Readings on Fascism and National Socialism: Selected by members of the department of philosophy, University of ColoradoVarious
Philosophy
Readings on Fascism and National Socialism: Selected by members of the department of philosophy, University of Colorado
Various
Fascism; National socialism
So we scientists and doctors simply and soberly affirm the principle
of strength of faith and the nationalist socialist principle of
Positive Christianity which does not prevent us from the inspired
consideration of natural and divinely willed phenomena. We doctors
must never forget the fact that the soul rules the body.
Soul forces are the most important. The spirit builds the body.
Strength springs from joy. Efficiency is achieved despite care, fear,
and uncertainty--We speak here of thymogenetic automatism or the
automatism of harmony ("thymogenetische automatismus oder
stimmungsautomatismus"). The autonomous nervous system achieves, under
the influence of joy, the expansion of the blood vessels in skin and
muscle.... The muscular activity incited by joy means the use of
calories and stimulation of appetite. Muscular contraction pulls and
draws at the bones, ligaments are tensed, breathing deepend, appetite
increased ... A child influenced by the daily exercise of joy develops
physically strong and powerful. ... The Soul care (Seele Sorge) of the
practical doctor is his most significant daily task alongside of
prescriptions and manipulative dexterity.
Soul-care in the medical sense is a concern for the wishes, hopes and
fears of the patient, the considered participation in his fate. Such a
relationship leads to the all-important and generally recognized trust
in the doctor. This faith, in all cases, leads to the improvement,
often even to the elimination of symptoms, of the disease. Here we
have clearly before us the great significance of thymogenetic
automatism.
Academic physicians should not dismiss this because we do not know its
biochemical aspects. (We must beware of regarding something as
unacceptable because it is not measurable in exact terms, he warns.)
We see its practical results, and, therefore, thymogenetic automatism
must stand in the first rank as of overwhelming significance. Thus,
also, the principle, strength through joy (Kraft durch Freude) stands
firmly as an inescapable natural law.
We see the practical country doctor spreading courage and confidence.
For years too few doctors have seen clearly that gymnastic tourism and
sport do more for health than all doctors taken together. And now we
face the fact that a single man, a non-medical man (Hitler) through
his great qualities, has opened up new avenues of health for the
eighty million folk of Germany.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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