its attractiveness to its teaching of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">290</span> -a sort of popular Idealism. It was put forth -at a time when a great wave of Materialism -had overspread the Christian world, not owing -only to discoveries in Natural Science, which -seemed in the first flush of their triumph, -before they had been adjusted with other fields -of thought, to destroy all belief in Spirit, -but owing also to the fact that Religion -had been for so long established and, apparently, -firmly seated upon a secure spiritual -foundation, that it had been loosely taught -as to its fundamental basis. So little had its -relation with physical things been explained -that the spiritual and physical aspects of the -Universe had become, as it were, separated -in thought and shut up respectively in -watertight compartments. The result was -that in the popular mind the two worlds, the -spiritual and the physical, stood in a merely -artificial relation with each other, connected, -as it were, by unmeaning hooks, instead of -standing in an intimate organic relation, so -close that no true statement regarding the one -could possibly stand in collision with the -truth of the other.</p> - -<p>In consequence of this merely artificial -relation of the two in the popular mind, at -the first breath of the new scientific announcements -the two worlds in the minds of only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">291</span> -too many fell apart, and the spiritual world -floated away, if one may say so, to nowhere, -whilst the physical, with all its limitations, -its ruthless laws, its indifference to the individual, -its total disregard of pain, and its insurmountable -barriers, reigned alone. Materialism -had triumphed with its apparently hard-and-fast -solidity; whilst the ideals of Poetry, -the truths hinted at by Art, the revelations of -the prophet, the dreams of the young and the -visions of the old, and our intuitions of unseen -realities which cannot be uttered, were consigned -by many, supposed to be wise, to the -region of illusions, the realm of nothingness, and -Man seemed indeed to be nothing more than -a creature helplessly subject to circumstance, -the sport of every wind, and entirely beyond -the region of hope wherever physical aid failed.</p> - -<p>It was in the midst of a state of things -something like this that Christian Science -came with its contrary announcement that all -is Spirit, and this given forth with the energy -and freshness which always accompanies the -discovery of a new aspect of truth, or, as in -this instance, the rediscovery of a world-old -truth which had been for a time despised or -forgotten. And with it came a message of -hope, the assurance that we are not the -creatures of mere circumstance, that we are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">292</span> -not limited to physical life, nor altogether tied -down by its limitations, that things are not as -hard and fast as they seem, and that in the -power of Spirit we can throw down many -a barrier and rise above circumstances. Most -welcome teaching, and yet to those of us -accustomed to singing, on the third evening of -the month, ‘With the help of my God I shall -leap over the wall,’ it seems strange that it -should appear quite so new! However, as -before said, Materialism had darkened much -of this old truth and somewhat blinded our -eyes. Whether, therefore, it seems new or old -to us, we can only welcome a powerful reassertion -of Idealism, of the supremacy of -Spirit, provided it come with good credentials, -and be so stated as to appeal to the best and -sanest part of ourselves, and with the breadth -and depth of treatment that so wonderful a -truth calls for. Unfortunately, it is here that -Christian Science fails us. It is a cheap, too -much ready-made Idealism that is put before -us, and one that rather appeals to our less sane -moments than to our more brilliantly illuminated -ones.</p> - -<p>Idealism, by reason of its very greatness, -by its perception of things that lie outside -our senses, by its apprehension of infinities -far beyond our grasp, has many and great<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">293</span> -difficulties to encounter as soon as, leaving the -inspired region of Poetry, and of prophetic -vision, it tries to present itself as rational -to our intellect, and as conformable with our -knowledge of physical things. Had the foundress -of Christian Science confined herself to the -uninquiring assertions of Seership, and left -the explanation of Spiritual truths (of which -no one can deny that she caught some luminous -glimpses) to minds equipped with the necessary -knowledge and training, Christian Science would -have been shorn of much of its incoherence -and false teaching, and perhaps have proved -itself a real ally to Christianity.