(4) It must also be made clear that the physical disease may be the effect of a potent psychical dis- order. The whole mischief may come from the side of the mental or psychical. A long-continued yielding of the mind or spirit to evil agencies may result in physical deterioration, just as truly as physical deterioration may give the opportunity for an evil spiritual possession. ' Prolonged mental enfeeblement is followed by brain atrophy, and pro- longed mental disturbances by structural brain changes ' (Clouston). A consideration of our Lord's method in dealing with this disaster in humanity will increase our unwillingness to bar out the ' demonic ' element in lunacy. See also artt. Ac- commodation, vol. i. 20 f., and DEMON, ib. 441 ff.
iv. Our Lord'.s restoration of the ' lunatic' — The Synoptic Gospels all ascribe to Jesus a unique
command over these afflicted persons and over the alien power that possessed them. He was able to restore the lost self-control and also to deal with the disease which Avas commonly the physical basis of the mental derangement. The latter portion of the process is akin to our Lord's healing of bodily diseases (see Cures) ; but the action of Jesus is upon the body through the mind, and upon the mental or psychical directly. Mental physicians who treat lunacy from the physical side yet fully recognize tlie existence of the psychical, and the possibility and actuality of alleviation being brought by action upon that side of the ailment. ' The action of " mind on mind " in healthy brains is direct, intense, and most subtle. The same is the case when tlie brain is disordered, and hence in jjsychiatry mental therapeutics are a most im- portant means of treatment' (Clouston). Such facts are truly illuminative of the action of Jesus, and we may not unreasonably attribute His restor- ing power to a master-inttuence which, while it transcends all that is known of the human, yet is not on a totally difierent plane. In Jesus the power of mind was at its fullest and finest by reason of : (1) His intense and penetrating sympathy with mankind ; (2) His vigorous will to bring helj) and deliverance to all human suflerers ; (3) His continual and perfect alliance and moral union with the Divine Power in which He lived and moved and had His being. The Divine Will can and does manifest itself in every human unselfish- ness and sympathy and generous helpful impulse, and through a human personality healing forces of God Himself are at work amidst all human distress and oppression. And in our Lord that Divine liealing might find full scope and un- hindered freedom of activity, so that the Name of Jesus was a healing, restoring, life-giving Name, even empowering feeble disciples to cast out devils (see art. Miracles, c).
The method of Jesus clearly suggests the exer- cise of a Holy Divinely-informed Will and Person- ality upon other Avills and personalities. The features which most impressed those who wit- nessed His action were the rebuke, the command, the authority which claimed and obtained unhesi- tating homage and obedience (Mk 1-^"'^^, Lk Q^'-*^), inevitably reminding them of ' the majesty of God.' Especially does His dealing with the Gerasene lunatic indicate His secret. He goes direct to the lost self-control, seeks to recover the sub- merged personality, and to remove that self- identification with the evil power. He endeavours to awaken the man to the true sense of his own individuality and to set it free from an alien domination. 'What is thy name?' He asks. By the efficient co-operation of the man He would break up that terrible sympathy and alliance which caused the victim to say, ' We are many.' (The suggestion of Schmiedel that in asking this question Jesus Avas, like a modern alienist, seeking to discover the delusions of the patient, amounts to an anachronism). And the unique Personality of Jesus had the power to evoke, and give once again its commanding controlling place to, this essential energy of the man.
Modei'n treatment of the insane bears a most suggestive likeness to the method of Jesus. By cheerful surroundings, by healthful labour, by the encouragement of all existing faculty in the patient, by amusement and music and religious exercises, and not least by human sympathy, the endeavour is made to conserve every vestige of self-possession, to keep alive and to develop all available capacity. The constant efi'ort is to penetrate through all physical and psychical dis- abilities to the real and effective personality. It may fairly be said that medical skill and investi-
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gation into causes and remedies of this distress- ing malady are yet in their preliminary stages, and the progress of the years may be followed -with the utmost hopefulness because in all such investi- gation the Divine Spirit energizes.
Literature. — Griesiuger, Mental Pathology and Thera- peutics (tr.), 1S67 ; D. Hack Tuke, Dictionary o/ Piychological Medicine, 2 vols. 1892 ; Bucknill-Tuke, Manual of Psychologi- cal Medicine, 1874 ; Maudslev, Physiology and Pathology of Mind, 2 vols. 1879 ; Clouston, Clinical Lectures on Mental Disease^, 1904 ; Macpherson, Mental Affections, 1899; Traite de Pathologic Mentale, bv various writers, ed. Ballet, Paris, 1903; Kraepelin, Clinical Pgychiatrii (ir.), 1904. On Biblical aspects of the question, consult artt. on ' Medicine,' ' Satan,' ' Demonologj,' ' Exorcism,' etc., in Hastings' DB ; also kindred artt. in Encye. Bill. ; R. Bennett, Diseases of the Bible, 1887; ilenzies Alex- ander, Demonic Possession, 1902 [brings together most valuable data for the discussion of the whole question]. See also Litera- ture at end of artt. Miracles and Cires, and chapter on ' Demoniacs ' in The Finger of God, bv the present ^^Tit€^.