CHRISTIAN SCIENCE 219 



turbances of sight, palpitation of the heart, cold hands and feet, gen- 

 eral indisposition — called " that tired feeling " — irritability, melan- 

 cholia, bilious attacks, and other affections. It is interesting to note 

 that if a disordered stomach can be relieved by mental therapeutics, 

 all these symptoms can also be cured by the same means, to the great 

 glory of the healer. 



Now the stomach is a patient thing, more patient even than a 

 donkey, but if ill treated too long, it will rebel — go on strike — and 

 decline to handle " non-union materials " in the shape of improper 

 or badly cooked food. Overeating, bolting, insufficient chewing, irreg- 

 ular meals, over-indulgence in alcohol, tea, coffee and tobacco, are, 

 also, apt to produce that prevalent American disease — dyspepsia. The 

 usual factor is a change in the gastric juices, which may be deficient 

 in quantity, or may contain too much or too little acid or pepsin. 

 Sometimes, however, the natural movements of the stomach become 

 irregular, and the food is either hurried too soon into the intestines 

 in a half dissolved condition, or, more frequently, retained too long 

 in an undigested state to ferment and cause pain, gas and vomiting. 



Now improper conditions of both the gastric juices and the move- 

 ments result from a failure of the stimuli of the nervous system. The 

 messages sent from the mucous membrane lining the stomach to the 

 reflex centers stating that food is awaiting digestion may not reach 

 the proper destination, owing to unnatural conditions of the nerves 

 or ganglia; the reflex centers may not give the proper orders; the 

 return nerves may fail to transmit ; or the cells of the lining membrane 

 may decline to obey orders. To use the simile of an electric bell — 

 the push button may be broken; the wires disconnected or cut; the 

 batteries may be used up; or the tongue of the bell may be loose. 



Such failures of the nervous system are usually the result of over- 

 work of some kind; it is simply tired out, and insists upon rest. The 

 fatigue may be direct, from overeating or improper food, or it may 

 come from general exhaustion from dissipation, worry or mental or 

 physical overexertion. In many cases, simple rest, with freedom from 

 worry and overwork, is sufficient to work a cure. Drugs often actually 

 delay recovery, and we do not really know just why bismuth, rhubarb, 

 nux vomica, gentian, or the newer proprietary and synthetic remedies 

 should assist nature, though we have concluded for empiric reasons 

 that they do. Mental healing certainly gives the nervous system a 

 chance to recuperate undisturbed, and hence is often better than any 

 other treatment. Often, nevertheless, rest is not enough. The rested 

 nerves are still obstinate, and refuse to send the needed orders, re- 

 sembling balky horses which must be coaxed with sugar. In these 

 instances, also, mental methods will often start the proper reactions 

 when everything else has failed. 



