Fright will bring on nervous .sp^isms which may- last for months. Worry frequently is a cause of indigestion, and a fit of anger will cause an attack of gout in a suitable subject. Optimism and healtny-mindedness, on the other hand, stimulate the circulation, the nerve cells of the brain, and the digestion. The blood flows more rapidly through the great nervous centre in the brain, and the result is increased energy, greater mental ability, and more joy in living. Suggestion, therefore, in this sense, is a great force, which, if utilised in the right direction, is valuable in the very best sense. The healthy- minded person lives in a happy atmosphere and imparts energy, vitality, and kindness to every- one she comes in contact with. Each one of us influences in some way the people with whom we come in contact. If we are healthy, happy, and optimistic, we help others along the path- way of life ; if we are pessimistic, if we have lost our grip of ourselves, if we cherish unkind sentiments, and depressing emotions, we are on the side, not of good, but of evil. Half the unhappiness and ill-health in life is due to morbid imagination. Physical suffering comes into the lives of every one of us, and we can augment or diminish its power over us according to our attitude of mind. Treatment Those who practise the religion of healthy- mindedness declare that we must hold to the idea that we have a divine right to health and happiness. To attain to this we must cultivate, the will, and never allow thoughts of a depres-. sing nature and of physical ailments to fill our minds. When we give way to useless, morbid fears, and self-pity for our physical or mental, ills, we deteriorate in character, but when our, higher, our kindly and happier selves are in the ascendant we absorb health and vitality from the infinite. Health of body can only be assured by health of mind and spirit. Before we can attain to physical well-being we must cleanse the recesses of our mind of all evil and depressing thoughts. This attitude of mind can be cultivated by everybody, but only as a result of effort. We can only cultivate our muscles by continual, regulated, physical exercise. Similarly, we can 207 MEDICAL achieve power over the will by continual self- discipline. Faith-healing of this kind would meet with the approval of every medical man in the community. It means simply the encourage- ment of a healthy mind, and this is the great need of the vast majority of people. What does the treatment entail ? It means that you must refuse to dwell upon any physical ailment or mental worry that you may be called upon to bear ; that you must determine to repel all unkind thoughts of other people, and to cultivate continually in their place altruism, love, and kindness. It means that you must slowly and steadily strengthen the will ; make up your mind to cure yourself of any bad habits, such as indulgence, laziness of mind or body, the habit of worry. It means, moreover, that instead of giving way to de- pressing and morbid thoughts, you must take up some interesting work which will provide discipline and occupation. Cultivation of Will Many people desire to attain a healthy attitude of mind ; they realise they are pessimistic, njorbid in their outlook upon life. " Wishing," however, is quite useless unless it is accompanied by determination, by cultivation of will to attain to the right attitude of mind. A great many ailments are the result of slack habits of mind and body, and these can only be cured by cultivating a healthy mind. By " sug- gesting " to yourself repeatedly that you mean to get well, that you will get well, that you are well, you influence for good your physical health. At the same time, you must cultivate good hygienic habits, method, and regularity in your life. It will be difficult at first, but each week of effort, each day of effort, is a step forward in the right direction. You will begin to take a new interest in life, and, better still, you will be a new influence for good in the lives of other people. By auto-suggestion you affect your own mental and physical well-being for the better. By unconsciously suggesting, in your, manner, appearance and ideas, optimism to other people, you are a disciple of healthy- mindedness for the rest of the community. THE HEALTHY CHILD Conti mied front fas^e 6j, Part I Give the Child Plenty of Simt5le, Good, Well-cooked, Nourishing Food— Adhere Strictly to the Three-meal Principle, and Allow no Food Between Meals — Porridge, and How to Make It — Children Should be Given Milk with Every Meal Tt is essential that a mother should have a
- knowledge of the right sort of food for children.
Improper feeding, as everybody knows, is responsible for a large number of infant deaths every year. The management of infants from birth will be dealt with in a later series of articles. Meantime, because the ignorance of mothers on suitable diet for childhood is so widespread, an article dealing with the feeding of older children should not be out of place. Plenty of simple, nourishing food is essential to a child's growth and health. Whilst moderate eating is necessary in adult life, when growth has stopped, ample, plain food is a necessity for children during the period of growth. Children are not likely to overeat themselves with plain food, whatever they might do if we were foolish Qough to give them as much sweets and cakes as they desired. The object of taking food is to supply the tissues of the body, the muscles, nerves, skin, bones, and organs with sufficient material to nourish them and provide for their normal growth. If a child is underfed the tissues are starved, and normal growth cannot take place. If a child is overfed with unsuitable foods an attack of sickness and diarrhoea is nature's method of dealing with dietetic mistakes. From two years to twelve years of age the nursery menus ought to receive careful con- sideration from the mother. Hours of meals and number of meals should be fixed and continually observed. It is the duty of the mother to see that the nursery food is properly cooked. The object of cooking is to soften the food, to make it more digestible and palatable, and to prepare it for the digestive juices of the alimentary canal.
