216 The Work of Faith and Hope. [April, 



either weigh down prematurely the power of the spirit and bring 

 the body to the grave before its time ; or, it is buoyed up and car- 

 ried joyfully along in peace beyond the ordinary period allotted to 

 the happy individual. 



A great many cases illustrating the power of the mind over the 

 body are given in the 2d Vol. of the Medico Chirurgical Review 

 for 1342. We propose extracting some of them for the benefit 

 of our readers. 



" A gentleman who had constantly witnessed the sufferings of 

 a friend afflicted with stricture of the oesophagus, had so great an 

 impression upon his nervous system, that after some time he ex- 

 perienced a similar difficulty in swallowing, and ultimately died 

 of the spasmodic impediment, produced by merely thinking of 

 another's pain."' 



A lady accidentally swallowed a plum stone, and no doubt but 

 it passed into the stomach at the time; but she persisted in be- 

 lieving that it stuck in her throat; appropriate remedies were 

 tried, and the feeling after a long time subsided; but from this 

 date her health declined, dropsy made its appearance, and she 

 died. A gentleman of intellectual habits, and not mixing much 

 in society, was afflicted for twenty-five or thirty years with a vio- 

 lent tearing cough. The paroxisms would last for nearly half an 

 hour. When, however, he was occupied or in conversation with 

 friends, or at church, it never came upon him — remedies did no 

 good, and the only antidotes were agreeable sensations, either 

 from social company, or by mental occupation. 



The cases upon record, however, are too numerous to be noticed 

 here; a few more shall suffice, and these shall relate to the influ- 

 ences of faith and hope. All know how hope lightens care, sup- 

 ports and sustains the spirit, imparts energy and perseverance to 

 the man, and finally brings him off a triumphant conqueror. 



Bruce, the hero of Scotland, was sustained in his deepest trials 

 and darkest hours by having watched the effort of a spider to 

 carry its thread from one point of the wall to another — after many 

 failures it succeeded — Bruce took couiage by its succeess. 



During the siege of Bredain, 1625, the garrison was upon t he 



