the foundations of personality-第5章

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erability　to　fatigue　in　equal　measure。　For　that　matter；　neither　do　they　show　an　equal　liability　to　infectious　diseases；　equal　reaction　to　alcohol　or　injury。　The　feeling　of　vigor　which　rest　gives　changes　the　expression　of　personality　to　a　marked　degree。　It　is　true　that　we　are　not　apt　to　think　of　the　tired　man　as　changed　in　character；　yet　we　must　admit　on　reflection　that　he　has　undergone　transformation。　Even　a　loaded　bowel　may；　as　is　well　known；　alter　the　reaction　to　life。　Among　men　who　are　coarse　in　their　language　there　is　a　salutation　more　pertinent　than　elegant　that　inquires　into　the　state　of　the　bowels。＇1＇　The　famous　story　of　Voltaire　and　the　Englishman；　in　which　the　sage　agreed　to　suicide　because　life　was　not　worth　living　when　his　digestion　was　disordered　and　who　broke　his　agreement　when　he　purged　himself；　illustrates　how　closely　mood　is　related　to　the　intestinal　tract。　And　mood　is　the　background　of　the　psychic　life；　upon　which　depends　the　direction　of　our　thoughts；　cheerful　or　otherwise；　the　vigor　of　our　will　and　purpose。　Mood　itself　arises　in　part　from　the　influences　that　stream　into　the　muscles；　joints；　heart；　lungs；　liver；　spleen；　kidneys；　digestive　tract　and　all　the　organs　and　tissues　by　way　of　the　afferent　nerves　（sympathetic　and　cerebro…spinal）。　Mood　is　thus　in　part　a　reflection　of　the　health　and　proper　working　of　the　organism；　it　is　the　most　important　aspect　of　the　subconsciousness；　and　upon　it　rests　the　structure　of　character　and　personality。　＇1＇　What　is　called　coarse　is　frequently　crudely　true。　Thus；　in　the　streets；　in　the　workshops；　and　where　men　untrammeled　by　niceties　engage　in　personalities　the　one　who　believes　the　other　to　be　a　〃crank〃　informs　him　in　crude　language　that　he　has　intestinal　stasis　（to　put　the　diagnosis　in　medical　language）　and　advises　him　accordingly　to　〃take　a　pill。〃

This　does　not　mean　that　only　the　healthy　are　cheerful；　or　that　the　sick　are　discouraged。　To　affirm　the　dependence　of　mind　upon　body　is　not　to　deny　that　one　may　build　up　faith；　hope；　courage；　through　example　and　precept；　or　that　one　may　not　inherit　a　cheerfulness　and　courage　（or　the　reverse）。　〃There　are　men；〃　says　James；　〃who　are　born　under　a　cloud。〃　But　exceptional　individuals　aside；　the　mass　of　mankind　generates　its　mood　either　in　the　tissues　of　the　body　or　in　the　circumstances　of　life。　Children；　because　they　have　not　built　up　standards　of　thought；　mood　and　act；　demonstrate　in　a　remarkable　manner　the　dependence　of　their　character　upon　health。　A　child　shows　the　onset　of　an　illness　by　a　complete　change　in　character。　I　remember　one　sociable；　amiable　lad　of　two；　rich　in　the　curiosity　and　expanding　friendliness　of　that　time　of　life；　who　became　sick　with　diphtheria。　All　his　basic　moods　became　altered；　and　all　his　wholesome　reactions　to　life　disappeared。　He　was　cross　and　contrary；　he　had　no　interest　in　people　or　in　things；　he　acted　very　much　as　do　those　patients　in　an　insane　hospital　who　suffer　from　Dementia　Praecox。　What　is　character　if　it　is　not　interest　and　curiosity；　friendliness　and　love；　obedience　and　trust；　cheerfulness　and　courage？　Yet　a　sick　child；　especially　if　very　young；　loses　all　these　and　takes　on　the　reverse　characters。　The　little　lad　spoken　of　became　〃himself〃　again　when　the　fever　and　the　pain　lifted。　Yet　for　a　long　time　afterward　he　showed　a　greater　liability　to　fear　than　before；　and　it　was　not　until　six　months　or　more　had　repaired　the　more　subtle　damage　to　his　organism　that　he　became　the　hardy　little　adventurer　in　life　that　he　had　been　before　the　illness。　There　is　plenty　of　chemical　proof　of　this　thesis　as　here　set　forth。　