</p> - -<p>But the foundress was not content with the -rôle of giving forth such insight as she may -have had as a Seer. She tries to explain it, -and the consequence is such a tangle of incoherent, -inconsistent, confused statements, contradictory -to each other, as has, perhaps, never -seriously been given to the world before. And -where, occasionally, the statements, at least -as to their wording, are clear and unmistakable -in their meaning, so far from clearing away -the difficulties of Idealism, they add much -to the obscurity, and leave the subject in a -position likely to act in the long run in favour -of Materialism rather than in the direction -intended.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">294</span></p> - -<p>We will take an instance. Mrs. Eddy lays -great stress on the Oneness of the Universe. -Here we shall few of us quarrel with her, for -Unity is the root-idea of Thought, whether -scientific or philosophic, or even that of mere -common-sense, since it is only by Unity that -one thing can be seen in relation to another. -The Unity is, however, difficult of apprehension, -since it is essentially an idea—although none -the less real for that—being, from the physical -point of view, never seen or apprehended as a -material thing. Therefore it is non-material, -something spiritual or mental to be realised -by insight other than that of the senses. Mrs. -Eddy has this insight, and has it very strongly.</p> - -<p>Idealism, however, is no sooner arrived at -than it presents us with a very hard knot to -untie, and it is here that we shall see how far -Mrs. Eddy can give us any adequate metaphysical -solution.</p> - -<p>She realises, like much greater thinkers, -how hard it is to understand how our material -world can be contained in a spiritual idea, -and that Matter and Mind are of difficult -reconciliation, although, if we grant they both -exist, they are so obviously related that they -must be reconcilable within a Unity somehow. -This reconciliation has cost much thought for -thousands of years on the part of the deepest<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">295</span> -thinkers, but the easy way of solving the -difficulty in the case of shallow thinkers is to -do it by throwing one or other of the members -in this pair of opposites away, to deny it -existence, and so to attain a cheap conception -of unity by pronouncing either matter or mind -to be a mere illusion. The Materialist tries cancelling -Mind. Mrs. Eddy throws out Matter -and with it our entire physical world, not only -the objects in it, but all mental conceptions in -regard to it, such as the Laws of Nature, and -all possible theories as to its being a manifestation -of Mind. All our conceptions of its laws -are errors conceived by the intellect, she -teaches<span class="nowrap">,<a id="FNanchor_115" href="#Footnote_115" class="fnanchor">115</a></span> which is itself non-existent. In fact, -the world only <i>is</i> because we falsely think it is. -We have only to unthink it, and it will disappear. -Spirit is One, and therefore the many -objects of the world cannot be included in it; -and only Spirit is real, therefore the material -world cannot be real. Such is her argument, -and she cannot allow that Matter may be a -manifestation of Mind or created by Mind, -or have any relation with it of whatever sort. -‘Spirit and Matter no more commingle,’ she -says, ‘than light or darkness,’ and she asserts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">296</span> -that ‘Science reveals nothing in Spirit out of -which to create Matter.’</p> - -<p>We have here attained, if we have attained -it, Oneness at the expense of the Many. It is -One simply by means of containing nothing, -and, in place of the inspiring conception of -the true thinker of the Unity as One because -it includes the Many harmoniously related -within itself—a Unity of infinite richness and -fecundity—we have a dead, empty One, misnamed -Unity because there is nothing to unite. -The worship of such a Oneness, it has well been -said, would be the worship of the None. Such -an One would be all-exclusive instead of all-inclusive, -and be gained by the annihilation of -everything, instead of by the inclusion of all -within Itself as the vital expression of Itself.</p> - -<p>In yet another way Mrs. Eddy’s statements -concerning Unity contradict themselves. We -have seen that in her conception of Unity the -whole world, as we know it, has to be evaporated, -as it were, into nothingness, and it has -been roundly denied that Spirit had anything -to do with its creation. Yet the world has to -be accounted for, and in the sequel we find -that, according to ‘Science and Health,’ it -<i>has</i> been created—but by whom or what?