MENTAL


MENTAL. The role played by mental symptoms has gradually been shown in our practice, quite as brilliant as the action today, demonstrated in an acute abdominal inflammation with severe continuous pain, responding promptly and bringing quiet restful sleep to this harassed man who otherwise in modern practice would have been treated surgically.


Some time ago a homoeopathic physician in a letter to a patient, wrote as follows.

“Man (that delicate human machine) is not constituted for overwork. If he does so from ambition, love of gain, or otherwise praiseworthy motive, he sets himself in opposition to the order of nature, and his body suffers injury or destruction. The more so if his body is already in a weakened condition; then what you cannot accomplish in a week you can do in two weeks.

Your customers may not be willing to wait but they cannot reasonably expect that your will make yourself ill and work yourself into your grave for their sake, leaving your wife a widow and your wife a widow and your children orphans. It is not only the greater bodily exertion that injuries you, but even more the attendant strain on the mind; the overwrought mind in its turn affects the body injuriously. If you do not assume an attitude of calm indifference, adopting the principle of living first for yourself and only second for others, then there is small chance of your recovery. When our are in the grave, men will still be clothed, perhaps not so tastefully, but still tolerably well.

“If your are a philosopher you may become healthy, you may even attain old age.

“If anything annoys you, ignore it; if anything is too much for you have nothing to do with it; if others seek to drive you, go slowly and laugh at the fools who seek to worry you. What you can do comfortably, that do; and when all goes well with you, remember Dr. S. Hahnemann.” A postscript follows ending with, “Conserved strength does not need to be conserved by medicine”.

This tailor of Gotha, in spite of a delicate constitution, lived to the age of ninety-two and ” extracts” from Hahnemanns correspondence with him, which covered a number of years, were published in a small volume.

This article is lifted bodily from the life of Samuel Hahnemann by Mrs. Hobhouse, There follows a quotation from him: “Without the most minute individualization homoeopathy is not conceivable”.

Now what sort of person gave this sound advise on OVER-WORK? It may be enlightening to know that during his later years with his tremendous practice, each minute filled, he, every third night, worked right through the usual sleeping time.

In the last while, the role played by mental symptoms has gradually been shown in our practice, quite as brilliant as the action today, demonstrated in an acute abdominal inflammation with severe continuous pain, responding promptly and bringing quiet restful sleep to this harassed man who otherwise in modern practice would have been treated surgically.

Thomas K. Moore
Thomas K. Moore, MD, Akron, OH