PART III_Man's supreme inheritance

THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF A NEW METHOD OF RESPIRATORY RE-EDUCATION

_First published 1907._

“Whoever hesitates to utter that which he thinks the highest truth, lest

it should be too much in advance of the time, may reassure himself by

looking at his acts from an impersonal point of view.... It is not for

nothing that he has in him these sympathies with some principles and

repugnance to others. He, with all his capacities, and aspirations, and

beliefs, is not an accident, but a product of the time. He must remember

that while he is a descendant of the past he is a parent of the future;

and that his thoughts are as children born to him, which he may not

carelessly let die.”—HERBERT SPENCER.

INTRODUCTORY

It may be of interest to my readers to know that the method I have

founded is the result of a practical and unique experience, for my

knowledge was gained—

1. While vainly attempting to eradicate personal, vocal, and respiratory

defects by recognised systems.

2. While afterwards putting into practice certain original principles,

which enabled me to eradicate these defects.

3. While giving personal demonstrations of the application of these

principles from a respiratory, vocal, and health-giving point of view.

I first imparted the method thus evolved to patients recommended by

medical men over ten years prior to June, 1904. At that date I

introduced it to leading London medical men, who, after investigation,

decided that the method was, as one doctor put it, “the most efficient

known to (him).”

The method makes for—

In _Education_:

1. Prevention of certain defects hereinafter referred to.

2. Adequate and correct use of the muscular mechanisms concerned with

respiration.

In _Re-education_:

1. Eradication of certain defects hereinafter referred to.

2. Co-ordination in the use of the muscular mechanisms concerned with

respiration.

The result of (2) is not only to make that function efficient, but also

to ensure that normal activity and natural massage of the _internal

organs_ so necessary to the adequate performance of the vital functions

and the preservation of a proper condition of health.

F. MATTHIAS ALEXANDER.

THE THEORY OF RESPIRATORY RE-EDUCATION

The artificial conditions of modern civilised life, among which is

comparative lack of free exercise in the open air, are conducive to the

_in_adequate use of breathing power. Indulgence in harmful habits of

feeding and posture have caused these same habits, through heredity and

unconscious imitation, to become “second nature” in the great majority

of adults to-day and frequently in children, even at an early age.

The normal condition of vigour in the action of the component parts of

the respiratory mechanisms is greatly interfered with; general nervous

relaxation is brought about, and a feeble, flabby action becomes

permanent.

Certain muscles of the thoracic mechanisms which should take the lead in

the performance of the breathing movements remain entirely inert for the

greater part of life, whilst others, which were never intended by nature

to monopolise this particular act but only to serve as a relief or

change, are used solely for the act of breathing.

Hence arises a condition in which the posture, the symmetry of the body,

the graceful normal curves of the whole frame, suffer alteration and

change.

The capacity and mobility of the thorax (chest) are decreased, its shape

(particularly in the lumbar region, clavicles, and lower sides of the

chest) is changed in a harmful way, and the abdominal viscera are

displaced, whilst the heart, lungs, and other vital organs are allowed

to drop below their normal position. Inadequate holding-space of the

thorax—which means a distinct lessening of the “vital capacity”—and

displacement of the vital organs within it, are great factors in

retarding the natural activity of the parts concerned, which are

therefore unable fully and naturally to perform their functions. Under

these circumstances the natural chemical changes in the human organism

cannot be adequate.

The serious interference with the circulatory processes and the

inadequate oxygenation of the blood prevent the system from being

properly nourished and cleansed of impurities, for the action of the

excretory processes will be impeded and the whole organism slowly but

surely charged with foreign matter, which, sooner or later, will cause

acute symptoms of disease.

It will at once be understood that the defects enumerated produce

distinct deterioration in the condition of the different organs of the

body, and it is well known that an organ’s power of resistance to

disease depends upon the adequacy of its functioning power, which in its

turn depends upon adequate activity.

Records exist which prove that Chinese physicians as early as 2000 B.C.

employed breathing exercises in the treatment of certain diseases. It is

therefore obvious that the people concerned had reached:

1. A stage in their evolution which corresponds with that of our time,

i.e., demanding re-education.

2. A stage of observation of cause and effect similar to that of

to-day, which led them to see the need of re-education. Such

re-education is essential to the restoration of the natural conditions

present at the birth in every normal babe, though gradually

deteriorated under conditions of modern life.

In recent years the following members of the medical profession have

urged the inestimable value of the cultivation and development of the

respiratory mechanism, and their conclusions have been borne out by the

practical results secured by respiratory re-education combined with

proper medical treatment.

MEDICAL OPINIONS CONCERNING THE EVIL EFFECT OF INTERFERENCE WITH AND

INADEQUATE USE OF THE RESPIRATORY PROCESSES

Mr. W. Arbuthnot Lane, surgeon to Guy’s Hospital, in his lecture

published in the _Lancet_, December 17, 1904, p. 1697, urges that

reduction in the respiratory capacity is a very great factor in lowering

the activity of all the vital processes of the body, and that in the

first instance inadequate aeration and oxygenation is the result of a

serious alteration in the abdominal mechanisms, and afterwards this

insufficient aeration impairs the digestive processes.

Dr. Hugh A. McCallum, in his clinical lecture on “Visceroptosis”

(dropping of the viscera), as published in the _British Medical

Journal_, February 18, 1905, p. 345, points out that over ninety per

cent. of the females suffering from neurasthenia (exhaustion of nerve

force) are victims of visceroptosis, and that the conditions present are

bad standing posture, imperfect use of the lower zone of the thorax, and

the lack of tone in the abdominal muscular system which leads to

defective intra-abdominal pressure. He also mentions that Dr. John

Madison Taylor of Philadelphia and Keith of England were the two first

to point out that the origin of this disease begins in a faulty position

and use of the thorax.

In a leading article in the _Lancet_, December 24, 1904, p. 1796, this

passage occurs: “Whatever may be the causes, it is certain that an

increasing number of town-dwellers suffer from constipation and atony of

the colon, and that purgatives, enemata, and massage are powerless to

prevent their progress from constipation to coprostasis.”

CONVALESCENTS

The value of respiratory re-education in the treatment of convalescents

was pointed out recently (1905) by M. Siredey and M. Rosenthal in a

paper read at a meeting of the Société Medicale des Hôpitaux.

An excerpt from the _Lancet_, February 18, 1905, p. 463, reads as

follows:

“They said that respiratory insufficiency was one of the causes of the

general debility which showed itself after an acute illness. It was

easily recognised by the following symptoms, which the patient

presented, namely, thoracic insufficiency, shown by absence or

impairment of the movement of the thorax; and diaphragmatic

insufficiency, shown by immobility or recession of the abdomen during

inspiration—a condition met with in pseudo-pleurisy of the bases of

the lungs.

“Respiratory re-education was, in their opinion, the specific

treatment for respiratory insufficiency. In the case of convalescents

it constantly produced a progressive threefold effect, namely,

expansion of the thorax, diuresis, and increase of weight. It promoted

in a marked degree the recuperation of the vital functions which

followed acute illness, and the general health of the patients

improved rapidly. It ought to be combined with other forms of

treatment, and the action of the latter was enhanced by it.”

The matter of preventing defective and restoring proper action clearly

calls for attention. The foregoing will enable the reader definitely to

understand what is necessary, viz.,

1. In _Prevention_. The inculcation of a proper mental attitude

towards the act of breathing in children, to be followed by those

detailed instructions necessary to the correct practice of such

respiratory exercises as will maintain adequate and proper use of the

breathing organs.