</p> - -<p>It has been created by the mind of Man, by -his thinking power, but not, as we shall find if<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">297</span> -we read the book carefully, by that part of -man’s mind that is real, but by that part of -it which is constantly asserted to be unreal, -to be, in fact, as much nothing as the world -itself is nothing. This part of Man, which is -over and over again affirmed to be nothing, is -the Mortal Mind, and is endowed with the -most tremendous creative powers; for by its -thought, its false thought, which is again -nothing, it has created for itself a world of -objects, and objects connected with each -other, not in a state of chaos, as one would -expect in a world created by false thought, -but objects connected with each other in a -marvellously ordered sequence, obeying exact -laws with the utmost obedience—laws so -elaborate and complex in their results that it -has taken Man ages to understand them even -a little (although in Mrs. Eddy’s view his -own creation), and yet, in their ordered -complexity, so simple that they are reducible -to a few heads. Such is the wonderful -world created by the Mortal Mind, and with -which God, as All-in-All, has nothing to do! -Thus we have two Creators, two unrelated -worlds, and we are landed in a Duality which -is absolutely opposed to, and inconsistent with, -the Oneness on which Mrs. Eddy lays so much -emphasis, and which consequently disappears.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">298</span></p> - -<p>All the rest of Mrs. Eddy’s so-called metaphysical -ideas, her teaching on Reality, on -the nature of Man, on what constitutes truth -and what error, and so on, are equally contradictory, -and we are driven to the conclusion -that such a hopeless confusion of contradictions -is scarcely worthy of the name of Metaphysics -or of serious discussion.</p> - -<p>We welcome, as we have said, so emphatic -an announcement of Idealism, and of the truth -of the supremacy of Spirit, but must deeply -regret that the Idealism is of so poor and thin -a character, and the idea of Spirit and of the -Eternal Unity so deplorably impoverished. -For, indeed, thus presented, they could not long -hold their own, and would soon give place again -to the darkness of Materialism.</p> - -<p>However, rather than criticise, let us welcome -the recall to Idealism, to the recognition -of Spirit as the supreme reality in which all -physical laws find their truth, and, by a careful -study and meditation upon the length and -breadth and depth of these great ideas, as -set forth in Christianity and all that led up to it, -endeavour to do our little part towards a better -understanding of these things, and thus in -practice we shall indeed find that many a -seeming solid barrier can be overleapt, the -crooked made straight and rough places plain.</p> - - -<p class="tac fs60 mtb6em"> -PRINTED BY<br /> -SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. LTD., COLCHESTER<br /> -LONDON AND ETON -</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="adverts"> -<p class="booktitle">RELIGION AND MEDICINE.</p> - -<p class="tac">By <span class="smcap">Samuel McComb</span>, M.A. (Oxon.), D.D. (Glasgow), <span class="smcap">Elwood Worcester</span>, -D.D., Ph.D., and <span class="smcap">Isidor H. Coriat</span>, M.D.</p> - -<p class="tac">With a Preface by <span class="smcap">Somerset E. Pennefather</span>, M.A., D.D., Vicar of -Kensington and Prebendary of St. Paul’s.</p> - -<p class="tac">Crown 8vo. 6<i>s.</i> net.</p> - -<p>This book sets forth in clear and non-technical language the principles, -and the methods by which these principles have been applied, that -underlie the notable experiment in practical Christianity known as the -Emmanuel Movement. The fundamental conception of the work is that -a great number of disorders, half nervous and half moral, which are -widely prevalent in American and English society, can be alleviated and -cured by means which are psychological and religious. The book -illustrates how an alliance between the highest neurological science of -our time and the Christian religion in its primitive and simplest form, -as modern Biblical scholarship has disclosed it, may become a powerful -weapon with which to attack the causes that lie behind the neurotic and -hysterical temperament that characterises the life of to-day.</p> - -<p>The work is written by two scholars trained in scientific theology, -and a physician of high reputation as an expert in psychological medicine.