h acts from one body on another and becomes the cause of cure. This
force also has only a slight effect. Sometimes one can benefit a sick
person by placing one's hand upon his head or upon his heart. Why? Because
of the effect of the magnetism, and of the mental impression made upon the
sick person, which causes the disease to vanish. But this effect is also
very slight and weak.

Of the two other kinds of healing which are spiritual--that is to say,
where the means of cure is a spiritual power--one results from the entire
concentration of the mind of a strong person upon a sick person, when the
latter expects with all his concentrated faith that a cure will be
effected from the spiritual power of the strong person, to such an extent
that there will be a cordial connection between the strong person and the
invalid. The strong person makes every effort to cure the sick patient,
and the sick patient is then sure of receiving a cure. From the effect of
these mental impressions an excitement of the nerves is produced, and this
impression and this excitement of the nerves will become the cause of the
recovery of the sick person. So when a sick person has a strong desire and
intense hope for something and hears suddenly the tidings of its
realization, a nervous excitement is produced which will make the malady
entirely disappear. In the same way, if a cause of terror suddenly occurs,
perhaps an excitement may be produced in the nerves of a strong person
which will immediately cause a malady. The cause of the sickness will be
no material thing, for that person has not eaten anything, and nothing
harmful has touched him; the excitement of the nerves is then the only
cause of the illness. In the same way the sudden realization of a chief
desire will give such joy that the nerves will be excited by it, and this
excitement may produce health.

To conclude, the complete and perfect connection between the spiritual
doctor and the sick person--that is, a connection of such a kind that the
spiritual doctor entirely concentrates himself, and all the attention of
the sick person is given to the spiritual doctor from whom he expects to
realize health--causes an excitement of the nerves, and health is produced.
But all this has effect only to a certain extent, and that not always. For
if someone is afflicted with a very violent disease, or is wounded, these
means will not remove the disease nor close and heal the wound--that is to
say, th