Ofallthetriumphswonbyscienceforhumanity，fewhavebeenfarther-reachingingoodeffectsthanthemoderntreatmentoftheinsane。Butthisistheresultofastrugglelongandseverebetweentwogreatforces。Ononesidehavestoodthesurvivalsofvarioussuperstitions，themetaphysicsofvariousphilosophies，thedogmatismofvarioustheologies，theliteralinterpretationofvarioussacredbooks，andespeciallyofourown——allcompactedintoacreedthatinsanityismainlyorlargelydemoniacalpossession；ontheothersidehasstoodscience，graduallyaccumulatingproofsthatinsanityisalwaystheresultofphysicaldisease。
Ipurposeinthischaptertosketch，asbrieflyasImay，thehistoryofthiswarfare，orratherofthisevolutionoftruthoutoferror。
Nothingismoresimpleandnatural，intheearlystagesofcivilization，thanbeliefinoccult，self-consciouspowersofevil。Troublesandcalamitiescomeuponman；hisignoranceofphysicallawsforbidshimtoattributethemtophysicalcauses；
hethereforeattributesthemsometimestothewrathofagoodbeing，butmorefrequentlytothemaliceofanevilbeing。
Especiallyisthisthecasewithdiseases。Therealcausesofdiseasearesointricatethattheyarereachedonlyafteragesofscientificlabour；hencethey，aboveall，havebeenattributedtotheinfluenceofevilspirits。[341]