Alchemy
When chemistry, under the old name of alchemy, began to develop, its
first study was of minerals, and just as soon as a body of knowledge
was acquired chemistry was applied to medicine. All the investigators
were engaged in searching for the philosopher's stone, the substance
by means of which it was hoped to change base metals into precious. It
was generally believed that when this substance was found, it would
have w
diseased tissues into healthy tissues in the same way that it
transformed metals. It was felt that the philosopher's stone would be
an elixir of life as well as a master of secrets for wealth. This
would seem amusingly childish to us were it not for the fact that in
radium we, too, seem to have discovered a philosopher's stone--a
substance that transmutes elements. For some years after its discovery
we were inclined to think that it must have some wonderful
application in medicine and in surgery, and we actually secured many
good results until its suggestive value wore off.
The fact that much had been learned about chemicals persuaded men that
they must be beneficial to human beings. Thus they were taken with
confidence and produced good results. When our modern chemistry
developed out of alchemy a great variety of drugs began to be used,
and long, complex, many-ingrediented prescriptions were written.
Polypharmacy became such an abuse that the time was ripe for
Hahnemann, whose principles, if carried to their legitimate
conclusions, would require his disciples to give practically nothing
to patients and treat them entirely by suggestion.
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Abstraction Of Mind
Features of the mechanism of mental operations are brought out in certain phenomena of abstraction of mind, which show how the attention can be so short-circuited that sensations from the periphery utterly fail to penetrate to the consciousness. Mos... Alchemy
When chemistry, under the old name of alchemy, began to develop, its first study was of minerals, and just as soon as a body of knowledge was acquired chemistry was applied to medicine. All the investigators were engaged in searching for the philoso... Alcoholism
In recent years so much has been said about addiction to alcohol as a disease rather than as a habit that the treatment of it frankly as a disease in psychotherapeutics, even though there be not entire readiness to agree with those who emphasize e... Alexandrian Psychotherapy
When the center of interest in Greek medicine was transferred from Greece itself to Egypt, and the Alexandrian school represented what was best in medical thinking and investigation, we find evidence once more of wise physicians realizing the influe... Amenorrhea
No feature of menstrual difficulty shows so clearly the influence of the mind over bodily function, and especially over those genital functions that are supposed to be involuntary and spontaneous, as amenorrhea. Almost any kind of mental trouble m... Amulets Talismans Charms
Amulets, talismans, charms--these words are commonly used with something of the same significance, and for our purpose all three may be treated in common. Prophylactic Objects.--From the earliest ages men have worn amulets, that is, objects oft... Angina Pectoris
The two forms of this affection, known commonly as true and false angina, are characterized by pain or anguish in the precordial region with reflected pains in other portions of the body. It used to be said that whenever the precordial pain was ac... Animal Hypnotism
The hypnotization of animals shows that only a very low grade intelligence is needed for the production of this state. The famous experiment of Father Kircher with the hen, which any one may repeat at any time, is a good illustration. The fascinatio... Appetite
Two classes of patients come to the physician complaining of lack of appetite. The first and more important class consists of those who are eating too little, who are consequently under weight, and who must be made to eat more. The other class con... Arabian Mental Medicine
The Arabian physicians who succeeded to the traditions of Greek medicine preserved also those relating to psychotherapy. Rhazes, the first of the great Arabian physicians, has a number of aphorisms that show his interest in and recognition of the va... Arthritis Deformans
Arthritis deformans has unfortunately been called by several names besides the descriptive term which, in the present state of our knowledge, is the most suitable for it. We do not know its cause. We do not well understand even the predisposing fa... Astrology
Astrology is the typical example of pseudo-science in medicine. The stars, and particularly the planets and the moon, were supposed to have great influence on human destiny, human health, and human constitutions. Astrology was an organized body of k... Attention
Even more important, perhaps, than any other of the functions attributed to the neuroglia cells, is the role they may play in enabling the individual to concentrate attention on a particular subject, or at least to use a particular portion of his b... Bradycardia
Bradycardia, or persistent slow pulse, is much rarer than the persistent rapid pulse discussed at the beginning of the chapter on tachycardia. Cases are, indeed, sufficiently rare to be medical curiosities. Prof. Clifford Allbutt has called attent... Brain Cells And Mental Operations
While the theories of neuronic action we have discussed do not represent absolute knowledge, they are at least suggestive and helpful in psychotherapy. Whenever there are disturbances of mental operations, patients are likely to become very solici... Cardiac Neuroses
If, as all the authorities recognize, the attitude of mind toward organic heart disease is extremely important and when favorable is a most helpful therapeutic factor, it is easy to understand that in neurotic conditions of the heart this is of ev... Cardiac Palpitation And Gastro-intestinal Disturbance
Morgagni, whom Virchow greeted as the Father of Modern Pathology, made a careful study of the pulse and especially of its irregularities. He had learned from the most careful pathological studies that marked intermission and even more decided irre... Cerebral Apoplexy
Cerebral apoplexy is an extremely serious organic disease that seems surely to be an affection for which psychotherapeutics can mean little or nothing. When an artery has burst in the brain and blood is either actually flowing out or has flowed ou... Character As A Therapeutic Asset
Recent interest in tuberculosis has taught us that the best possible asset for a tuberculous patient is character. Resistive vitality in the physical order and character in the moral order seem to be co-ordinate factors. If a man will not give in in... Chorea
This twitching affection, so familiar that it need not be described particularly, is sometimes classed as a pure neurosis, sometimes as a nervous disease with perhaps some organic basis and sometimes is placed among the ailments related to rheumat... Chronic Arthritis Deformans
The third type of arthritis deformans is the chronic slow running type which involves many joints before the process is complete. One form of this, commonly seen in old men, called osteoarthritis, is often confined to the hip joint, and often produc... Coccygodynia
Coccygodynia, or, as it is sometimes called, coccydynia, is a painful affection of the coccyx or bony end of the spinal column. It usually results from trauma, as a fall on the buttocks on an icy pavement, or particularly a fall in coming down stair... Constipation
To judge by the frequency of advertisements for laxatives of various kinds, constipation must be an extremely common affection. At least one out of every three city dwellers suffers, it is said, from constipation. Proper regard for the taking of f... Coughs And Colds
Cough under most conditions is so completely a natural reflex due to irritation from material which demands expectoration that to talk of the application of psychotherapeutics to its treatment would seem almost an abuse of words. This is true if w... Dangers Of Hypnotism
There are many and various opinions of the dangers of hypnotism. Some of those who have given it a fair trial have insisted on its dangers. Some of those who have had very large experience have declared emphatically that there is no danger at all. O... Definite Dreads
Besides these rather vague dreads, however, there are certain special disquietudes peculiar to individuals, even more groundless, if possible, than the generic apprehension just spoken of and that have been dignified in recent years by the name of p... Deterrent Therapeutics
In the history of therapy a peculiar phase was the use of all sorts of materials, intensely repugnant to human nature and deterrent to all the finer feelings, but which, nevertheless, proved curative of many ills. We know now that there was absolute... Diabetes
Diabetes is an affection of metabolism definitely recognized as due to serious organic changes, though existing in several forms. We are not as yet absolutely sure whether there may not be quite different organic diseases in the various forms. Of ...