</p> - -<p><i>The Church Times</i> says:—‘Dr. McComb’s lecture, reported in our -columns last week, has been speedily followed by the appearance of a -book, in which he and two of his colleagues give a complete account of -the work of healing undertaken at Emmanuel Church, Boston. This -seems to justify our suggestion that the limitations accepted were designed -mainly with a view to the friendly co-operation of the medical profession. -Another reason for limitation is neatly <span class="nowrap">expressed:—</span></p> - -<p>‘ “In the treatment of functional nervous disorders, we make free -use of moral and psychical agencies, but we do not believe in overtaxing -these valuable aids by expecting the mind to attain results which can be -effected more easily through physical instrumentalities.”</p> - -<p>‘There speaks sanctified common sense, in exact agreement with the -dictum of St. Thomas Aquinas that miracles are not to be multiplied -<i>praeter necessitatem</i>. There is also a recognition of what is presumably -true, that miraculous healing—for we prefer the old-fashioned term—is -not an easy way of escape from doctors’ bills, but a process far more -difficult, and involving far more expenditure of mind and will, than the -use of drugs or splints. When this is understood, some prejudices will -disappear. Meanwhile, the three doctors—one of medicine and two of -divinity—should have a respectful hearing for their record of work done.’</p> - - -<p class="booktitle">THE HEALING MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH.</p> - -<p class="tac">By Rev. <span class="smcap">Samuel McComb</span>, D.D.</p> - -<p class="tac">Crown 8vo. 32 pp. sewed, 6<i>d.</i> net.</p> - -<p>This little book is published under the direction of the Emmanuel Committee -for Great Britain, and deals with the method and working of the -Emmanuel Clinic when brought into contact with persons suffering from -maladies which appear to be primarily mental, moral and spiritual, and -only secondarily physical, but which, nevertheless, defy the utmost -efforts to console or to relieve.</p> - - -<p class="booktitle">PSYCHIC HEALING:</p> - -<p class="tac">An Account of the Work of the Church and Medical Union.</p> - -<p class="tac">Crown 8vo. sewed, 6<i>d.</i> net.</p> - -<p>No one will deny that psychic healing is a question of paramount -interest at the present time. 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Founded on a great variety of sources, including the -Apocryphal New Testament, the various MS. fragments of Gospels and -Sayings of Christ that have from time to time been discovered, with -the publications inspired by them, the book will, it is hoped, appeal -alike to the serious student who delights in tracing tradition to its -fountain-head and to the wider public able to recognise, without desire -to analyse, the spiritual significance and poetic beauty of many of the -quaint tales recited in it.</p> - - -<p class="booktitle">ARCHBISHOP TRENCH’S WORKS.</p> - -<p class="tac">COPYRIGHT EDITION.</p> - -<p class="pl2hi2"><b>SONNETS AND ELEGIACS.</b> With Portrait. Small pott 8vo. cloth, -1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> net; lambskin, 2<i>s.</i> net. 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Fcap. 8vo. 5<i>s.</i> net.</p> - -<p class="pl2hi1">Vol. 6. <b>The Imitation of Christ.</b> Fcap. 8vo. 5<i>s.</i> net.</p> - -<hr class="r30" /> -<p class="tac">KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LTD., London.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOOTNOTES">FOOTNOTES:</h2> -</div> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">1</a> -A good case of a drunkard converted. The healing of the -stomach and throat troubles, of course, followed the giving-up of -the drink.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">2</a> -<i>Science and Health.</i> By Mary Baker G. Eddy. Boston. -1908. P. 41.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">3</a> -<i>The Faith and Works of Christian Science.</i> Macmillan and -Co. 1909. The book is now in a second edition.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">4</a> -<i>British Medical Journal</i>, June 18, 1910.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">5</a> -Dean Lefroy on <i>Christian Science</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">6</a></p> - -<p>‘<i>From the Regius Professor of Medicine, Oxford.</i><br /> - -‘<i>Nov. 18th, ’09.</i><br /> -‘<span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—</p> - -<p>‘The question as you say bristles with difficulties, but -no doubt in the stirring of the pool healing in some form or another -will be the outcome. You are of course at liberty to use any -writings of mine.—Sincerely yours,</p> - -<p> -<span class="smcap">W. Osler</span>.’<br /> -</p> - - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">7</a> -<i>British Medical Journal</i>, June 18, 1910.