2. In _Restoration_. A body possessing one or other or all of the

defects previously named will need re-education in order to eradicate

the defects brought about by bad habits, etc., and to restore a proper

condition. As the breathing mechanism is ordinarily _unconsciously_

controlled, it is necessary, in order to regain full efficiency in the

use of it, to proceed by way of _conscious_ control until the normal

conditions return. Afterwards, when perfected, unconscious control—as

it originally existed prior to respiratory and physical

deterioration—will supervene.

ERRORS TO BE AVOIDED AND FACTS TO BE REMEMBERED IN THE THEORY AND

PRACTICE OF RESPIRATORY RE-EDUCATION

“Each faculty acquires fitness for its function by performing its

function; and if its function is performed for it by a substituted

agency, none of the required adjustment of nature takes place; but the

nature becomes deformed to fit the artificial arrangements instead of

the natural arrangements.”—HERBERT SPENCER.

Anything that makes for good may be rendered harmful in its effect by

injudicious application or improper use, and many authorities have

referred to this fact in connexion with breathing exercises. For the

guidance of my readers I will detail some of the harmful results which

accrue from the attempt to take what are known as “deep breaths” during

the practice of breathing and physical exercises, in accordance with the

instructions set down and the principle advocated in recognised

breathing systems.

At the outset, let me point out that respiratory education or

respiratory re-education will not prove successful unless the mind of

the pupil is thoroughly imbued with the true principles which apply to

atmospheric pressure, the equilibrium of the body, the centre of

gravity, and to positions of mechanical advantage where the alternate

expansions and contractions of the thorax are concerned. In other words,

_it is essential to have a proper mental attitude towards respiratory

education or re-education, and the specific acts which constitute the

exercises embodied_ in it, together with a proper knowledge and

practical employment of the _true primary movement_ in each and every

act.

I may remark that I recognised this factor and put it to practical use

over twenty years ago, but it has been quite overlooked or neglected in

the other systems formulated before and since that time. In fact, when I

introduced my method to leading London medical men they quickly admitted

the value of this important factor, and expressed their surprise that on

account of its importance it had not been previously advocated, seeing

that from a practical point of view it is so essential, not only in the

eradication of respiratory faults or defects (re-education), but also in

preventing them (education).

A proper mental attitude, let me repeat then, is all-important. From its

neglect arise many of the serious defects ordinarily met with in the

respiratory mechanism of civilised people, all of which are exaggerated

in the practice of customary “breathing exercises.”

1. “_Sniffing_” or “_Gasping_.” If the “deep breath” be taken through

the nasal passages there will be a loud “sniffing” sound and collapse of

the alæ nasi, and if through the mouth, a “gasping” sound. The pupil has

not been told that if the thorax is expanded correctly the lungs will at

once be filled with air by atmospheric pressure, exactly as a pair of

bellows is filled when the handles are pulled apart.

It is a well-known fact, but one greatly to be regretted, that many

teachers of breathing and physical exercises actually tell the pupils

that, in order to get the increased air-supply they _must_ “sniff.”

Worse than this, many medical men are guilty of similar instruction to

their patients, and when giving a personal demonstration of how a “deep

breath” should be taken, they “sniff” loudly and bring about a collapse

of the alæ nasi, throw back the head, and interfere with the centre of

gravity. Of course, it is only necessary to remind them of the law of

atmospheric pressure as it applies to breathing, and they at once

recognise their error.

Such a state of affairs serves to show that lamentable ignorance

prevails even in the twentieth century in connexion with so essential a

function as breathing, and on reflection we must realise the seriousness

of a situation which, from some points of view, is really pathetic.

Most people, if asked to take a “deep breath,” will proceed to—I use the

words spoken by thousands of people I have experimented upon—“suck air

into the lungs to expand the chest,” whereas, of course, the proper

expansion of the chest, as a primary movement, causes the alæ nasi to be

dilated and the lungs to be instantly filled with air by atmospheric

pressure, without any harmful lowering of the pressure.

2. During this harmful “sniffing” act it will be seen that—

(a) The larynx is unduly depressed; likewise the diaphragm.

The undue strain, caused by this unnatural crowding down of the larynx

and its accessories, is undoubtedly the greatest factor in the

causation of throat troubles, especially where professional

voice-users are concerned. This has been abundantly proved by the

practical tests which I have made during the past twelve years. My

success in London with eminent members of the dramatic and vocal

profession, sent to me by their medical advisers, might be mentioned

in this connexion.

(b) The upper chest is unduly raised, and in most cases the shoulders

also.

(d) The abdomen is generally protruded, and there is an abnormally

deranged intra-abdominal pressure.

(e) The head is thrown too far back, and the neck unduly tensed and

shortened at a time when it should be perfectly free from strain.

(f) Parts of the chest are unduly expanded, while others that should

share in the expansion are contracted, particularly the back in the

lumbar region.

(g) During the expiration there is an undue falling of the upper

chest, which harmfully increases the intra-thoracic pressure and so

dams back the blood in the thin-walled veins and auricles and hampers

the heart’s action.

(h) Undue larynx depression prevents the proper placing and natural

movements of the tongue, the adequate and correct opening of the mouth

for the formation of the resonance cavity necessary to the

vocalisation of a true “Ah.”

It is well known that the tongue is attached to the larynx, and

therefore any undue depression of the latter must of necessity

interfere with the free and correct movements of the former.

(i) The head is thrown back to open the mouth.

This is a common fault, even with professional singers, but a moment’s

consideration of the movements of the jaw—from an anatomical point of

view—will show that it should move downwards without effort, and that

it is not necessary to move the head backwards in order to effect the

opening of the mouth by the lowering of the jaw, since, as a matter of

fact, the latter movement will be more readily and perfectly performed

if the head remains erect without any deviatory posture.

Every voice-user should learn to open the mouth without throwing back

the head. Very distinct benefits will accrue to those who succeed in

establishing this habit.

It is well known that the practice of “physical culture” exercises has

caused emphysema, and it has been suggested that unnatural breathing

exercises have also been responsible for the condition. I refer to this

because I wish to show that it would not be possible to cause emphysema

by the method of respiratory education and re-education I have

formulated.

Emphysema may be caused by:—

1. The reduction of the elasticity of the lung cells and tissue

resulting from undue expansion of the lungs and from their being held

too long in this expanded position.

2. The undue intra-thoracic pressure, during an attempt at expiration

or some physical act, upon the air cells, which remain filled with air

in consequence of the means of egress from the lungs being temporarily

closed by the approximation of vocal reeds and ventricular bands.

If the fundamental principles of my method are observed, these

conditions cannot be present during the practice of the exercises, and

emphysema therefore not only cannot be produced but is likely to be even

remedied where previously existing.

In the first place, the tendency unduly to expand any part or parts of

the thorax in particular, to the exclusion of other parts, is prevented

by the detailed personal instruction given in connexion with each

exercise in its application to individual defects or peculiarities of

the pupil. Moreover, the mechanical advantages in the body-pose and

chest poise assumed in these exercises cause them to be performed with

the minimum of effort, and lead to an even and controlled expansion of

the whole thorax. There is not, as is too often the case, an undue

expansion of one part of the chest, while other parts, which should

share in such expansion, are being contracted—a condition that obtains,

for instance, when the diaphragm is unduly depressed in inspiration. In

this latter case there is a sinking above and below the clavicles, a

hollowing in the lumbar region of the back, undue protrusion of the

abdomen, displacement of the abdominal viscera, reduction in height,

undue depression of the larynx, and the centre of gravity is thrown too

far back.

The _striking feature_ in those who have _practised customary breathing

exercises_ is an _undue lateral expansion_ of the lower ribs, when

several or all of the above defects are present. This excessive

expansion gives an undue width to the lower part of the chest, and there

are thousands of young girls who present quite a matronly appearance in

consequence. The breathing exercises imparted by teachers of singing are

particularly effective in bringing about this undesirable and harmful

condition.