Men　have　from　time　immemorial　put　things　〃in　their　bellies　to　steal　their　brains　away。〃　The　chemical　substance　known　as　ethyl　alcohol　has　been　an　artificial　basis　of　good　fellowship　the　world　over；　as　well　as　furnishing　a　very　fair　share　of　the　tragedy；　the　misery　and　the　humor　of　the　world。　This　is　because；　when　ingested　in　any　amount；　its　absorption　produces　changes　in　the　flow　of　thought；　in　the　attitude　toward　life；　in　the　mood；　the　emotions；　the　purposes；　the　conduct；in　a　word；　in　character。　One　sees　the　austere　man；　when　drunk；　become　ribald；　the　repressed；　close…fisted　become　open…mouthed　and　open…hearted；　the　kindly；　perhaps　brutal；　the　controlled；　uncontrolled。　In　the　change　of　character　it　effects　is　the　regret　over　its　passing　and　the　greatest　reason　for　prohibition。　Alcohol　causes　several　well…defined　mental　diseases　as　well　as　mere　drunkenness。　In　Delirium　Tremens　there　is　an　acute　delirium；　with　confusion；　excitement　and　auditory　and　visual　hallucinations　of　all　kinds。　The　latter　symptom　is　so　prominent　as　to　give　the　reason　for　the　popular　name　of　the　〃snakes。〃　In　alcoholic　hallucinosis　the　patient　has　delusions　of　persecution　and　hears　voices　accusing　him　of　all　kinds　of　wrong…doing。　Very　frequently；　as　all　the　medical　writers　note；　these　voices　are　〃conscience　exteriorized〃；　that　is；　the　voices　say　of　him　just　what　he　has　been　saying　of　himself　in　the　struggle　against　drink。　Then　there　is　Alcoholic　Paranoia；　a　disease　in　which　the　main　change　is　a　delusion　of　jealousy　directed　against　the　mate；　who　is　accused　of　infidelity。　It　is　interesting　that　in　the　last　two　diseases　the　patient　is　〃clear…headed〃；　memory　and　orientation　are　good；　the　patient　speaks　well　and　gives　no　gross　signs　of　his　trouble。　As　the　effects　of　the　alcohol　wear　away；　the　patient　recovers；i。e。；　his　character　returns　to　its　normal。　It　becomes　necessary　at　this　point　to　take　up　a　reverse　side　of　our　study；　namely；　what　is　often　called　the　influence　of　〃mind　over　matter。〃　Such　cures　of　disease　as　seem　to　follow　prayer　and　faith　are　cited；　such　incidents　as　the　great　strength　of　men　under　emotion　or　the　disturbances　of　the　body　by　ideas　are　listed　as　examples。　This　is　not　the　place　to　discuss　cures　by　faith。　It　suffices　to　say　this：　that　in　the　first　place　most　of　such　cures　relate　to　hysteria；　a　disease　we　shall　discuss　later　but　which　is　characterized　by　symptoms　that　appear　and　disappear　like　magic。　I　have　seen　〃cured〃　（and　have　〃cured〃）　such　patients；　affected　with　paralysis；　deafness；　dumbness；　blindness；　etc。；　with　reasoning；　electricity；　bitter　tonics；　fake　electrodes；　hypnotism；　and　in　one　case　by　a　forcible　slap　upon　a　prominent　and　naked　part　of　the　body。　Hysteria　has　been　the　basis　of　many　a　saint's　reputation　and　likewise　has　aided　many　a　physician　into　affluence。　Nor　is　the　effect　of　coincidence　taken　into　account　in　estimating　cures；　whether　by　faith　or　by　drugs。　Many　a　physician　has　owed　his　start　to　the　fact　that　he　was　called　in　on　some　obscure　case　just　when　the　patient　was　on　the　turn　towards　recovery。　He　then　receives　the　credit　that　belonged　to　Nature。　Medical　men　understand　this；that　many　diseases　are　〃self…limited〃　and　pass　through　a　cycle　influenced　but　little　by　treatment。　But　faith　curists　do　not　so　understand；　and　neither　does　the　mass　of　people；　so　that　neither　one　nor　the　other　separates　〃post　hoc〃　from　〃propter　hoc。〃　If　the　truth　were　told；　most　of　the　miracle　and　faith　cures　that　are　not　of　hysterical　origin　are　due　to　coincidence。　Faith　curists　report　in　detail　their　successes；　but　we　have　no　statistics　whatever　of　their　failures。　If　thought　is　a　product　of　the　brain　activated　by　the　rest