METHODS OF HEALING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20673, 11 March 1937, Page 13

METHODS OF HEALING

To the Editor of " The Timaru Herald.” Sir,—l agree with much of what your correspondent “Lazarus" says in regard to health, disease and treatment, and, I believe that most allopathic practitioners would also agree with him. Doctors teach that we should all live in strict accordance with the known laws of health, that we should eat food containing all the elements known to be essential to health, that we should masticate our food thoroughly, and abstain from drinking copiously at meal times, and so on. But "Lazarus” forgets that we have all got into bad habits of living, and that we ignore the teaching of our medical men, just as most of us Ignore our preachers. So, both corporal and spiritual healers have just to do the best they can with us. I agree with most of Arbuthnot Lane's teaching, and with much of Ulric Williams’; and, I believe, so also do allopathic doctors. But the gulf between the two schools is the germ theory of disease, which allopaths believe, and which Lindlahrites deny. Allopaths condemned a cargo of cabbages from China because of the presence on the cabbages of cholera bacteria. Lindlahr would have allowed those cabbages to go for human consumption. They were dumped in a harbour. The natives recovered many of them, ate them, and that gave rise to the mos' terrific outbreak of cholera in modern times. I cannot make out how Lindlahr would account for the outbreak, seeing that germs are not in his programme. Here is a case of pure Lindlahrism: After Lord Roberts received Cronje’s surrender at Pardeberg, he marched ninety miles to Bloomfontein, where he pitched camp on a site infested with dangerous bacteria, through the ground having been previously occupied by the enemy. Result, thousands of his men (was it 37,000?) contracted enteric. Roberts did exactly what Lindlahr or anyone else would have done, who did not believe in the ger.n theory of infection. No army since then has suffered such a calamity, for the very good reason the bacteriological advisers now accompany' every army, and their orders have to be obeyed. “Lazarus" cites the case of a healthy map who went to the war. was “protected" against typhoid, had bis health ruined as a result, and, allopathic doctors could not cure him. How does “Lazarus” know that he has diagnosed this man’s case correctly? There is no evidence that the serum was the cause of the trouble. Millions of men were similarly treated, and, as a matter of fact very few were injured in any way. But “Lazarus" forgets to state that, but for the serum, tens of thousands would almost certainly have lost their lives from typhoid. What I said before is still true Lindlahrism is good in individual cases, but out of the question when wholesale work of a preventive and curative nature has to be done. —I am, A. M. PATERSON. Timaru, March 7.