A MIND DISEASED 57 



operating table, or more frequently during the period of recovery from 

 anesthesia, or, in fact, at any time later, the sensitive mind may thus 

 receive impressions which may persist permanently and prove to be 

 sources of painful invaliding beyond all expectation. In fact, it is 

 beyond question true that the real importance of psychical insult as 

 a close fellow of physical injury, or the danger from the stresses and 

 other conditions following, should in every case receive a much more 

 thoughtful consideration from all those who have to do with it, than 

 ever has been or is now the rule. We blame and punish those who do 

 not provide against the consequences of the physical injury itself, or 

 against the invasion and development of endangering infectious dis- 

 eases. But often these, bad as they are, are of little consequence, com- 

 pared with the results of inadequate or bungling care of the psychical 

 insults, and subsequent untoward impressions and tensions, which so 

 often accompany or follow physical conditions, whether accidental or 

 designed. Certainly, it were better to have a pitted face or a crooked 

 leg than to go through the remainder of life with irrecoverable mental 

 imperfections and distresses. Better a weak back than a weak will ; the 

 loss of a member than the loss of normal ambition and hope; better 

 physical pain with the mind free than mental pain with the body useless 

 because of it ! 



Everything that may be said about prevening the anticipation and 

 prevention of mental invalidism in conditions that are naturally but 

 incidental to physical trauma, may be said, also, and with even greater 

 emphasis, with respect to its connection with the beginning or course 

 of a large number of cases of ordinary illness, including, as these 

 usually do, noticeable weakness, certain depressing autointoxications, 

 incidental effects of use or abuse of various drugs, and more or less 

 prolonged and nearly absolute isolation — favoring conditions that are 

 almost always more or less necessarily experienced. Here the laity, 

 especially if not checked, are liable as a rule to as unhesitatingly as 

 unwittingly convert any sick-room into a fateful " gossip-room " of 

 such a horrifying and dangerous character, that even a well person may 

 wisely shun it for safety if not from choice ; while those in authoritative 

 command likewise seem somewhat too frequently not to realize with 

 anything like becoming fullness the deep and abiding injury which 

 inexcusable thoughtlessness, as well as all manner of unwholesome 

 speech and conduct, may so frequently lead to. More than once has 

 life-long soul-sickness been traced to this kind of impression received 

 during an illness, wherein the hapless victim was made to receive 

 impressions of such a deeply searching and staying character, that for- 

 ever after dire consequences have remained, to either primarily or sec- 

 ondarily afflict with untold and irrecoverable mental pain. Undoubt- 

 edly, it not infrequently happens, also, that certain chance speculative 



