THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1907. "SUGGESTION" AS A CURATIVE AGENCY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8558, 17 October 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1907. "SUGGESTION" AS A CURATIVE AGENCY.

When the Tohunga Suppression Bill was before Die Legislative Council the Hon. Mr Rigg drew attention to the value in many eases of. suggestion as a curative factor. He cited instances wherein suggestion had been effective in giving relief, and, in some instances, bringing about absolute cure h certain classes of disease; and ho even went so far as to declare that cancer had been cured by the suggestive process. Unsupported testimony of this kind is open to doubt, and probably would be doubted by the majority of people who in many matters are "most ignorant of what they are most assured." But this notwithstanding, there is much to be said in favour of Mr Rigg's caution which has since been [emphasised by the evidence taken by the Select Committee appointed to enquire into Mr Hornsby's Quackeries Prevention Bill. In this investigation the question of suggestion played a prominent part. One witness, Mr Wm. McLean, a wellknown business man in Wellington, while generally admitting the importance of the measure, somewhat astonished the Committee by bin evidence respecting the value of suggestion es a curative process. According to his testimony, suggestion, combined with hypnotism, restored a maniac, confined in a padded cell in Christchurch, t« health and sanity, and he declared that the late Inspec-tor-Genaral of Hospitals and Asylums admitted tie fact of the cure. He mentioned three other instances in which the agency of suggestion through his instrumentality had proved efficacious in restoring to health patients who had been given up by the medical fraternity. He also quoted many noted men who practised this and other forms of faith healing; and he was so convinced of the powers of suggestion to restore the sick that he told the Committee bluntly that "if my friend was ill and I could treat him I would do so even if I were sent to prison for it."

Another metaphysical witnessJames Bradley—stated that his and his colleagues' "lever for moving or focussing vitality is suggestion, and suggestion alone." Mr Bradley told the Committee of a number of cases coming under his personal observation of cures by suggestion where the doctors had failed to give even relief. One was a case of-paralysis due to spinal injury, which, after defying medical treatment tor seven years succumbed to the suggestive methods of the metaphysician within fourteen weeks, and no sign of a return of the complaint had been manifested since the patient's cure ten years ago. As a matter of fact the sufferer was so far restored to health, according to the witness, that "three years ago she gave birth to a daughter." Other instances of "hopeloss cases" from a medical point of view were described as having been cured by suggestion. Another witness, named Rough, also made remarkable statements as to the power of suggestion. The Rev. John Vosper, Vicar of Johnsonville, also related instances in which he had taken over patients at the request of medical men who had failed to benefit them, and he had, by the suggestive process, effected cures. The effkacy of suggestion was further supported by the testimony of a Wellington resident named Lord, and a South Island resident mimed Watt. The latter related that he had cured a woman suffering from a severe cold, merely by telling her to go to bed at a certain hour, and that she would then and there be cured. This man stated that he had relieved or cured over thirty cases of illness in the Christchurch Exhibition by means of suggestion. In view of these allegations, some of which appear to be well authenticated and which go to substantiate the evidence secured by the Physical Research Association in England, it is essential that Parliament should have fin open mind in dealing with this aspect of the quackery discussion. But it should be remembered that suggestion is a doubleedged weapon, and that while it may possibly effect cures in certain cases it is more readily capable of bringing aoout disastrous results. The unscrupulous possessors of the power of influencing their fellows by suggestion, may do infinitely more harm than those who are scrupulous may do good, and it is a question worthy of consideration whether it would not be belter for Parliament to restrict the operation of the beneficient aspect of suggestion rather than give license to tho maleficieut operation of the unscrupulous practitioner, especially as there appears to be no means by which one can be discriminated from the other.