CAUSE OF DISEASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23941, 17 October 1939, Page 6

CAUSE OF DISEASE

IN MIND OF PATIENT. DR WILLIAMS'S' ADDRESS A UNIVERSAL LIFE FORCE That the cause of disease was to be found, not in the body, but in the mind and manner of life of the sufferer, was the theme of an address given by Dr Ulric Williams last, night .to : an audience that all but filled the Main Town Hall. " Man is not primarily a physical being," Dr Williams said. "First he is spiritual, next mental, and finally, and then only temporarily, physical. The root of his trouble is always at the root of his being, in his soul. His consciousness is still too physical, and so he resorts to the physical to cope with disease.'" It was thought that germs were the cause of disease, but more logical reasoning proved them to be only an accompaniment—one of the effects—and because efforts had been directed at the eradication of germs the real cause of disease had been overlooked. That cause was to be found in the mind and manner of living of the patient. "We must learn to. distinguish between disease and acute illnesses," Dr Williams continued, " because the latter are Nature's methods of curing the former." Disease, he continued, was a slow degenerative process brought about by putting negative thoughts into the mind and negative foods into the body. If such "negative" people wished to become well they must first become " positive." The more skilled other attempts were, the more a person would defeat his own object. The physical causes of disease were an accumulation of poisons brought about by the fermentation of excess meaty and starchy foods and the introduction of substances harmful in themselves, such as tobacco, alcohol arid, drugs, and a lack of certain substances such as minerals and vitamins. The mental causes of disease were wrong thoughts, beliefs or ideas, which reacted upon the glandular system until the secretions became toxic. Bacterial activity was a factor in many cases, but not in as many as was thought. When the causes were rectified, the effects disappeared of themselves. "I have seen a number of miracles happen," said Dr Williams, speaking of cases within his own experience, "but these were due to the working of natural laws of which I was not previously aware. There is only one healing power, there ■ has only been one healing power, and) there will never be another —the universal life force. If you are theologically instructed you might call it God. If you are still further instructed, you might call it Christ—they are one and the same thing. This force is infinitely intelligent, as it has designed- the universe and the intricate chemistry of the body. It is a power, as it controls the universe and holds the stars in their courses. But what is its relation to human beings? It is only by faith that you can say that the force was manifested in human form—in Christ. Consider the attitude of that individual to the down-trodden, outcast and sick—it was a love so intense that it was without limit. That force is always working for our good and is waiting for our willingness and cooperation."