TJNCHASTITY 329 



be effective, must be directed to these as well as to 

 local conditions; and it is pretty certainly established 

 that local remedies or applications alone will rarely 

 accomplish any appreciable good, at least of a perma- 

 nent character. 



Mental and Moral Treatment. — The greatest 

 impediment to recovery is usually found in the mind 

 of the patient. His hopeless despair, melancholy, sul- 

 len apathy in many cases, want of energy, and fickle- 

 ness of mind thwart all attempts that are made for 

 him. In other cases, the want of will-power, or neglect 

 to exercise the will in controlling the thoughts, com- 

 pletely counteracts all that can be done for him. He 

 must be made to understand this well, and then all 

 possible means must be employed to attract his atten- 

 tion from himself, from brooding over his ills. Occupy 

 him, interest him, or teach him to occupy and interest 

 himself. The enthusiastic study of some one of the 

 natural sciences is a most excellent auxiliary in affect- 

 ing this. 



The thing of first importance is that the patient 

 should obtain command of his thoughts ; by this means 

 he can do more for himself than all others can do for 

 him. "But I cannot control my thoughts," says the 

 patient. A young man said to me, "0 doctor, you 

 don't know how I feel. I despise myself; I hate my- 

 self; I often feel inclined to kill myself. My mind is 

 always full of abominable images ; my thoughts run 

 away with me, and I cannot help myself. ' ' The tears 

 ran down his face as he told of his slavery. He sol- 

 emnly affirmed that he had never performed the act 

 of self-pollution but once in his life ; and yet for years 

 he had been a constant sufferer from nocturnal emis- 

 sions until his manhood was nearly lost, evidently the 



