CHAPTER II.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 43, 13 February 1885, Page 21

CHAPTER 11.

Ab to the Cases Selected. In selecting out of the cases described or mentioned in the Aunales de Lourdet those which are contained in the following work, the writer, has been guided by the ordinary canons of criticism which would apply to the selection of cases in illustration of any pathological dogma or method of treatment. That is to say, he has only used such cases as are either described with sufficient minuteness of detail as to signs and symptoms, to be complete in themselves, or are described by well-understood popular terms about which theie can be no mistake. This first rough proaess of selection eliminates a large number of cases. I. Tho-^e which are vaguely described on purpose to conceal from idle curiosity the nature ot the disease— as many of the diseases of women are, and some of those of men. 11. Those which are merely enumerated under the heading " Divers giierisons.'' 111. Those which, though often described with abundance— even superabundance of detail, lack precisely those details which are the most necessary to make the case complete. Of the remainder a very large number of purely nervous or hysterical cases have been omitted. Some of these occupy many pages of the Annales, and are supported by elaborate testimonials from ecclesiastics and physicians. All of tdena would seem to the nonprofessional reader most striking miracles ; some h^ve been omitted which really may have been cases beyond cure by natural means, but of tbis the proot is wanting. A tew, and only a very few, are cases which one would think nobody except the patient would suppose to b«j miraculous. A lew of such cases are given as samples of scores of others omitted. It must be evident that the reputation of such a shrine as that of Lourdes would naturally attiact to it vast numbers ot" patients affected with functional disorders of the nervous system, wnich had resisted all known means of cure. How often does one meet in practice with some nervous or hysterical woman, or sone hypochondriacal man, who has taken all the nervine tonics, tried cold bathiug, perhaps undergone a regular course of water cure, has been galvanized, has tried homoeopathy and every other form of quackery, and yet has no organic disease, no functional disease which a powerful mental emotion might not cure for a time. For the root of all these cases ia a morbid egotism, an egotism which swallows up every other con«

sideration. These wretched creatures, bo well-known in the orofeßsion, are deeply to be pitied ; to them the whole world is as nothine compared with the symptoms of their disease. When they have wearied out one doctor, they go to another. When they can find sympathy in no other way, and their circumstances allow it, they get up some infirmity which keeps them bedridden ; they have paralysis or contraction of one limb, or hysterical vomiting of every kind of food, no matter what. With all this they may appear to be very pious and very amiable ; they are very gracious and seemingly very anxious to avoid giving trouble. But they do give an immense amount of trouble, and they are never satisfied unless everyone within the range of their iufluence is thinking of them, and acting for them. s Now imagine a woman of this kind (for women form the majority of such cases) who is a Catholic. -She is, we will say, bedridden • she has had for five, six, or even tea years hysterical paralysis of one side. She tells you in her history that the doctors have throat pins or knives into the paralysed limb without her feeling it ; not knowing that this very fact is, according to Gharcot, an almost certain proof that the hemiplegia is hysterical. Perhaps, in addition, she is reduced to a mere skeleton by hysterical vomiting. The doctors have abandoned her. They have done everthiug for her : and if they are French doctors they have most probably done a great deal too much. Leeches, blisters, cuppinga, moxas, galvanism, iodine, bromides, quinine, iron, zinc, phosphorus, all the tonics that have ever been invented seem to have been tried in some of these cases— all are useless. The disease only grows worse, as might naturally be expected. At last the patient, or the patient's friends, think of Lourdes Probably she is a very fervid Catholic. The question excites an intense interest in her mind, for it is something about herself. It becomes the subject of frequent and warm discussion. Her friends who are certainly getting tired of her, and who have heard or read of miraculous cures in similar cases, think that there is just a chance that she may be one of the cured. Difficulties occur, but they are surmounted ; every difficulty, every discussion has served but to make the cure more probable. For the first time for years, perhaps, the p itienl thinks she may be cure i . For the first time perhaps for y eais the ratient rea.ly wants 10 be cured. She undertakes devotions to this end novenas are said, the journey is begun ; every day, every hour that brings her nearer to the miraculous shrine exalts her faith, intensifies her conviction that she will be cured, and in reality is curing her by provoking a healthy action of the nervous system. All the discomforts and the pains of the journey conduce to this end ; they are new sensations : the very jolting of the train brings into action muscles that had been quiescent for years ; the change of air, of climate of scenery, are ail giving new life and new vigour to the nervous system. At last she reaches Lourdes: per'uaps before she reaches the grotto.the cure is effected ; perhaps the first bath does it, and she walks out without her crutches, exclaiming 'Je sni-s guerie." Possibly it may require three or four baths, but before she leaves she is cured. In all this there is nothing supernatural, and yet it must appear to the non-professional mind a wonderful miracle. The miracle really commences after the cure. Then the mind is cured ; the grace of the sacraments comes in to fortify the newborn feelings of gratitude, thanksgiving, and adoration ; the patient sees herself as she has been, a selfish egotist, nourishing and cherishing her own bodily sensations as the most important phenomena in the universe ; she is shocked and terrified, she leads a new life, and the cure of the soul follows and makes permanent the cure of the body Possibly ehe enters a religious order; it is certain that a Catholic who had received such great mercies and graces would be told by her spiritual guide that it was her duty to show her gratitude by works of mercy as much as by prayers. Then the pleasure of being well, the delight of going about, the excitement her appearance would create every where would all tend to keep up the healthy tone of the uervous system and prevent a relapse. Several such cases may be found in the Annales. There are, however, some neurotic cases which do not come under this class, and which 1 have included. A few cases of chorea, epilepsy, and other disorders of the nervous system which had any long resisted treatment are given in the chapter devoted to that subject. Ouly in a very few instances is anything like a liu-jral translation given. In the majority a multitude of details, which have no bearing on the medical aspect of the case, have been omitted. Many of thu cases, too, as narrated by the patients themselves enter into such minute and lengthened details of symptoms and sensations as would render them far too long for the present work. This very profuseness of detail, however, is a guarantee of good faith, The intermixture of the religious and emotional element, which occurs in almost eve.y one of the narratives, while it gives a realistic air to the cases and adis to the interest of each one taken separately , would be foreign to the object of this work. These parts have been omitted in every case except one which is given as a sample. To - bring the number of cases I have selected within the bounds which have been thought advisible, it has been necessary to prune the narratives very severely, and even the certificates of the French physicans. lam sorry to say that many of theseicertificates show a strange want of scientific precision. As for the treatment I— well, it is French treatment, and the less said about it the better. Doctor Diafoiriers still survives. In no case Jim any symptom or detail been omitted which mould tend to malte the cure less miraculous. Subjective symptoms, if not of importance, have been most commonly the omitted ones. A number of cases have been excluded, where Lourdes water was given to the patient in the course of an acute disease, either mingled with the medicines or after the cessation of drug treatment. Although some of the cures thus effected have been very remarkable, and probably were in many instances miraculous, they are all open to the objection either that the disease might have terminated by recovery naturally or that the medicines, or the cessation of the medicines, might h .ye effected the core. Some few exceptional cases of recovery from acute disease are given, but they are all marked by circumstances which clearly show that the cure was supernatural,

All other cases are excluded which, in the editor's judgment, might have been cured by mental emotion, change of residence, or tne shock to the system of a cold bath taken under such exceptional conditions as those existing at Lourdes. An analysis of the water, by a competent French chemist, will be given in a subsequent chapter.