You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Psychosomatic Medicine, 1946, Vol. VIII, No. 2, pp. 138–142.
Warts are benign epitheliomata caused by a virus. They have been treated by laymen in a wide variety of magical techniques throughout the centuries. Spontaneous healing of warts within one month is to be expected in not more than 3 to 4 per cent of the cases. A technique of treatment by suggestion was worked out. The warts were inspected, counted and painted with a dye. Various suggestions were made, concluding with the suggestion that the warts would disappear. An impressive magical atmosphere was created. Children's warts disappeared almost without exception in from four days to seven weeks. An initial inflammatory swelling was frequently observed before the recession occurred. Common warts responded less promptly and less successfully, although there were two-thirds successful results. The average duration of untreated warts is more than ten times longer than those treated by suggestion. The author assumes that suggestion accelerates natural healing processes by inducing a surrounding hyperemia. This is supported by histological findings referred to by the author in the literature.