On common neuroses, or, The neurotic element in disease and its rational treatment.

  • Goodhart, James F. (James Frederic), Sir, 1845-1916.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On common neuroses, or, The neurotic element in disease and its rational treatment. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    the author, with reference to the art of telling tales. There are one or two passages in that preface, by- the-bye, that seem apt in respect of medical author- ship. For instance: I write, says the author, of all matters that lie within my understanding, and of many that do not. But chiefly I write of life and death, and men and women, according to the measure of my ability. Then, by the favour of God, the tales are sold, and money accrues to me that I may keep alive. But with more special reference to the work before me he asks, ' In what manner is it best to set about the task, O chiefest of those who string pearls with their tongue ?' ' How do I know ? ' said Gobind. ' Yet'—he thought . for a little—' how should I not know ? Do thou this : tell them first of those things that thou hast seen and they have seen together. Thus will their know- ledge piece out thy imperfections.' And this is what I have ever found the readiest way to my hearers' attention. This is what I shall now attempt to do. I propose to give you a plain tale of my own experience, feeling sure that in so doing I shall appeal to similar experiences of your own, and I hope that the piecing-out process may pre- vent the time from being altogether lost. Thinking thus it was that I determined to deal with the subject of neurotic conditions, and here it was that my first difficulty arose—the question of a title to these lectures. All titles and definitions bind one,