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">8</a> -<i>British Medical Journal</i>, June 18, 1910.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">9</a> -The biologist who used to expect to discover the source of life -by dissection and analysis would be rather astonished at the modern -tendency among scientific men to substitute doctrines of ‘energies’ -for ‘atoms.’ As Dr. Putman has pointed out, the modern physicist -scarcely feels the need of atoms for the world of his conception. -We may even go a step further. ‘Energy’ is ‘immaterial,’ ‘consciousness’ -is ‘immaterial.’ May they not accordingly have a -common denominator?</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">10</a> -‘The Society of the Crown of Our Lord’ was formed for the -purpose of supplying spiritual ministrations to the insane.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">11</a> -<i>The Treatment of Disease</i>, by W. Osler, M.D., F.R.S. -London: Henry Frowde. 1909.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">12</a> -The italics are mine. The Bishop is one whose statements, -made on behalf of ‘spiritual healing,’ have been accepted by -persons at any rate adequately educated. He writes a preposterous -account of ‘an abortive cancer,’ and professes to quote from -‘the latest up-to-date book on cancer, which is in the hands of -the most scientific men of to-day.’ On being asked to give the -name of the book, he says that he cannot ‘obtain the consent -of those to whom he applied.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">13</a> -<i>What is Christianity?</i></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">14</a> -Euseb. H. E. vi. 14. 7. So called first by Clement of Alexandria.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">15</a> -Professor Bousset’s <i>Jesus</i> (3rd ed. 1907, p. 26).</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">16</a> -Matt. vi. 25.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">17</a> -E.g. by Dr. Illingworth, <i>Divine Immanence</i>, p. 120.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">18</a> -Cp. John iv. 48: ‘Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not -believe.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">19</a> -On this see next chapter, p. 209.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">20</a> -Mark vi. 5, 6; Matt. xiii. 58.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">21</a> -Professor A. B. Bruce, <i>Miraculous Elements in the Gospels</i>, p. 265.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">22</a> -Luke xiv. 3: Vindication of the true principle of the Sabbath; -John xi.: Lazarus, His ‘friend,’ the only brother of Martha and Mary; -also Trench’s <i>Miracles</i>, p. 434 sq.; Luke xvii. 16: The universality -of His salvation; Mark x. 47: The appeal to the Son of David. (The -Healing of Malchus stands by itself.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">23</a> -Illingworth, <i>Divine Immanence</i>, p. 119.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">24</a> -Renan, <i>Vie de Jésus</i>, p. 264.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">25</a> -Loisy, <i>L’Évangile et l’Église</i>, p. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">26</a> -Luke iv. 18: note the double sense in the words</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">27</a> -See an article by Dr. A. T. Schofield in the <i>Contemporary -Review</i>, March 1909, for examples.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">28</a> -Matt. ix. 20 (Mark v. 27); Matt. xiv. 36 (Mark vi. 56); also -Luke vi. 19: Power came forth from Him and healed them all. Cp. -Acts, xix. 11, 12 and v. 15; the Apostles and, apparently, our Lord -sanctioned a sort of sacramental medium of cure to meet the needs -of a simple populace.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">29</a> -See Bruce, <i>op. cit.</i> p. 275.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">30</a> -See chaps. xxvi. and xxxi. in Rev. Percy Dearmer’s <i>Body and -Soul</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">31</a> -O. Weinreich, <i>Antike Heilungswunden</i>, p. 63. Scholars will -remember how Plutus recovered his sight by incubation in the temple -of Asclepius in Aristophanes’ play.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">32</a> -Weinreich, p. 75.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">33</a> -See <i>British Medical Journal</i>, June 18, 1910.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">34</a> -Philippians, iv. 11.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">35</a> -There is an adumbration of this in the four sublime truths of -Buddhism, which lead a man by the sacrifice of the lower self and the -helping of others to the final extinction of pain. Bishop Westcott’s -<i>Gospel of Life</i>, pp. 162, 163. Hardwick, <i>Christ and other Masters</i>, -p. 168.