Present and Prospective 217 



cells, its complexities of minute structure, its 

 innumerable chemical compositions, and the 

 condensed forces in its microscopic and ultra- 

 microscopic elements — the whole a sort of 

 microcosm of cosmic forces to which no con- 

 ceivable compound of electric batteries is com- 

 parable ; considering, again, that from an electric 

 station waves of energy radiate through the 

 viewless air to be caught up by a fit receiver a 

 thousand miles distant ; it is not inconceivable 

 that the human brain may send off still more 

 subtile waves to be accepted and interpreted by 

 the fitly tuned receiving brain. Is it, after all, 

 mere fancy that a mental atmosphere or effluence 

 emanates from one person to affect another, either 

 soothing sympathetically or irritating antipathi- 

 cally ? Think in this relation on the extraordi- 

 nary (so-called) magnetic personalities which some 

 persons possess, and, again, on the contagious 

 fire of emotion which spreads swiftly and gathers 

 volume in a crowd of people, inflaming them, as 

 the case may be, either to deeds of mad fury or 

 to corybantic displays of religious fervour. 



Xow, as fuller and exacter knowledge of the 

 reflex mechanism of the body adds to our means 

 of preventing and curing its disorders, and in- 

 creasing chemical knowledge points to scientific 

 therapeutics, so may a just conception of the 

 subtilties of the forces at work in mental action 

 inspire a more advised and methodical use of the 

 resources of mind to cure diseases of body. Is 



