THE IMAGINARY INVALID

The French playwright, Moliere, wrote a comic play exposing the way doctors take advantage of hypochondriacs. The main character, who is very rich, believes he is a sick man and wallows in his self-imposed plight. His doctor prescribes medicine for the many health problems that he doesn’t have, much to the delight of the local apothecary. The patient wants his daughter to marry his doctor’s son who is soon to become a doctor, thinking the marriage would result in free care for him. The intended fiancé is dull-witted, and besides, the daughter wants to marry someone else. The plot is wonderfully complicated and in the end the patient is made to realize that his second wife is a conniving “gold digger,” sends her off and reconciles with his daughter, allows her to marry the one she loves, and finally admits he is truly a healthy person.
Quackery has been a plague on the human species since man first began to sneeze. Doctors take credit for their work, but the real reason people are living longer is the introduction of modern plumbing, clean water and the simple practice of washing one’s hands. Billions of dollars are spent annually on research to the point the research organization takes on an identity of it’s own. In the decades that research has been conducted, on diabetes for example, as each year passes, the number of diabetics has increased by the millions. During The Great Depression, when people couldn’t afford to buy food and the food they ate was natural, diabetes was rare. Now that we gorge ourselves on food, which is mostly manufactured, diabetes is ravaging the population. The fatter people get, the less they exercise and the more they eat. Recently, I saw a movie called FOOD, INC., which revealed how food is manufactured by Corporate America. Rather than spoil your appetite, take a look for yourself. For a healthy life, eat locally grown food, exercise and thank God for modern plumbing.