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">36</a> -Acts iii. 16: St. Peter and the lame man.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">37</a> -Eph. v. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">38</a> -E.g. Mark v. 23, 28; vi. 56; James v. 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">39</a> -Luke xiii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">40</a> -2 Cor. xii. 7.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">41</a> -Mark vi. 14.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">42</a> -I.e. a self beneath the margin of consciousness. Mr. Dearmer -has named it the ‘undermind.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_43" href="#FNanchor_43" class="label">43</a> -<i>The Two Voices</i></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_44" href="#FNanchor_44" class="label">44</a> -‘If the grace of God miraculously operates, it probably operates -through the subliminal door.’—Professor James.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_45" href="#FNanchor_45" class="label">45</a> -John x. 10; Rom. vi. 10.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_46" href="#FNanchor_46" class="label">46</a> -1 Cor. ii. 14, 15.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_47" href="#FNanchor_47" class="label">47</a> -<i>Seneca</i>, Ep. 101:<br /> - -‘What matters crippled hand and halting thigh?<br /> -So life be left the cripple, what care I?’<br /> -</p> - - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_48" href="#FNanchor_48" class="label">48</a> -Heb. ii. 17.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_49" href="#FNanchor_49" class="label">49</a> -John xiv. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_50" href="#FNanchor_50" class="label">50</a> -Luke v. 15, 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_51" href="#FNanchor_51" class="label">51</a> -Luke vi. 12.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_52" href="#FNanchor_52" class="label">52</a> -Professor Clifford Allbutt, <i>System of Medicine</i>, vol. i., Intro. -p. 22.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_53" href="#FNanchor_53" class="label">53</a> -Matt. xxi. 21. Cp. James i. 6: ‘Nothing doubting.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_54" href="#FNanchor_54" class="label">54</a> -See Dr. Sanday, <i>Life of Christ in Recent Research</i>, pp. 223, -224.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_55" href="#FNanchor_55" class="label">55</a> -Sir Oliver Lodge.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_56" href="#FNanchor_56" class="label">56</a> -The Rev. P. Dearmer, <i>Body and Soul</i>, p. 289 sq.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_57" href="#FNanchor_57" class="label">57</a> -<i>Ib.</i> 362, 363.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_58" href="#FNanchor_58" class="label">58</a> -‘When the eye of the patient meets the eye of the physician, -the cure begins if it is likely to take place.’—Dr. A. T. Schofield, -cited by Dr. Worcester in <i>Religion and Medicine</i>, p. 50.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_59" href="#FNanchor_59" class="label">59</a> -Mark vii. 33.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_60" href="#FNanchor_60" class="label">60</a> -<i>Ib.</i> viii. 23.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_61" href="#FNanchor_61" class="label">61</a> -Luke xviii. 41.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_62" href="#FNanchor_62" class="label">62</a> -John v. 6, 8.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_63" href="#FNanchor_63" class="label">63</a> -G. Eliot, <i>Adam Bede</i>, chap. x.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_64" href="#FNanchor_64" class="label">64</a> -Luke iv. 39: <i>ib.</i> viii. 24 raises a parallel question.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_65" href="#FNanchor_65" class="label">65</a> -Matt. viii. 26.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_66" href="#FNanchor_66" class="label">66</a> -Thus Luke iv. 40; Mark i. 41, vi. 5; Matt. ix. 29; Luke xiii. 13. -Mr. Dearmer gives a careful ‘Table of the healing works of Christ,’ -<i>Body and Soul</i>, chap. xiii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_67" href="#FNanchor_67" class="label">67</a> -<i>Aesch.</i>, Pr. V. 848, 849.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_68" href="#FNanchor_68" class="label">68</a> -Matt. xi. 20; Luke xxiv. 19; Acts ii. 22, &c.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_69" href="#FNanchor_69" class="label">69</a> -Abp. Trench, <i>Synonyms of New Testament</i> (Art. xci.).