The guiding principle that should be invariably kept in mind by both

teacher and pupil is to secure, with the minimum of effort, perfect use

of the component parts of the mechanisms concerned in respiration and

vocalisation. Then, sooner or later, adequate mobility, power, speed,

absolute control, and artistic manipulation must follow.

Most people—teachers as well as pupils—when thinking of or practising

breathing exercises, have one fixed idea, viz., that of causing a _great

expansion_ of the chest, whereas its proper and adequate _contraction_

is equally important. There are, indeed, many cases in which the

expiratory movement calls for more attention than the inspiratory.

Careful observation will show that those who take breath by the

“sniffing” or “gasping” mode of breathing always experience great

difficulty with breath-control in speech and song, or during the

performance of breathing exercises. This remains true whether the air is

expelled through the mouth or nasal passages, and it is due to the

imperfect use of the thoracic mechanism, and the consequent loss of

mechanical advantage already referred to at the end of the inspiration.

The natural and powerful air-controlling power is therefore absent, and

its absence causes undue approximation of the vocal reeds, and probably

of the ventricular bands in the endeavour to prevent the escape of air,

which air, when once released under these conditions, is thereafter

inadequately and imperfectly controlled.

In vocal use there is considerable increase in this lack of

breath-control, the upper chest being more rapidly and forcibly

depressed during the vocalisation.

This is not a matter for surprise, for if a mechanical advantage is

essential to the proper expansion of the thorax for the intake of air,

it is equally essential to the controlling power during the expiration,

and if during the expiration the upper chest is falling, it clearly

proves that the advantage indicated is not present.

III

THE PRACTICE OF RESPIRATORY RE-EDUCATION

HABIT IN RELATION TO PECULIARITIES AND DEFECTS

“If we contemplate the method of Nature, we see that everywhere vast

results are brought about by accumulating minute actions.”—HERBERT

SPENCER.

The mental and physical peculiarities or defects of men and women are

the result of heredity or acquired habit, and the most casual observer

has noticed that certain peculiarities or defects are characteristic of

the members of particular families, as, for instance, in connexion with

the standing and sitting postures, the style of walking, the position of

the shoulders and shoulder-blades, the use of the arm, and the use of

the vocal organs in speech, etc.

Such family peculiarities or defects are unconsciously acquired by the

children, often becoming more pronounced in the second generation, such

acquirements making for good or ill, as the case may be. I will,

however, confine myself to an enumeration of those with a harmful

tendency, as an understanding of bad habits is essential to the

consideration of the teaching principles adopted in my method of

respiratory-physical re-education.

The chief peculiarities or defects may be broadly indicated as:—

1. An incorrect mental attitude towards the respiratory act.

2. Lack of control over, and improper and inadequate use of, the

component parts of the different mechanisms of the body, limbs, and

nervous system.

3. Incorrect pose of the body and chest poise, and therefrom

consequent defects in the standing and sitting postures, the

interference with the normal position and shape of the spine, as well

as the ribs, the costal arch, the vital organs, and the abdominal

viscera.

Re-education, when one or other or all of these peculiarities or defects

are present, means eradication of existing bad habits, and the following

will indicate some of the chief principles upon which the teaching

method of this re-education is based:—

That where the human machinery is concerned Nature does not work in

parts, but treats everything as a whole.

That a proper mental attitude towards respiration is at once inculcated,

so that each and every respiratory act in the practice of the exercises

is the direct result of volition, the primary, secondary, and other

movements necessary to the proper performance of such act having first

been definitely indicated to the pupil.

It may prove of interest to mention that W. Marcet, M.D., F.R.S., and

Harry Campbell, M.D., B.S., London, are of opinion that volition as such

makes a direct demand upon the breathing powers quite apart from all

physical effort, and with these great advantages, that, unlike the

latter, it neither increases the production of waste products nor tends

to cause thoracic rigidity, thus more or less retarding the movements of

the chest. The experiments made by Dr. Marcet show that the duration of

a man’s power to sustain the muscle contraction necessary to raise a

weight a given number of times depends upon the endurance of the

brain-centres causing the act of volition rather than upon the muscular

power. An instance is quoted of a man who lifted a weight of 4 pounds

203 times, and who, after resting and performing forced breathing

movements, raised the same weight the same height 700 times.

Regarding muscle development and chest expansion, Dr. Harry Campbell has

in his book on breathing taken the case of Sandow. His conclusion will

prove of interest. He pointed out that Sandow claimed to be able to

increase the size of the chest 14 inches—that is, from 48 to 62 inches

in circumference. Dr. Campbell then expressed the opinion that this

increase is almost entirely the result of the swelling up of the large

muscles surrounding the chest, and that most probably the increase in

his bony chest (thorax) is not more than 2 to 3 inches, seeing that his

“vital capacity” is only 275 cubic inches.

(For ten years past I have drawn the attention of medical men to the

deception of ordinary chest measurements and to the evils wrought by the

physical training and the “stand at attention” attitude in vogue in the

army, and also to the harmful effects of the drill in our schools, where

the unfortunate children are made to assume a posture which is exactly

that of the soldier, whose striking characteristic is the undue and

harmful hollow in the lumbar spine and the numerous defects that are

inseparable from this unnatural posture.)

There is such immediate improvement in the pose of the body and poise of

the chest whatever the conditions (excepting, of course, organised

structural defects), that a valuable mechanical advantage is secured in

the respiratory movements, and this is gradually improved by the

practice until the habit becomes established, and the law of gravity

appertaining to the human body is duly obeyed.

The mechanical advantage referred to is of particular value, for it

means prevention of undue and harmful falling of the upper chest at the

end of the expiration, which is always present in those who practise the

customary breathing exercises, the pupil being then deprived of the

mechanical advantage so essential to the proper performance of the next

inspiratory act.

Then follows due increase in the movements of expansion and contraction

of the thorax until such movements are adequate and perfectly

controlled.

Further, these expansions are primary movements in securing that

increase in the capacity of the chest necessary to afford the normal

oscillations of atmospheric pressure, without unduly lowering that

pressure—or, in other words, they give opportunity to fill the lungs

with air, while the contractions overcome the air pressure and force the

air out of the lungs, and at the same time constitute the controlling

power of the speed and length of the expiration.

The excessive and harmful lowering of the air pressure in the

respiratory tract, and the consequent collapse of the alæ nasi, is

prevented by so regulating the respiratory speed that the lungs are

filled by atmospheric pressure.

The value of this will be readily understood when it is remembered that

such lowering, which is always present in the “sniffing” mode of

breathing, causes collapse of the alæ nasi. It also tends to cause

congestion of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract on the sucker

system, setting up catarrh and its attendant evils, such as throat

disorders, loss of voice, bronchitis, asthma, and other pulmonary

troubles.

From the first lesson the effect upon the splanchnic area is such that

the blood is more or less drawn away from it to the lungs, and is then

evenly distributed to other parts of the body. The intra-abdominal

pressure is more or less raised, and there is a gradual tendency to the

permanent establishment of normal conditions.

The use of bandages or corsets is to be condemned as treatment in

protruding abdomen instead of the adoption of practical means to remove

the cause. Such support to the abdominal wall is artificial and harmful,

since it tends to make the muscles more flaccid. The respiratory

mechanism should be re-educated, for this would mean a re-education or

strengthening of the supports Nature has supplied. In other words, the

sinking above and below the clavicles and the undue hollowing of the

lumbar spine—the great factors in the direct causation of the protrusion

of the abdomen—are removed, and a normal condition of the abdominal

muscles established. This means a very decided improvement in the figure

and general health.

