Chapter II: Preface

"Prefaces are a great waste of time," said Francis Bacon, "and, though they seem to proceed of modesty, they are bravery." In spite of this deterring expression of the Lord Chancellor, the author ventures to write a short _apologia pro libro suo_. Five years ago he began at Fordham University School of Medicine a series of lectures on Psychotherapy. This book consists of material gathered for these lectures. It will be found in many ways to partake more of the nature of a course of lectures than a true text-book. In this it follows French rather than English or American precedent. Its relation to lectures makes it more diffuse than the author would have wished, but this is offered as an explanation, not an excuse. Addressed to medical students and not specialists the language employed is as untechnical as possible, and, indeed, was meant as a rule to be such as young physicians might use to their patients for suggestion purposes.

The historical portion is probably longer than some may deem necessary. The place of psychotherapy in the past seemed so important, however, and psychotherapeutics masqueraded under so many forms that an historical resume of its many phases appeared the best kind of an introduction to a book which pleads for more extensive and more deliberate use of psychotherapy in our time. The historical portion was developed for the lectures on the history of medicine at Fordham and perhaps that fact helps to account for the space allotted to this section of the book.

So far as the author knows, this is the first time in the history of medicine that an attempt has been made to write a text-book of the whole subject of psychotherapy. We have had many applications of psychotherapeutics to functional and organic nervous and mental disease and also indirectly to nutritional diseases; but no one apparently has attempted to systematize the application of psychotherapeutic principles, not only to functional diseases, but specifically to all the organic diseases. A chapter on the use of mental influence in anesthesia was, during the course of the preparation of this volume, written for Dr. Taylor Gwathmey's text-book on Anesthesia, which is to appear shortly (Appletons).

No one knows better than the author how difficult is the subject and how liable to misunderstanding and abuse. He appreciates well, too, how almost hopeless it would be to make a perfectly satisfactory text-book of so large a subject at the first attempt. The present volume is founded, however, on considerable experience, on wide reading in the subject, and on much reflection on its problems. It is offered to those who are interested in the old new department of psychotherapy until a better one is available. The author's principal idea in the book has been to help students and practitioners of {viii} medicine to care for (_curare_) suffering men and women and not cases, to treat individual human beings, not compounds in which various chemical, physical and biological qualities have been observed, diligently enough and with noteworthy success, but incompletely as yet, and quite without the satisfying adequacy which it is to be hoped will result from future investigations.

James J. Walsh.
110 West Seventy-fourth Street,
New York City.

