Avoid talking illness to the patient. Make no unnecessary inquiries relative to feelings or disease. Never startle with a discouraging remark about recovery, or draw attention to certain symptoms as unfavorable, or give a name for a disease. Never say beforehand how much you have to contend with in a case, or fix in the patient's thought the expectation of growing worse before the crisis is passed.
A cross or complaining nurse should never take charge of the sick. Never conjure up from the dark depths of fear some new discovery, to acquaint your patient with it.
Prayers in which God is not asked to heal, but is besought to take the patient to Himself, do not benefit the sick.
Mind determines the nature of a case, which is improved or injured in proportion to the Truth or error that influences conclusions. The mental conception and development of disease are not known or understood by the patient; but the doctor should be familiar with mental action and its effect, in order to judge the case scientifically.
If the case to be mentally treated is consumption, take up the leading points included (according to belief) in this disease. Show that it is not inherited; that inflammation, tubercles, hemorrhage, and decomposition are beliefs, images of mortal thoughts, superimposed upon the body ; that they are not the Truth of man; that they should be treated as error, and put out of mortal mind. Then these ills will disappear from the body.
Man is the offspring of Soul, not body, — of God, not man. He is spiritual, not material. Soul is not in
