A MIND DISEASED 61 



Such considerations as these, consequently, make the question as to 

 what may be done to prevent the development of such a condition, or to 

 successfully minister to it eventually, an altogether most serious matter, 

 especially in cases where not only the sufferer's own conditions and 

 tendencies, but those of the entire environment, have to be considered. 



In the first place, there can be no question that every case of a 

 mind diseased should be as carefully investigated and as thoroughly 

 understood as possible, and this from the very beginning. No sort of 

 off-hand, " intuitive " pseudo-diagnosis should ever be relied upon as a 

 basis either of prevention or remedy ; the " case " is always really too 

 complex to admit of any such guess-work whatever. Yet it is owing 

 to just such a want of adequate investigation and accurate diagnosis 

 that many a sufferer from mental pain has not only not received needed 

 prevention or relief from his would-be ministrant, but has adversely 

 most ignorantly or presumptuously been given abundant time to sink 

 deeper and more permanently into his misery — so deep, in fact, so over- 

 whelmingly, many times, that afterwards the utmost skill can be but 

 partially successful — every really opportune moment having thus been 

 allowed to pass forever by ! Altogether and always, mental pain is too 

 serious and dangerous a matter ever to be thus looked upon indiffer- 

 ently or ignorantly, or to be foolishly and fatally experimented with by 

 not fully prepared remedialists. 



In many instances, also, it seems to be altogether too readily assumed 

 that what are called " imaginary " forms of this affection may be sim- 

 ilarly slighted and mismanged — in fact, trifled with — without much 

 thought as to what may be the consequence in the end. Indeed, it 

 seems often to be considered as evidence of some kind of superior wis- 

 dom, to pronounce the sufferings of a given case as " purely imaginary," 

 and so not to be " encouraged " by any sort of attention whatever. As 

 a rule, however, it may be absolutely taken for granted that sick people, 

 including the uncounted number of but-half-sick people, and those too 

 who are said to " imagine " their illness, do not repeatedly or persist- 

 ently make complaints without reasons that, when once understood, are 

 seen to be really good and sufficient ; and that every complaint of seem- 

 ingly imaginary suffering has always something very real beneath it, 

 which should at least be accurately ascertained and properly considered, 

 before the sufferer is either condemned or ignored. Recent investi- 

 gations into the true nature of the inner life, especially as this has been 

 unsuspectedly determined by accidental shock and stress while yet in 

 the plasticity of its very early stages, have thrown much light upon 

 many of these perplexing types of mental invalidism in older people; 

 and it is more than probable that further scientifically directed research 

 will make still clearer much that is now so obscure and inexplicable. 

 Hence, it must legitimately follow that every sort of shallow conception 