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CONTENTS

PAGE
Introduction 1

HISTORY OF PSYCHOTHERAPEUTICS

SECTION I

_Psychotherapy in the History of Medicine_

I. Great Physicians in Psychotherapy 7

II. Unconscious Psychotherapeutics 19

III. Genuine Remedies and Suggestive Exaggeration 25

IV. Signatures And Psychotherapy 35

V. Pseudo-science and Mental Healing 38

VI. Quackery and Mind Cures 46

VII. Nostrums and the Healing Power of Suggestion 53

VIII. Amulets, Talismans, Charms 60

IX. Deterrent Therapeutics 63

X. Influence of the Personality in Therapeutics 69

XI. Faith Cures 77

GENERAL PSYCHOTHERAPEUTICS

SECTION II

_General Considerations_

I. Influence of Mind on Body 84

II. Unfavorable Mental Influence 93

III. The Influence of Body on Mind 100

IV. The Mechanism of the Influence of Mind on Body 108

V. Brain Cells and Mental Operations 124

VI. Unconscious Cerebration 134

VII. Distant Mental Influence 140

VIII. Secondary Personality 147

IX. Hypnotism 151

SECTION III

_The Individual Patient_

I. Psychotherapy and the Individual Patient 163

II. The Morning Hours 165

III. The Day's Work 171

IV. The Middle of the Day 179

V. The Leisure Hours 181

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SECTION IV

_General Psychotherapeutics_

I. General Principles of Psychotherapy 186

SECTION V

_Adjuvants and Disturbing Factors_

I. Suggestion 194

II. Exercise 198

III. Position 207

IV. Training 213

V. Occupation of Mind 218

VI. Diversion of Mind--Hobbies 224

VII. Habit 229

VIII. Pain 235

SPECIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

SECTION VI

_The Digestive Tract_

I. Influence of Mind on Food Digestion 242

II. Indigestion and Unfavorable States of Mind 250

III. Psychic Treatment of Digestive Conditions 254

IV. Appetite 262

V. Constipation 268

VI. Neurotic Intestinal Affections 278

VII. Muco-Membranous Colitis 286

VIII. Obesity 290

IX. Weight and Good Feeling 297

X. Vague Abdominal Discomforts--Loose Kidney 302

SECTION VII

_Cardiotherapy_

I. The Heart and Mental Influence 310

II. Diagnosis and Prognosis in Heart Disease 316

III. Cardiac Neuroses 321

IV. Cardiac Palpitation and
Gastro-Intestinal Disturbance 328

V. Angina Pectoris 335

VI. Tachycardia 340

VII. Bradycardia 342

SECTION VIII

_Respiratory Diseases_

I. Coughs and Colds 345

II. Tuberculosis 350

III. Neurotic Asthma and Cognate Conditions 364

IV. Dust Asthma--Seasonal Catarrh, Hay Fever 368

V. Dyspnea--Cat and Horse Asthma 373

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CONTENTS xi

SECTION IX

_Psychotherapy in the Joint and Muscular System_

I. Painful Joint Conditions--Pseudo-Rheumatism 379

II. Old Injuries and So-called Rheumatism 387

III. Muscular Pains and Aches 389

IV. Occupation Muscle and Joint Pains 395

V. Painful Arm and Trunk Conditions 400

VI. Lumbago and Sciatica 402

VII. Painful Knee Conditions 409

VIII. Foot Troubles 413

IX. Arthritis Deformans 421

X. Coccygodynia 428

SECTION X

_Gynecological Psychotherapy_

I. Mental Healing in Gynecology 430

II. Psychic States in Menstruation 434

III. Amenorrhea 437

IV. Dysmenorrhea 440

V. Menorrhagia 447

VI. The Menopause 450

SECTION XI

_Psychotherapy in Obstetrics_

I. Suggestion in Obstetrics 453

II. Maternal Impressions 461

SECTION XII

_Genito-Urinary Diseases_

I. Prostatism 468

II. Sexual Neuroses 472

III. Sexual Habits 482

SECTION XIII

_Skin Diseases_

I. Psychotherapy in Skin Diseases 491

SECTION XIV

_Diseases of Ductless Glands_

I. Diabetes 496

II. Graves' Disease 500

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xii CONTENTS

SECTION XV

_Organic Nervous Diseases_

I. Psychotherapy of Organic Nervous Diseases 508

II. Cerebral Apoplexy 513

III. Locomotor Ataxia 524

IV. Paresis 530

V. Epilepsy and Pseudo-Epilepsy 534

VI. Paralysis Agitans 542

VII. Headache 546

SECTION XVI

_Neuroses_

I. Nervous Weakness (Neurasthenia) 555

II. Chorea 561

III. Tics 564

IV. Stuttering, Ataxia in Talking,
Walking, Writing, Etc. 570

V. Tremors 580

DISORDERS OF THE PSYCHE

SECTION XVII

_Psycho-Neuroses_

I. Psycho-Neuroses (Hysteria) 585

SECTION XVIII

_Disorders of Mind_

I. Mental Incapacity (Psychasthenia) 597

II. Hallucinations 603

III. Dreads 612

IV. Heredity 627

V. Premonitions 634

VI. Periodical Depression 641

VII. Insomnia 651

VIII. Some Troubles of Sleep 663

IX. Dreams 669

X. Disorders of Memory 678

XI. Psychic Contagion 688

SECTION XIX

_Disorders of Will_

I. Alcoholism 694

II. Drug Addictions 707

III. Suicide 713

IV. Grief 727

V. Doubting 732

VI. Responsibility and Will Power 738

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