How To Put The Subconscious Mind To Work
	Organic And Functional Diseases <  Previous Contents Next  >

Medical Science classifies diseases into two general groups, functional and organic. Functional diseases are due to temporary disturbances of function--diseases in which there is no actual loss of tissue. Organic diseases are those in which an actual destruction of bodily tissue has occurred, such as tuberculosis, cancer and blood diseases.

Whether organic diseases yield to mental methods of treatment or not, still remains a matter of controversy among medical men. But inasmuch as the subconscious mind builds all organs and all living tissue, the metaphysician has no doubt about the matter at all. He remembers that the power of growth and repair are inherent in all living organisms, that the harmonies of exercise of this function are presided over by the subconscious mind, and that consequently it is just as easy for the subconscious mind to build areas of new tissue into old tissue as to build new tissue in the first place.

When we bear in mind that the loss of tissue in organic disease is dead tissue within the body it takes no stretch of imagination to see how the old dead tissues may be sloughed off and new tissue rebuilt by mind. For instance, in the case of cancer, it's an abnormal growth, poisonous tissue. Mind brings the cancer to a focus, breaks it and it is sloughed off one way or another through the system, or perhaps there is other organic trouble such as a waste kidney or a kidney diseased. Mind can just as well dissolve and slough off the waste kidney and remake a new kidney as it could slough off any dead and rotten tissue and build new.

We rebuild our bodies every eleven months. We are making new tissue continually. To replace the old with new is not miraculous. In fact, it is to be expected. Hence, the great difference of opinion between medical authorities about organic diseases and functional diseases need not bother the metaphysician or psychologist. Mind here does its natural work in conjunction with natural laws the same as in healing functional diseases.

Another famous physician also gives some light on the matter of organic and functional diseases:

It has been found that a great number of physical disorders, which heretofore have been considered purely of an organic or a chronic functional character, are merely physical reflexes of a neuroi.

Besides this, as L. E. Emerson, himself a physician, comments in "Nervousness"...

But it is also to be noted that while organic diseases may be mistaken for functional and the patient suffer accordingly, in a great many more cases, probably, the mistake is the other way about, and functional diseases are believed to be organic. Indeed, I am told by physicians with very extensive practices that a large proportion of the cases they see and treat are functional.

This is due to a blind, instinctive fear on the part of the patient; fear for his life, perhaps, or fear of possible pain, when he perceives some sign that in his ignorance he may attribute to some dreaded disease. For instance, 1 know of a patient who discovered, on drawing a deep breath, a lump in his chest which frightened him very much. He thought of cancer, of surgical operations, of possible agony' and death, and he became almost nauseated with fear. But he pulled himself together and went to a physician who assured him that it was nothing but the end of his breastbone, and instantly all fear left him.

The importance of this illustration lies in the fact that it makes clear the difference between the real meaning of a symptom and the attitude the patient takes towards his symptom. The whole trouble in this case was functional, due to ignorance and fear, and the patient was cured by psychotherapy; in plain words, taught a little more about himself, by one in whom he believed. The case also illustrates the importance of facing a situation and settling a question which may be due entirely to fear and ignorance, and not due to any inherent or organic disease or deformity.

It has been nearly a quarter of a century ago since Dr. George N. Beard, one of the most eminent specialists in America, who was a Professor in the University of New York, made some elaborate experiments in one of the large public institutions of the metropolis to determine the power of the mind--and more especially the patient's mind--over physical conditions, or as he puts it,

In order to determine, as accurately as possible, how far it is possible to cure disease by mental influence alone.

In these experiments, which were kept up for many weeks, no medicine of any real value was used, but simply what are called placebos, to act upon the minds of the patients, and induce them to believe that they were taking or doing something that would surely cure them. A favorite device was to tell the patients that they would get well at a certain day and hour. I would say: "Take this, and you will be well on Thursday afternoon at three o'clock." "Take a drop of this mixture just as you are half through dinner, and in half an hour your pain will leave you." In the majority of the cases, though not, of course, in all, these predictions were literally fulfilled. The patients did get well on the time appointed, and many and profuse were the thanks that I received for my success.

In these experiments were proved absolutely and beyond all question, that it was possible to relieve in this way, not only imaginary functional troubles, but also genuine and organic diseases, although the results were more certain and more permanent in functional than in organic disease. It had previously been denied by physicians that organic diseases could be affected through the mind.

What astonished me most was the permanency of the cures in many of the cases. They not only got better, but they kept better, and in some instances, recovered entirely.

Again quoting Dr. Schofield:

Believing as we do that the old division into functional and organic diseases is merely the expression of our ignorance and that all diseases, even hysterical, probably involve organic disturbance somewhere, we may believe that mental cures are not limited to so-called functional diseases at all.

And A. A. Lindsay, M. D., in "Healing and Culture," gives added weight to the position of those who credit the power of mind over organic diseases.

I feel confident that my extensive accounts of diseases involving organic changes will create attitudes of the correct sort in the minds of people who may have accepted certain erroneous teachings that are only imaginary or at most, imaginary and nervous disorders can be treated successfully by drugless methods. I might well say, there are no diseases that do not involve imagery, for no forms exist that do not first have a mind picture; I can also correctly declare, that there is no disease that does not involve the nerves--all things of the body are controlled through nerve centers and nerves.

With such an explanation, I am willing to concur in the idea, only nervous disorders exist; I would not consent to the limitation involved in a classification of disease, as organic, functional and nervous. The truth literally and best stated would be, all disease is organic, all disease is nervous and all disease involves imagery. All chronic disease is psychical; this places us on the proper basis for suggestive treatment.

There is no disorder which makes impression only upon a certain organ or tissue; it may be most emphatic in one part but the entire being becomes different with every change in any part of him. If medicine were a science and could heal a certain organ; it would not cure the man; something must act upon the power that is present in every cell in order to bring harmony to the entire being.

Therefore, to us the phrase, "Organic disease" is obscure, for if functional disease may after all be organic at the bottom, a fortiori there can be no organic disease without some derangement of function.

It may seem startling to some of the ordinary medical men who do not keep apace with the hour, that some of the leading reputable physicians have come to the recognition that so-called organic diseases are often not organic but functional reflexes.

So you see mental therapeutists do not always believe everything they hear and surely but a small percentage of that which they see. One generation of doctors claims organic diseases. The next generation disbelieves this, and says that what we thought was organic is only functional reflexes and disturbances and any profession that has made as many mistakes throughout the ages as has the medical profession, dating back from the early priesthood in Egypt coming down through the dark ages to witch burning periods of early modern times, it's a profession that has formed such a habit of mistakes that it is reasonable to believe that all of the mistakes have not yet been made.