The improvement in the abdominal conditions (the improved position of

the abdominal viscera and the development of the abdominal muscles) is

proportionate to that of the respiratory movements—a fact that can be

readily understood when I point out that the movements of the parts are

interdependent. When the faulty distention of the splanchnic area is

present it will be found that the diaphragm is unduly low in breathing;

and when there is excessive depression of the diaphragm in respiration

there is interference with the centre of gravity by displacement

forward, and the compensatory arching backward in the lumbar region.

After a time there is such improvement in the use of the component parts

of the mechanism that an inspiration may, if desired, be secured by a

depression of the diaphragm, while at the same moment the condition in

the splanchnic area is actually improved.

Improvement in respiratory exchange is secured by gradual increase in

the expansions and contractions of the thorax, which increases the

aeration of lungs, the supply of oxygen, and the elimination of CO_{2}.

The quantity of residual air in the lungs is greatly increased, and if

the expired air is always converted into a controlled whispered vowel

during the practice of the breathing exercises very great benefits

accrue, notably those derived from the prolonged duration of air in the

lungs, and the proper inter-thoracic pressure necessary to force the

adequate supply of oxygen into the blood and eliminate the due quantity

of CO_{2}.

The employment of these whispered tones means the proper use of the

vocal organs in a form of vocalisation little associated with ordinary

bad habits, and that perfect co-ordination of the parts concerned which

is inseparable from adequately controlled whisper vocalisation.

There is a rapid clearing of the skin, the white face becoming a natural

colour, and a reduction of fat in the obese by its being burnt off with

the extra oxygen supply.

This reduction in the weight and size is often quite remarkable, as also

the development of the flaccid muscles of the abdominal wall and the

consequent improvement in the activity of the parts concerned.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The foregoing will serve to draw attention to the far-reaching and

beneficial effects of what, for the lack of a more satisfactory and

comprehensive name, I refer to as respiratory re-education.

It is a method that makes for the maintenance and restoration of those

physical conditions possessed by every normal child at birth, the

presence of which ensures a proper standard of health, adequate

resistance to disease, and a reserve power which, if a serious illness

should occur, will serve to turn the tide at the critical moment towards

recovery. The insurance of such a condition for a generation would mean

the regeneration of the human race as constituted to-day; and I have no

hesitation in stating that the results secured during the past twenty

years, and particularly during the past thirteen years in London in

co-operation with leading medical men, justify me in asserting that the

practical application of the principles of this new method in education

and re-education will be invaluable in overcoming the disadvantages and

bad habits of our artificial civilised life, and that they will prove

the great factor in successfully checking the physical degeneration of

mankind.

INDEX

=Abdominal wall=, 20, 202, 264, 286, 291;

A. pressure, 191, 264, 266, 304, 320, 327, 336, 339.

=Abnormality=, 69, 115;

abnormal physical condition, 71, 115, 262.

=Aborigines=, of North America, New Zealand, Japan, 8, 10.

=Acrobats and athletes=, 278, 296.

=Acts (actions)=, mechanical, 9, 33 ff.;

mechanical repetition of, 6, 33;

reflex, 54;

reasoned and unreasoned, 185–188, 204, 252;

instinctive number of, decreasing, 197;

imitative and reasoned, 207;

muscular, performed vicariously by teacher, 23, 207, 212, 214 ff.,

217, 257;

performance of habitual, by other than habitual methods, 213,

in sitting, 284;

antagonistic action, 185;

manner of performance, all-important, 74;

act of faith, 48 ff.

=Adaptability=, man’s, to changing environment, 28, 140, 143, 156, 161

ff., 182, 187, 195, 197, 237 ff.;

slowness of process, 9;

in children, 116, 136, 153, 155;

German point of view, 173;

adaptability to the unusual, 161 ff., 182, 241, 245, 248 ff., 297;

examples of, 249 ff.

=Affirmatives=, 53.

=Alcohol=, 59, 288. v. =Overindulgence=.

=Ambidexterity=, 118.

=America=, 174 ff.

=Anæmia=, 15.

=Anæsthesia=, 124, 236.

=Anger=, 44.

=Ankles=, 184, 279.

=Appendicitis=, Preface, 183, 191, 235, 303–305.

=Apprehension=, 88;

in pupil, 253;

and re-education, 249–59;

cultivated, 25.

=Aptitude, natural=, 205.

=Archer, William=, 76 ff.

=Argument=, 193 ff.

=Arms=, incorrect use of, 23, 98, 184, 216, 219, 238, 276;

in drawing, 130.

=Associations, mental=, connected with ideas of speech, 54.

=Asthma=, 234, 274, 288, 299, 336.

=Atavism=, 10, 14.

=Athletes=, 57, 278, 296.

=Atmospheric pressure=, in connection with breathing, 20, 147, 324 ff.,

336.

=Attention=, attitude of, 103 ff.;

“stand at attention,” 334.

=Auto-intoxication=, 21, 190, 234, 304;

in case of child, 113.

=Automatism=, 160–167;

automatic control, 46, 54;

automatic functions, 189, 290–292;

automatic development, 160 ff.;

automatic training and machinery, 169.

=Auto-suggestion=, 38, 52, 218, 231.

v. =Self-hypnotism=.

=Bacteriology=, Preface.

=Back=, wrong use of, 98;

hollowing of, 201, 276, 298, 327,

in children, 126;

lengthening and widening of, 277, 291.

v. =Spine=.

=Bad temper=, 58, 133, 222.

=Balance=, lack of mental, 131;

upset by emergency, 252;

v. =Co-ordination=.

=Bicycling=, 226.

=Blood=, v. =Circulation=.

=Body, human, potentialities of=, Preface, 2;

v. =Potentialities=.

=Body=, civil war in, 15 ff., 93, 186, 197;

in so-called concentration, 103;

as a mechanism not understood, 16–18;

delusions in regard to uses of, 20;

false poise and carriage of, 86, 114, 129,

in drawing, 130,

in dancing, 136,

due to rigidity, 213;

lengthening of, 284 ff.

=Boxing=, 232.

=Breathing=, explanation of act, 147;

deep breathing, 13, 27, 145 ff., 149, 275, 298, 323;

by sucking in air, 20, 201 ff., 231, 267, 325, 326, 335;

incorrect habits of, 86, 310, 317,

example of, 91 ff., 201;

control of, 179, 220;

even pneumatic, 231;

“breathing exercises,” 298, 329, 335;

Chinese methods, 319;

mouth breathing, 146, 298,

in children dancing, 126.

v. =Part III=, 313–340.

=British=, methods of, 171 ff.

=Bronchitis=, 183, 299, 336.

=Brute force=, principle of, 161, 165 ff.

=Cancer=, Preface, 47, 183, 288.

=Carlyle, Thomas=, 245.

=Catarrh=, 336.

=Cause and effect=, due sequence of, 45, 96, 132;

effects given significance of causes, 133;

in usual teaching methods, 205;

in connection with re-education, 200, 215.

=Chemical changes=, in physical constitution, produced by mental

condition, 47.

=Chest=, unduly elevated, 264, 276, 298, 307, 327, 330, 334;

measurements, fallacy of, 325.

=Child=, v. =Education=.

=Circulation=, 17, 19, 21, 29, 289, 308.

=Civilisation=, as a factor in physical degeneration, 7 ff., 14;

in relation to evolution, 11;

artificial, 14, 317, 340;

man’s progress towards higher stage of, 155, 187;

critical stage of, 159, 192;

future, to be based on reason, 243.

=Claim, synopsis of=, 181–192.

=Colitis=, 235.

