J. Cordy Jeaffreson in his volume "A Book about Doctors", written two generations ago, has told the story of St. John Long's successful application of the principle of community of treatment and its effectiveness upon his patient. Like Mesmer he realized that treating people in groups led them mutually to influence each other and to bring about improvement. St. John Long {173} had in one of the rooms in Harley Street "two enormous inhalers, with flexible tubes running outward in all directions and surrounded by dozens of excited women-- ladies of advanced years and young girls giddy with the excitement of their first London season--puffing from their lips the medicated vapor or waiting until a mouthpiece should be at liberty for their pink lips." In our generation of course we had various phases of similar treatment, including nebulizers and compressed air apparatus and medicated vapor, all working wonders for a while, and then proving to have no physical beneficial effect. What is surprising is to find the number of cures that were worked. St. John Long had so many applicants for attention that he was literally unable to give heed to all of them. The news of the wonderful remedy flew to every part of the United Kingdom and from every quarter sick persons, wearied of a vain search after an alleviation of their sufferings, flocked to London with hope renewed once more. This enabled St. John Long to select for treatment only such cases as gave ready promise of cure. He made it a great preliminary of his treatment that his {174} patients should eat well as a rule and on one occasion when he was called into the country to see a man suffering in the last stages of consumption he said quite frankly, "Sir, you are so ill that I cannot take you under my charge at present. You want stamina. Take hearty meals of beefsteak and strong beer; and if you are better in ten days I will do my best for you and cure you." It is easy to understand that if he made it a rule for his consumptive patients that they should eat well or not expect relief from his medicine he would secure a great many good results. Especially would this be true in many cases that came up to him from the country, had the advantage of a change of climate, and of environment and very soon found that they had much more strength than they thought they had. They had been dreading the worst, they were now led to hope for the best; they took the brake off their will, they fed well and it was not long then before they proceeded to get well.