</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_70" href="#FNanchor_70" class="label">70</a> -<i>De Civitate Dei</i>, xxi. 8; quoted by Dr. Sanday, <i>Life of Christ, -&c.</i>, viii., adding, ‘miracle is not really a breach of the order of nature; -it is only an apparent breach of laws that we know, in obedience to -other and higher laws that we do not know.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_71" href="#FNanchor_71" class="label">71</a> -<i>Text Book of Psychology</i>, pp. 177, 178.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_72" href="#FNanchor_72" class="label">72</a> -Emile Boutroux, <i>Science et Religion</i>, p. 206.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_73" href="#FNanchor_73" class="label">73</a> -Virg. <i>Æneid</i>, vi. 273 sq. ‘Right in front of the doorway and -in the entry of the jaws of hell Grief and avenging Cares have made -their bed; there dwell wan Sickness and gloomy Eld, and Fear, and -ill-counselling Hunger, and loathly Want.’—J. W. Mackail.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_74" href="#FNanchor_74" class="label">74</a> -Dean Savage, <i>Pastoral Visitation</i>, p. 76.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_75" href="#FNanchor_75" class="label">75</a> -Matt. xxv. 35, 36.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_76" href="#FNanchor_76" class="label">76</a> -Mark ii. 5. Cp. T. T. Carter, <i>Holy Eucharist</i>, pp. 150, 151, -especially the words, ‘To lean one’s own failing faith on the more -trustful, assured faith and convictions of others. So that the same -spirit may communicate itself to the sad and darkened soul by a -mutually organic sympathy.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_77" href="#FNanchor_77" class="label">77</a> -Sir Oliver Lodge, <i>Man and the Universe</i>, p. 47.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_78" href="#FNanchor_78" class="label">78</a> -Mark vi. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_79" href="#FNanchor_79" class="label">79</a> -Cp. the medieval complaint of ‘accidie.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_80" href="#FNanchor_80" class="label">80</a> -Bertroux, <i>op. cit.</i> p. 189: ‘une volonté collective est sans -rapport avec la somme algébrique des volontés individuelles.’</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_81" href="#FNanchor_81" class="label">81</a> -1 Cor. xi. 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_82" href="#FNanchor_82" class="label">82</a> -In the <i>Cambridge Bible</i>, note <i>ad locum</i>, Dr. Lias says we can well -understand how a crime against His Body and Blood would deprive -any Christian, who committed it, of His presence, and predispose -it to sickness and even death.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_83" href="#FNanchor_83" class="label">83</a> -<i>Human Personality</i>, i. 218; quoted by Dearmer, <i>Body and Soul</i>, -p. 123.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_84" href="#FNanchor_84" class="label">84</a> -1 Cor. xii. 9, 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_85" href="#FNanchor_85" class="label">85</a> -<i>Ibid.</i> 29.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_86" href="#FNanchor_86" class="label">86</a> -Report (1908), No. VII. iv. p. 137.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_87" href="#FNanchor_87" class="label">87</a> -Order of Confirmation, first Collect, Mark vi. 5.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_88" href="#FNanchor_88" class="label">88</a> -Cp. Sir James Paget’s words: ‘The power to repair itself -belongs to the subject of injury in the same sense and degree -as does its power to develop itself and grow and live.’—<i>Life</i>, -p. 295.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_89" href="#FNanchor_89" class="label">89</a> -Mark vi. 31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_90" href="#FNanchor_90" class="label">90</a> -Compare also the nature-parables.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_91" href="#FNanchor_91" class="label">91</a> -Dr. Swete on Mark v. 43.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_92" href="#FNanchor_92" class="label">92</a> -Mark i. 44.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_93" href="#FNanchor_93" class="label">93</a> -John v. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_94" href="#FNanchor_94" class="label">94</a> -In Acts xxviii. 9, 10, there is an implication of co-operation -between St. Paul and St. Luke the physician; see <i>Religion and -Medicine</i>, pp. 365, 366; the language is technical.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_95" href="#FNanchor_95" class="label">95</a> -See Dr. Swete on Mark v. 26; also Luke iv. 23; contrast -Ecclus. xxxviii. sq.