=Colon=, atony of, 320.

=Common-sense=, 30.

v. =Reason=.

=Concentration=, 89, 216, 261;

warning with regard to, 102 ff.;

national, 169.

=Conscious guidance and control, theory and practice of=, Preface;

man’s progress in direction of, 31 ff., 107, 115, 141, 155, 186, 197,

208;

necessity for, 35, 54, 57–72, 84, 156, 163, 179, 181, 187, 227, 296,

305, 322;

possibility of complete, 41, 44 ff., 56;

primarily universal, secondly a specific, 59, 209;

universal application of, 72, 141, 181 ff., 192;

practical application of, 57–72, 179;

reasoned, 182, 187;

as synonym for mobility of mind, 92;

for poise, 136;

for reasoned experience, 68;

as fundamental of future education, 141–155;

danger of underrating power of, 291;

as adaptability in emergency, 241.

=Conscious guidance and control, methods of=, 94, 189, 225, 230,

formulation of, 119 ff.;

four essential stages in, 200 ff.;

compared with other teaching methods, 52;

mental position of teacher and pupil, 89, 231;

application in connection with breathing, 91;

dramatic training, 138;

golf, 221–226;

ploughing, 239 ff.;

sitting, 283;

rising, 285;

walking, 279–283;

automatic functions, 290–292;

emergencies, 243 ff., 249, 282, 297;

individual errors and delusions, 260272;

bad habits, 288 ff.;

application, in case of stuttering, 219 ff., 294,

spinal curvature, 301;

appendicitis, 304;

effects of treatment, 233 ff., 306–312;

in case of defective speech, 53, 133, 231, 233 ff.;

lasting quality of change, 234.

=Confidence=, based on reason, 215;

loss of, due to subconscious guidance, 222.

=Consciousness=, with regard to use of muscular mechanisms, 17 ff., 94,

96;

necessity of quickening the conscious mind, 52.

=Constipation=, 20, 235, 274, 304, 320.

=Contortions=, subconscious, 231;

facial, 229–307.

=Control=, defective mental and physical, 23 ff., 267, 288;

growth and progress of intellectual, 30;

mental, in “New Thought,” 44;

co-ordinated reasoned, 308.

=Co-ordination, defective=, case of congenital, 53;

in case of stammering, 53 ff.;

overindulgence, 58 ff., 68, 71;

deep breathing, 146;

children dancing, 126;

drawing, 130;

national, 170;

with reference to respiration, 148, 316;

to education, 140;

case of deterioration of correct, 127 ff.;

of improved, 219;

correct, 190, 304, 308;

in standing position, 278;

test of correct, 309;

individual and national compared, 175.

=Crippling=, 215.

=Courage=, 2, 161, 171.

=Dancing=, 124 ff., 165.

=Debility=, 13, 15, 86.

=Defects=, bodily, 14 ff., 51, 114, 183 ff.;

failure to eradicate by direct means, 95, 255;

dangerous, initiated by school methods, 127, 129, 132, 152.

=Degeneracy=, 6, 7, 12, 107, 179, 212, 247, 311, 319, 340;

comparison between rural and urban, 6;

not an epidemic, but a stage in progress of human race, 192 ff.;

in children, 106.

=Delusions (mental and physical)=, 18, 89, 185, 188, 206, 214, 216,

219, 232, 253;

in connection with physical exercises, 21 ff.;

national, 167, 209;

specific cases, 260, 272.

=Deterioration, physical=, Preface. v. =Degeneracy=.

=Development=, 11, 160, 238;

scientific theory of, 195.

=Diagnosis=, 89, 193, 213, 255, 308.

=Diaphragm=, 337.

=Digestion=, 179, 266, 320.

=Disablement=, subconsciously willed, 216.

=Disease=, immunity from, 43, 86;

resistance to, Preface, 179;

submission to, 268 ff.

=Doe, John=, case of, 15 ff., 21 ff., 93 ff.

=Dorando=, 281–296.

=Dramatic expression=, 138.

=Drawing=, 129 ff.

=Dreaming=, 25, 131.

v. =Self-hypnotism=.

=Drug habit=, 66 ff.

=Dumb-bells=, 13, 26, 97.

=Eccentricity=, 131 ff.

=Education=, in relation to evolution, 11, 25 ff.;

as generally understood, does not necessarily mean progress on the

evolutionary plane, 165;

in earlier years, two methods of learning, 109, 114, 118;

compared with re-education, 178;

indictment of, 252.

=Methods of education=, on false basis, 25 ff.;

on true basis, such as will establish a normal kinæsthesia, 71,

140, 155.

=On subconscious basis=, two methods, older, of supervision, modern,

of free expression, 115 ff.;

older method, 122, 134;

rigidity in, 136 ff., 144, 145, 151, 155;

concentration in, 103;

physical exercises, criticism of, 115, 145,

as doing more harm than good, 146;

as haphazard system, 310 ff.;

failure of, owing to general ignorance of ideal physical condition

in children, 114, 127;

modern method (free expression), 115 ff., 122, 136, 142;

danger of experimentation, 150.

=On basis of Conscious Guidance and Control=, 134 ff., 228, 296;

essential starting point, 135;

guidance and direction necessary in earliest years, 134;

postulates concerning necessity of conscious guidance and control

as fundamental in education and commanding fundamental of free

expression, 141–143;

meaning of “training,” 144;

child’s right of choice within limits, 151;

problem to be solved, 153 ff.;

primary and secondary education, 141.

=Effects and causes=, v. =Cause and Effect=.

=Effort=, minimum of, employed, 94;

misapplied, 95 ff., 103 ff., 130.

=Emotion=, 25, 34, 46, 90, 278, 328;

in connection with music and dancing, 124.

=Emphysema=, 298, 328.

=End=, v. =Means whereby=.

=Energy=, 14, 179;

examples of wasted, 97, 130, 216, 219 ff., 232 ff.

=Enunciation=, 231.

=Environment=, in education, 110, 123, 128, 136.

=Equilibrium=, 95, 238, 265, 274, 280, 324.

=Eugenics=, 106, 194.

=Eulenburg=, myopathic theory of, 300.

=Evolution=, 3–12, 28, 31, 37, 185, 319;

governing principle of, 41;

towards conscious guidance and control, 40, 72, 84, 87, 141 ff., 155,

159, 181, 197, 208, 228;

standards of, 157 ff.;

national, 158, 162, 165, 194, 228, 248.

=Face=, expression of, 306 ff.;

change during treatment, 308.

=Faith-healing=, Preface, 38, 40, 45 ff., 52, 193, 215, 218, 288;

dangers of, 48.

=Fat=, reduction of, 339;

morbid condition of, 86.

=Fear=, 34, 44, 88, 161, 182, 265;

fear reflexes, 88, 133;

stage fright, 139;

causing self-hypnotism, 242.

=Feeling-tones=, v. =Sensory appreciation=.

=Feet=, position of, for standing, 274, 279;

for walking, 279–283;

flatfoot, 264, 280.

=Fencing=, 204, 226.

=Flaccidity=, undue, 95.

=Frazer’s “Golden Bough,”= Preface.

=Freedom=, 136, 143, 163;

German conception of, 163 ff.

=Free expression=, 116 ff., 122 ff., 136, 142, 143, 150;

in dramatic training, 138 ff.

=Functions=, bodily, 15, 16, 184, 288, 305, 308;

control of, 38, 41, 56.

=Games=, 211.

=Germany=, 163 ff.

=Golf=, 204, 211–213, 221–226.

=Gravity, centre of=, 285, 324, 336.

=Greece=, civilisation of, 7.

