In the Louvre in Paris there is a statue 



from ancient Chaldeo representing 



the demon of the Southwest Wind. 



The inscription directs that it be hung 



in a window or doorway 

 to ward off illness and evil influences 



After Lenormant 



SPIRITS CAUSE ILLNESS 



cause illness by getting into the victim's body, what is more reasonable than 

 to try to drive them out of the body? 



Driving Out Spirits Through the ages there have been many systems 

 for driving out these unwelcome visitors by making it as uncomfortable for 

 them as possible. Loud and hideous sounds, nasty odors produced by burn- 

 ing various substances, very bitter and nauseous mixtures — to be taken in- 

 ternally by the patient, of course. Sometimes a medicine man utters magic 

 words to frighten devils. Or he writes them on bits of bark or shell, which 

 he applies to the body of the patient. These magic words probably work 

 just as effectively as the loud sounds and the disagreeable odors and drugs. 

 At any rate, that was the basic philosophy of sickness and cure through 

 many centuries. It is still the basic philosophy among many tribes in many 

 parts of the world. It persists essentially unchanged among many of our 

 present-day fellow citizens. We have astrologers and quacks and spirit heal- 

 ers in nearly every community. This spirit theory has the merit of appealing 

 to common sense. It has the disadvantage that we are unable to compare 

 the results of spirit activity with the workings of different kinds of cures. 

 We have no way of checking up on the workings of this philosophy. 



Sickness and Sin A child early learns that he is made to suffer if he 

 displeases his elders, or if he fails to do as he is told. From this experience 



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