The Power of Imagination.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 214, 7 September 1895, Page 11

The Power of Imagination.

Concerning their own ailments an astonishing number of people are led astray by the imagination. Not long ago a lady came to see me professionally for the firsh time. She told me that her vision was very bad. Her eyes looked all right, and I tried her sighb by means of printed letters of various sizes. From across the room she was unable to see even the biggest of the letters, I put a pair of glasses in fronb of her eyee and she declared thab Bhe could see much bettor—could read all of the letters, down to the very smallest. ' This is certainly very surprising, madam,' said I. ' The spectacles which have helped your sighb so much are nothing bub common window glass.' Naturally, she waa much astonished, and would not believe me at fireb. But I convinced her at length that her trouble was entirely imaginary, and she wonb away in a decidedly pleased state of mind.

It does not always do, however, to be bo frank wibh victims of such hallucinations,, One of my regular patients came bo me in a state of greab excitement. She was convinced that something was bhe matter with her brain, because her head waa tender on one side. By chance I happened to notice thab her hair was arranged in a way different from her cus« totnary fashion, and doubtless bhab wae the reason for the soreness, Mosb women have noticed that to parb bhe hair ia a new place, turning ib in another direction, makes the head sensitive for a time. I seid nothing about this bo my patienb, save to suggest that she should wear her hair ia the old fashion. I gave her a prescription for something harmless. Nothing more waa needed. —' Scottish American."