=Habit (Habits)=, effects of, slow to show themselves; difference

between old and new conception of, 87, 90, 92;

predisposition to, 86;

in child, 108 ff.;

of thought and of body, 73 ff., 86 ff.;

muscular, 18, 54, 212;

mental, 47, 53, 212;

how affected by act of faith, 47 ff.;

by suggestion, 52 ff.;

control of mental, 102;

mechanical, 75, 77 ff., 105, 116;

harmful, 86, 189, 234, 322, 333, 340;

attachment to harmful, 101, 106;

specific harmful, 219, 273, 286–290, 317;

of using eyes, 184;

of submission to illness;

cultivation of harmful, 105, 147, 207, 239, 262;

development of harmful in children, 106, 111, 114, 123, 132–134;

incorrect changed to correct, 86, 104, 151, 189, 214, 241, 289, 332;

ability to check incipient, 234;

habit of distinguishing between reasoned and unreasoned actions,

necessary to evolution, 188.

=Hallucination=, 85.

=Hand=, evolution of, 5;

movement of, 23;

incorrect use of, in drawing, 130;

position of hands as test of co-ordination, 309 ff.

=Hayfever=, 235, 299.

=Head=, delusion in regard to movement of, 18;

example of, 23, 214;

in drawing, 130;

head thrown back, 201, 231, 233, 263, 283, 327.

=Heart=, 15, 19, 56, 298, 318;

heart trouble among soldiers, 148;

case of dilation of, 307.

=Heredity=, 10, 108 ff.

=Hips=, 184, 279, 284.

=Hypnotism=, Preface, 38 ff., 52, 218 and note, 231, 236;

dangers of, 41.

=Hypochondria=, 99.

=Ideo-motor centres=, 53, 129, 211.

=Idée fixe=, 50, 83, 85, 95, 262, 267;

national, 170–173.

=Ill health=, in some people as natural as health in others, 71.

=Imitation=, 212, 292–297, 310, 317, 332;

deliberate, 94;

unconscious, 109, 114, 118, 212, 292–297;

of faults in speech, 293 ff.;

as method of teaching, 207, 228.

=Improvement=, signs of, 53, 133, 233 ff., 306–312.

=Indigestion=, 15, 20, 201.

=Individual.= v. =State=, 160 ff., 166, 167.

=Inertia, mental=, 101, 105, 185.

=Influenza=, 305.

=Inhibition=, 35 ff., 54, 86, 94, 188, 200, 212, 225, 231 ff., 256,

301;

defective, 23;

as a preventive order, 96, 210, 220, 255 ff.

=Initiative=, 99, 121.

=Inoculation=, 2.

=Insanity=, Preface, 74.

=Insomnia=, 15.

=Instinct=, 33 ff., 186, 188, 196;

as equivalent to subconscious control, 68;

in modern child, 108, 115, 118 ff., 135, 154;

primitive, 166, 182;

in modern man, 182, 183, 186, 204, 296, 311;

standard of accuracy lost, 217, 227;

compared with intuition, 227;

limitation of, in animals, 247,

in man, 296.

=Intelligence=, growth of, in man, 4 ff., 54, 84, 98;

dominating instinct, 37.

=Intoxication=, emotional, 125.

=Intuition=, 34, 186, 203;

compared with instinct, 221.

=Jaw=, movement of, in speaking, 230;

relaxation of, to open mouth, 232 ff.

=Judgment=, 206, 241, 248;

German failure in, 163 ff.

=Kinæsthetic register=, 97.

v. =Sensory appreciation=.

=Kinæsthetic systems=, defective and delusive, 22, 70, 89 ff., 206;

normal, 71;

case of George Gray, 137;

overexaltation of, 125;

demoralisation of, 151, 155;

national, 158;

satisfactory condition of, constitutes “means whereby” of free and

full expression, 140;

re-education of, in connection with breathing, 148;

with speaking, 230.

=Knees=, 184, 279, 284.

=Ku-Klux Klan=, 161.

=Kultur=, 169.

=Larynx=, depressed, 233, 267, 299, 327;

in children dancing, 126;

raised and relaxed, 233.

=Lassitude=, 15, 101.

=Legs=, movement of, 23, 184;

shortening of, 280;

stiffening of, 307.

v. =Golf and Ploughing=.

=Lips=, incorrect use of, in speech, 53, 133.

=Lordosis=, 298.

=Lungs=, 17, 19, 92, 235, 318, 325 ff., 335.

=Malformations=, 188, 235.

=Malthus=, 8.

=Man=, present danger of, 5 ff., 13, 23;

progress through the ages, 28 ff., 37;

supreme inheritance of, 11, 106, 156, 228, 236, 258, 290, 297.

v. =Potentialities=.

=Manipulation=, v. =Acts=, vicariously performed by teacher.

=Manufactured premises=, 162, 210.

=Massage=, internal natural, 190, 191, 289, 304 ff., 316.

“=Means whereby=,” rather than the end, to be considered, 16, 135, 140,

189, 204, 210, 230, 262, 263, 266, 283;

of successful re-adjustment, 67;

of free and full expression, 140;

of conscious guidance and control, 197;

of controlled speech, 208, 220, 230;

of playing golf, 224, 226;

of bicycling, 226;

of ploughing, 237 ff.;

of standing position, 275 ff.;

of walking, 279–283;

of sitting, 283;

of rising, 285;

in relation to social reform, 11, 154;

to education, 154;

to individual errors and delusions, 262 ff.

=Mechanical advantage=, position of, 27, 86, 94, 96 ff., 132, 189 ff.,

214, 273, 277, 301, 304, 321 ff., 335.

=Mechanistic theory=, 4.

=Medical opinion concerning respiration=, 319.

=Mental attitude=, importance of subjects, 15 ff., 20 ff., 46, 51 ff.,

73 ff., 85, 93;

wrong, of subject, 15, 18, 98, 185, 188, 252 ff., 267, 269;

deliberately adopted, becomes fixed habit, 74;

of teacher, 89, 215;

of pupil, 89, 253;

towards breathing, 322–324, 333.

=Method of teaching=, 204 ff.

=Militarism=, 166, 169 ff.

=Monomania=, v. =Idée fixe=.

=Mouth=, imperfect opening of, 229;

controlled opening of, 230 ff., 233, 327.

=Müller, Max=, 56.

=Münsterberg=, psychological theories of, 30.

=Muscles=, new ways of using, 6;

atrophied, 6, 15;

semi-automatic, 56;

conscious movement of, 57;

control and co-ordination of, 93.

=Muscular mechanism (muscular system)=, incorrect use of, 17 ff., 51,

86, 95, 288, 310;

correct use of, 93, 225, 278, 289;

mechanical development of, 16;

derangement of, in child, 113;

correct natural use of, in children, 132;

thoracic, 317.

=Music=, 124 ff., 165;

musical instruments, 211.

=Myers, F. W. H.=, his concept of the subconscious self, 30 ff.

=Natural aptitude=, 205, 262, 283.

=Natural selection=, 3–5, 16, 195;

as opposed to conscious selection, 6.

=Neck=, shortening of, 262, 283;

in children dancing, 126;

drawing, 130;

stiffening of, 96, 98, 201, 203, 209, 231, 233, 298, 308;

as indicator of inadequate control, 128, 184.

=Nervous prostration=, 16.

“=New Thought=,” 44, 52, 287.

=Obsession=, v. =Idée fixe=, 168.

=One-brain-track method=, 262, 266, 270.

“=Open mind=,” 51, 76 ff., 160, 174;

contrasted with credulity, 98.

=Orders=, conscious guiding, 55 ff., 87 ff., 91;

incorrect subconscious, 255;

new and correct, 90 ff., 94, 142, 250, 203, 211, 214, 217, 283;

preventive, 96.

