neighbors, what a perfect world this would be in which to live.

Chapter 6 - Fear of Illness - p.14

THE fear of illness is a form of depression which torments the spirit of man, and is, in many cases, actually responsible for the inroads of disease. In the days of superstition, sickness was regarded as the work of evil spirits which gained entrance into the human body and deranged or destroyed some of its vital elements. In our age, of course, the fear of spirits has lost its hold completely, but in its stead the theory of germs and microbes is holding us in equal terror. We avoid, with justice, the presence of pestilential insects, but our exaggerated dread of these germ-carriers only gives them added strength. For microbes and germs have little effect upon a healthy individual whose mind is free from fear; this, because man possesses within himself all the forces necessary to combat successfully the invasion of these destructive intruders; but when man is depressed by fear, the vitality of his protective forces is lowered, the body is consequently weakened, and the invaders find easy access to the vital organs.

The fear of sickness is the greatest of all sicknesses. The subconscious mind grasps a thought or an attitude of fear quite readily and actuates it in the body. One amenable to suggestion, the mere description of some ailment will set to discovering identical symptoms in his own being. He will be filled with anxiety lest he too may succumb to the dangerous illness. Such a fear will actually undermine his vitality and impair his health. Some there are who at the slightest indisposition already see themselves at death's door, and even go so far as to see distinctly the pitying eyes around their bed,