Academically and technically considered, medical science with its diagnostic, surgical and other skills is today far advanced. The knowledge of the human body and its reactions to both internal and external physical stimuli and disturbances is outstanding. In one most important aspect medical science has so far unconsciously been badly handicapped. It has remained unaware of the existence of the etheric body, which forms the intangible framework on which the physical body is constructed, and which therefore plays an important role in the maintenance of its health. No wonder that physicians, notwithstanding their extensive knowledge of the physical aspects, have in the past so often been sorely puzzled by inexplicable features of diseases, and by the unaccountable reactions of their patients who for no explainable reasons might show either improvement or deterioration. Little did they realize that the real underlying cause for many complaints was to be found in the inharmonious condition of the etheric vehicle.
With
the existence of the etheric body now becoming an accepted fact,
medicine is standing on the verge of a totally new approach to
disease and its treatment. As yet there are, however, only few
who fully recognize the extent of the implications of this so-called
'electro-magnetic field', and that it constitutes the mainstay
of all physical existence, not only surrounding but also minutely
interpenetrating and supporting the tangible body. Neither is
it realized that the individual etheric body is but a small component
of the overall etheric system, with which it is therefore intimately
associated.
The pioneers in this new field of
research, however, still need more corroborative evidence, not
only for strengthening their own convictions but also to convince
the rest of the medical profession of the important role played
by this subtle body. It must be recognized that this electrical
surround not only serves as the conductor of all incoming energies
from external sources but also acts as the channel for the distribution
of the forces which have been generated and transmuted within
the personality complex, and are being radiated to the environment.
Future medical science will therefore
be largely concentrated on a study and better understanding of
the etheric body, and even more particularly of the etheric centers
which it contains. There is a close relationship between the etheric
centers and the endocrine system. The result is that the endocrinologist,
when he becomes aware of the relation between the etheric vehicle,
the endocrine system and the blood stream, will also obtain a
much clearer insight into many of his inexplicable problems of
the past.
As far as the purely physical aspects
are concerned, medical science is actually nearing the limits
of what man can accomplish. But fortunately unfoldment and achievement
are never-ending, and wonderful new vistas are now opening up
before the healer of the future. He is now on the point of advancing
on to a fresh terrain, which up to now has largely remained hidden
to science. With the advent of greater light, illumining all spheres
of human activity, and with man's increasing perceptivity, the
intangible realms will be opened up to him. This will prove of
great advantage to medical science, allowing the dedicated and
altruistic practitioner to draw closer to the world of causes.
All the efforts of medical science
are today concentrated on prolonging the life in the form. The
time is not far distant, however, when it will be realized that
the form life is relatively of only secondary importance. Man's
attitude will undergo a radical change when once it is recognized
that the physical body is merely a channel through which the soul
may gain certain experiences and is only its instrument of expression
in the world of matter. Future medical science will therefore
focus its main efforts on prevention of disease, thus keeping
the instrument sound and efficient. Furthermore, when nature has
run its course, and when the soul has accomplished the task for
which it came into incarnation, it demands liberation. This stage
should be recognized by the healer, and he should then know when
to stand aside, leaving nature to fulfill its purpose without
attempting to retain the life artificially in the form.
Disease denotes an imbalance in
the combined functions of the human system. With the exception
of systemic disorders caused by wars and accidents, or by virulent
epidemics, whose origins are of a planetary nature and have been
induced by defaults of humanity as a whole, all physical disturbances
must first be sought in adverse influences emanating from the
etheric centers. These vital focal points of energy influence
the activity of the `nadis', those minute links between the subjective
and the material underlying the nervous system, which in turn
affect the endocrine glands and the blood stream, all jointly
regulating man's condition of health.