=Overcompensation=, 25, 61, 64, 90, 162, 262.

=Overindulgence=, 58 ff., 66 ff., 74, 273, 288.

=Pain=, 48, 68 ff., 100, 218;

perverted form of pleasure in, 71.

=Panaceas=, Preface, 287.

=Paralysis=, 234, 235.

=Persia=, civilisation of, 7.

=Philosophy=, 4, 28, 38;

application of conscious control to, 182.

=Physical culture=, Preface, 4, 13 ff., 17 ff., 25, 97, 145, 201–202,

275, 299 ff.;

methods of, 299 ff.;

v. =Spinal curvature=.

=Physical exercises=, mechanical, 14, 19, 93, 145 ff., 201;

recent tendency to modify, 26;

reason for failure of, 21;

imitations of bad models in, 115;

unnecessary under methods of conscious guidance and control.

“=Phobia=,” 34.

v. =Fear reflexes=.

=Pineal eye=, 5.

=Plague=, as a factor in evolution, 7.

=Play=, children’s, 121.

=Ploughing=, 237–241.

=Poise=, 86, 95, 136, 213, 231, 286, 317;

mental, physical, and spiritual balance, 11.

=Potentialities=, man’s, Preface, 4, 11, 192, 196, 205, 208, 236;

of conscious control in modern child, 116;

standard of kinæsthetic, in modern child, lowered, 120;

debasement of, 166.

“=Practice=,” 88, 207, 227, 230.

=Precept=, 106, 109, 118.

=Preconceived ideas=, erroneous, 23, 54, 144, 183, 184, 203, 205, 215,

216, 232, 261, 301;

in a nation, 162;

as the legacy of instinct, 212;

in relation to lifting a weight, 97 ff.;

to art, 131;

to speech, 228.

=Predisposition=, 86, 99 ff., 108.

=Prejudice=, 51, 83, 98;

prejudiced arguments, 25, 75, 251.

=Psychology=, 29 ff., 38.

=Psycho-physical=, examination, 19, 128, 133, 202, 215;

p. conditions, 58, 62;

p. process, 65;

p. make-up of the individual, 70;

p. organism, 89;

p. condition of child at birth, 154;

p. forces, 160;

p. guidance, 181;

p. spheres, 192;

p. turning point in civilisation, 194;

p. mechanism, 210;

p. habit, 262, 301;

p. peculiarities, 260;

p. treatment, 270.

=Psycho-therapy=, 235.

=Reaction of mind on body and body on mind=, 45, 134, 212.

=Re-adjustment=, 59, 63, 65, 71, 140, 147, 192, 202;

national, 144;

“means whereby,” of successful, 67, 278.

=Reason=, 30, 35, 67;

domination of, by sensation, 25, 160, 197, 256, 290, 311;

national stultification of, 162, 170;

as basis of confidence, 215;

of new civilisation, 242;

necessity for, in emergency, 243 ff., 249, 282.

=Re-education=, 59, 65–71, 96, 189, 253 ff., 258, 277, 340;

specific meaning of, 199;

fundamental principle of, 256;

of kinæsthetic systems, 148, 302;

respiratory, 313–340;

in connection with overcoming bad habits, 288;

with spinal curvature, 301.

=Reform, social=, 11, 153;

induced by suggestion, 54;

in connection with will-power, 59;

cause of failure of, 61.

=Relaxation=, Preface, 13, 24, 89, 217, 261, 284;

real meaning of, 26, 96;

illustration of, in lifting weight, 98.

=Resistance to disease=, Preface, 179, 284, 288, 318, 340.

=Respiration=, 20, 113;

respiratory re-education, 313–340;

medical opinion concerning, 319.

v. =Breathing=.

=Responsibility of patient=, 188, 215.

=Rest cures=, Preface, 16, 43, 99.

=Ribs=, movement of, in breathing, 302, 310, 333.

=Rigidity=, 95, 148, 212–213, 264;

mental, 50, 76, 82 ff.;

applied to physical functions, 51;

harmful thoracic, 147, 201;

national, 160–167;

in educational methods, 118, 136, 139;

in military methods, 170, 172.

=Rome=, civilisation of, 7.

=Rupture=, 310.

=Sandow=, 330.

=School furniture=, 154.

=Science=, as another name for common-sense, 30;

advance of, impeded, 51.

=Scott, Sir Walter=, 103.

=Self-hypnotism=, 24 ff., 131, 216, 262;

national, 162, 166;

in connection with “frightfulness,” 171;

due to fear, 243–245.

=Self-preservation=, 41, 99.

=Sensation=, pandering to, 66, 68 ff., 111, 113, 290;

perverted, 69, 74;

new correct guiding, 189.

=Sensory appreciation=, habit of dependence on, 9, 232, 237;

unreliable, 21 ff., 69, 89, 97, 207, 232, 256, 275;

dominating reason, 25;

new and correct, 24, 190, 214, 225, 230, 257 ff.

=Shakespeare-Bacon controversy=, 81 ff.

=Shaw, G. Bernard=, on education, 122.

=Shortening= (“pressing down”). v. =Spine=.

=Shoulders=, delusions in regards to movement of, 18, 23, 214, 276.

=Simple life=, 8 ff.

=Singing=, 232.

=Sitting=, act of, 179, 283–285, 332;

in children, 120;

rising from sitting, 285–286.

=Skin=, 264, 308, 339.

=Speech=, 53 ff., 219 ff., 220 ff., 294, 332;

in children, 120;

case of defective, 133.

=Spine=, lengthening of, 202, 222, 277;

shortening of, 203, 214, 264 ff., 274 ff., 280, 300, 307;

in children dancing, 126;

spinal curvature, 297–303.

=Stammering=, 53, 219, 293.

=Standing=, 179, 264, 267, 273, 279, 320;

“proper standing position,” 276, 278, 284, 332;

no correct standing position for each and every person, 278;

“stand at attention,” 204, 334.

=Stature=, shortening of, 128, 266, 276.

=Stealing=, case of, 59 ff.

=Stigmatisation=, 39.

=Stimulants=, 16.

=Stomach=, protruding, 115, 201, 274, 291.

=Stooping=, case of, 276.

=Subconsciousness= (subconscious self), 29–47, 54;

Myers’ concept of, 30 ff., 85;

education of, below the plane of reason, 33;

impressionability to suggestion, 34;

definition of, 42;

delusive, 64, 89, 270;

dominating reason, 58, 128, 287, 252;

function of, after conscious control has been acquired, 92;

as synonym for habit, 92, 174, 227;

elimination of inherited, 211;

built up of delusion and undue apprehension, 253.

=Subconscious guidance and control=, 52, 61, 67–72, 83, 142, 205, 207,

266, 281;

failure of, 63, 183, 201, 241, 249 ff.;

in modern child, 120 (v. =Instinct=);

in primitive nations, 160, 186;

in civilised nations, 161, 174, 247;

in relation to reform, 11,

to education, 25 ff., 115,

to self-help, 262;

advance to conscious guidance, hitherto inadequate, 187;

standard of accuracy lost, 217.

=Sympathy=, 188, 215.

=Symptoms=, 193, 261, 267;

regarded rather than causes, 19, 193, 218.

=Taboos=, 37.

v. =Inhibition=.

=Taste, sense of=, 68 ff., 111;

case of perverted, in child, 112.

=Teeth=, 4.

=Tendencies=, criminal, 61.

(v. =Reform=);

subconscious, 67;

inherent, 70, 109 ff.

=Tension=, degree of, required, 24, 89, 97 ff.;

undue, 23, 95, 216–219, 256, 261,

in so-called concentration, 102,

in speaking, 230, in ploughing, 238,

in walking, 280,

in sitting, 283.

