The Mother

The Mother's Views on Medical Matters

What the Mother says in the matter is what she said to Dr. X with his entire agreement―viz. reading from symptoms by the doctors is usually mere balancing between possibilities (of course except in clear and simple cases) and the conclusion is a guess. It may be a right guess and then it will be all right or it may be a wrong guess and then all will be wrong unless Nature is too strong for the doctor and overcomes the consequences of his

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error―or at the least the treatment will be ineffective. On the contrary if one develops the diagnostic flair one can see at once what is the real thing among the possibilities and see what is to be done. That is what the most successful doctors have, they have this flashlight which shows them the true point. X agreed and said that the cause of the guessing was that there were whole sets of symptoms which could belong to any one of several diseases and to decide is a most delicate and subtle business, no amount of book knowledge or reasoning will ensure a right decision. A special insight is needed that looks through the symptoms and not merely at them. This last sentence, by the way, is my own, not X's. About development of intuition afterwards―no time tonight.

6-4-1937

It is no use discussing these matters. The Mother's views are too far removed from the traditional nostrums to be understood by a medical mind, except those that have got out of the traditional groove or those who after long experience have seen things and can become devastatingly frank about the limitations of their own "science".

Ideas differ. Both the Mother and X were horrified at the idea of a child of four months being given a purgative. The leading Children's Doctor in France told the Mother no child under 12 months should be given a purgative, as it is likely to do great harm and may be dangerous. But here we understand it is the practice to dose children freely with purgatives from their day of birth almost. Perhaps that and over-administration of medicines is the cause of excessive infant mortality.

4-4-1937

All "science" does not recommend castor oil for children―I think it is a nineteenth century fad which has prolonged itself. The Mother's "children's doctor" told her it should not be done―also in her own case when a child the doctors peremptorily

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stopped it on the ground that it spoiled the stomach and liver. I suppose you will say doctors disagree? They do!

9-4-1937

Mother meant that wrong food and the poisons created by wrong assimilation were a great obstacle to the prolongation of life.

14-1-1935

Q: The Mother once said that there is hardly a disease that cannot be cured by Yoga. Can cancer be cured by it?

A: Of course it can, but on condition of faith or openness or both. Even a mental suggestion can cure cancer―with luck of course, as is shown by the case of the woman operated on unsuccessfully for cancer, but the doctors lied and told her it had succeeded. Result, cancer symptoms all ceased and she died many years afterwards of another illness altogether.

11-10-1935