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_96" href="#FNanchor_96" class="label">96</a> -<i>Lambeth Conference Report</i>, 1908 (vii. iii.).</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_97" href="#FNanchor_97" class="label">97</a> -<i>Novatian de Trinitate</i>, xxix.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_98" href="#FNanchor_98" class="label">98</a> -Tennyson, <i>Faith</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_99" href="#FNanchor_99" class="label">99</a> -With touching for scrofula may be compared the blessing -of ‘cramp-rings.’ The Sovereign of England used, on Good Friday, -to bless rings which afterwards were distributed to sufferers from -cramp or epilepsy. The last monarch to do this was Mary Tudor.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_100" href="#FNanchor_100" class="label">100</a> -Answer to a questioner. Lent Mission, 1910.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_101" href="#FNanchor_101" class="label">101</a> -Archbishop Temple, Primary Charge.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_102" href="#FNanchor_102" class="label">102</a> -St. Luke xxii. 16.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_103" href="#FNanchor_103" class="label">103</a> -Canon Scott Holland, <i>Commonwealth</i>, March 1908.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_104" href="#FNanchor_104" class="label">104</a> -Romans viii. 2.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_105" href="#FNanchor_105" class="label">105</a> -1 Cor. xi. 30.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_106" href="#FNanchor_106" class="label">106</a> -<i>Apol. contra Arianos</i>, ii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_107" href="#FNanchor_107" class="label">107</a> -Clementine Liturgy.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_108" href="#FNanchor_108" class="label">108</a> -Liturgy of St. Mark.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_109" href="#FNanchor_109" class="label">109</a> -Clementine Liturgy.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_110" href="#FNanchor_110" class="label">110</a> -A translation, with notes, has been edited by the Bishop of -Salisbury in a small volume issued by the S.P.C.K. (Early Church -Classics). The Greek text will be found in an article by the Rev. -F. E. Brightman, <i>Journal of Theological Studies</i>, October 1899.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_111" href="#FNanchor_111" class="label">111</a> -These references to the Liturgies might be supplemented by -quotations from the patristic writings, e.g. those of Irenæus, -Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Gregory of Nyssa. The last -named went so far as to make Baptism with faith to be the salvation -of the soul, and the partaking of the Eucharist the salvation of -the body. See Bishop Gore, <i>The Body of Christ</i>, p. 69; and Bethune -Baker, <i>Introduction to the History of Christian Doctrine</i>, pp. 399, 412.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_112" href="#FNanchor_112" class="label">112</a> -pp. 370, 381. Compare also the witness of St. Thomas à -Kempis in regard to the power of this Sacrament. ‘The grace is -sometimes so great that out of the fulness of devotion here given -not the mind only but the weak body also feels great increase of -strength bestowed on it’ (vires sibi praestitas sentiat ampliores). -<i>De Imit.</i> iv. 1.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_113" href="#FNanchor_113" class="label">113</a> -It would seem that the fuller form, ‘corpus et animum meam,’ -was used by the priest at his own communion in the Mozarabic rite; -and that a similar form was prescribed in the Cologne use of the -fourteenth century for communicating the people. (Daniel, <i>Codex -Liturgicus</i>, i. pp. 105, 147.) Otherwise the rule was as stated -above. It is interesting to note, however, that the words ‘corpus -et’ were very generally employed in administering <i>to the sick</i> in -medieval England (see the <i>York Manual</i>, Surtees, lxiii. pp. 51, 52).</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_114" href="#FNanchor_114" class="label">114</a> -<i>Body of Christ</i>, p. 64.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_115" href="#FNanchor_115" class="label">115</a> -For proofs of my assertions regarding the teachings of <i>Science -and Health</i>, I must refer the reader to my book <i>The Truth and Error of -Christian Science</i>.</p> - -</div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEDICINE AND THE CHURCH ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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