=Thoracic capacity=, explained and illustrated, 20;

minimum of, 19 ff., 267;

increase of, 191, 202, 302, 335;

decrease of, 300, 317 ff., 320.

=Thorax=, 19, 147, 184, 191, 201, 267, 277, 298, 324.

=Throat and ear trouble=, 233, 235, 262, 276, 299, 336.

=Tobacco=, 288.

=Tongue=, incorrect use of, 133;

importance of, for clear enunciation, 233.

=Tonics=, 17.

=Totems=, 39.

=Toxic poisoning=, 114.

v. =Auto-intoxication=.

=Training=, v. =Education=.

=Trance=, 41, 52.

v. =Hypnotism=.

=Trine, Ralph Waldo=, 45.

=Tuberculosis=, 183, 234, 274, 288.

=Upward, Allen=, on child education, 151.

=Varicosity=, 234, 298.

=Vermiform appendix=, 5.

=Viscera, abdominal=, 19 ff., 264, 291, 304 ff., 333, 336.

=Visceroptosis=, 320.

=Vocalisation=, 138, 231, 327, 330, 338;

change in quality of voice, 192, 308;

vocal chords, 228;

vocal control, 278, 295;

loss of voice, 266, 336.

=Volition=, v. =Will=.

=Walking=, 179, 264, 267, 270, 279–283, 332;

in children, 120.

=War=, 8;

the present crisis, 157 ff., 164, 167 ff., 175;

discussion of causes of, 160;

re-adjustment after, 144.

=Will=, 38, 86, 99, 203, 215, 333;

the will to live, 42, 99;

will-power in relation to overindulgence, 59.

=Wish=, meaning of, with reference to the eradication of bad habits,

103 ff.

=Worry=, 44, 252 ff.

=Yogis=, system of breathing, 56.

-----

Footnote 1:

Modern investigators, however, almost unanimously incline now to the

theory that the cause of cancer is a morbid proliferation of the cells

not due to the primary influence or isolation of alien bacteria.

Footnote 2:

It should, however, be clearly understood in this connection that

certain laws of natural selection must, so far as we can see, always

hold good; and it would not be advisable to alter them even if it were

possible. For example, that curious law may be cited which ordains the

attraction of opposites in mating and so maintains nature’s average.

The attraction which a certain type of woman has for a certain type of

man, and vice versa is, in my opinion, a fundamental law, and any

attempt to regulate it would be harmful to the race. This, however, is

no argument against the regulation of prevention of marriages between

the physically and mentally unfit.

Footnote 3:

For a further statement of one aspect of heredity, see Chapter VI of

this book.

Footnote 4:

For a fuller analysis of this, see p. 92 et seq. of this volume.

Footnote 5:

For fuller explanation, see Chapter VI, p. 147.

Footnote 6:

See Part II, p. 189.

Footnote 7:

Cf. _Hypnotism_, by Albert Moll. Good cases of suppuration,

blistering, and bleeding, as the result of suggestion without any

preliminary abrasion of the skin, are those supplied by the records of

Professor Forel’s experiments at the Zurich Lunatic Asylum. These

experiments were conducted on the person of a nurse who is described

as the daughter of healthy country people, and not a hysterical

subject.

Footnote 8:

There is much evidence on this point, some of it conflicting, but the

main fact must be considered above question.

Footnote 9:

Cf. Herbert Spencer, _Education_, Chapter XI, “Humanity has progressed

solely by self-instruction.”

Footnote 10:

Moreover, I deny that hypnotism can possibly succeed except in

comparatively rare instances. It is not universal in its

applicability.

Footnote 11:

Two years later this woman came to me in a state of collapse, the

results of the after effects of a bad attack of pleurisy. She proved

an admirable patient, and is now in perfect health. She was a

magnificent instance of a case in which the power was there, finely

developed, but not the knowledge which would enable her to make full

use of that power.

Footnote 12:

In this connection the following verses (24, 25, 26) from the Gospel

according to St. Luke, Chapter XI, are interesting:

24. When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walketh through

dry places, seeking rest: and finding none, he saith, I will return

unto my house whence I came out.

25. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26. Then goeth he, and taketh _to him_ seven other spirits more wicked

than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state

of that man is worse than the first.

Footnote 13:

Certain aspects of these principles will be found set out in detail in

Part II of this volume.

Footnote 14:

A simple, practical example of what is meant by obtaining the position

of mechanical advantage may be given. Let the subject sit as far back

in a chair as possible. The teacher, having decided upon the orders

necessary for the elongation of the spine, the freedom of the neck

(i.e., requisite natural laxness), and other conditions desirable for

the particular case in hand, will then ask the pupil to rehearse those

orders mentally, at the same time that he himself renders assistance

by the skilful use of his hands. Then holding with one hand one or two

books against the inner back of the chair, he will rely upon the pupil

mentally rehearsing the orders necessary to maintain and improve the

conditions present, while he, with the other hand placed upon the

pupil’s shoulder, causes the body gradually to incline backwards until

its weight is taken by the back of the chair. The shoulder-blades

will, of course, be resting against the books. The position thus

secured is one of a number which I employ and which for want of a

better name I refer to as a position of “mechanical advantage.”

Footnote 15:

A very notable though trivial instance of mental “rigidity” was

brought to me by a pupil while writing these pages. A fireman on duty

at a theatre had neglected to unbolt the escape doors. When severely

reprimanded he pleaded that he had been instructed by an assistant

manager to do duty in another part of the theatre at the time he

usually opened the escapes. The following night the assistant manager

instructed him to make the same change in his routine on which the man

pleaded, “Don’t ask me to do that, sir. I forgot the escapes last

night and I am sure to forget ’em again if you make me go that way

round. You see, sir, I’ve gone round the other way so long that if I

make a change I seem to lose my memory.”

Footnote 16:

“This experimental observation is so far to our interest that it has

proved that hypnotic suggestion is by far surpassed in the duration of

its effects by suggestion in the waking state, and this again by

regular teaching and practice. But this is physiologically explicable:

Hypnotic suggestion obtains its results solely through the intensity

of the isolated stimulus and through the brain-track it leaves behind,

which has an abnormally slight connexion with the whole associative

mechanism of the brain. Regular instruction, on the contrary, is based

on the strong associative implanting of the stimulus and the

brain-track it leaves behind, with the normal activity of the brain,

i.e., on the many-sidedness of the nervous connections and their

reproductive effect; whilst, in the first case, the trace is more or

less easily effaced, in the second the accompanying reproductive,

sympathetic stimulus increases and preserves the result obtained, as

well as effecting the other bodily functions dependent on it.”—_The

Psychic Treatment of Disease_, Berthold Kern.

Footnote 17:

A simple experiment will serve to prove this shortening by the

increase of, say, the lumbar curve. Take a piece of cardboard of six

inches in length and place it flat on a table or against the wall.

With a pencil draw lines on the table or wall as close to the upper

and lower ends of the cardboard as possible. Remove the cardboard and

curve it slightly across the lower portion about an inch from the end

which touched the lowest line. Replace it on the lower line without

interfering with the curve and you will find that it does not reach

the upper line any longer. A similar condition occurring in the human

being means a shortening in stature.

Footnote 18:

As I have already explained in Part I, inspiration is not a sucking of

air into the lungs but an inevitable instantaneous rush of air into

the partial vacuum caused by the automatic expansion of the thorax.

Footnote 19:

It is worthy of note in this connexion that during the past two years

the English hospitals have been crowded with cases of men who,

formerly accustomed to sedentary occupations, have “broken down” with

army training.

Footnote 20: