My old friend, Colonel Eli Lilly

 My old friend, Colonel Eli Lilly, was an early mentor to my mind. I met him when I was 9 or 10. He had been passed for a few years when we first met in an Ally west of Ky. Ave and Miller Street. In Indianapolis, Indiana. Even from the grave, he was working to help humankind. We talked over the years as I was brought up to speed on his most exceptional work, and I called his Grandest Postulate: The Placebo Effect. He was hung up on its effects and wondered if it passed into Religion and caused the “God Effect.” This unknowable effect was affecting me. made me think about how belief, whether in medicine or in faith, can deeply influence our lives. I hope sharing this sparks your own reflections on the spiritual side of healing and belief.

I saw no scar mentioned. The injury I saw was on the left side of the stomach. The civil war vet asked if I would like to see the location where it came out. I said yes, so he pulled down his pants and showed me the exit point, his asshole. I was somewhat shocked but Intrigued That this older man in the alley claimed to be Colonial Eli Lilly. Of course, I did not know who he was then. He explained that wounds suffered during the civil war had after effects far worse than their original wound or later disease. His losses were crippling for a small, battered, beat-up boy like me at that time. He went into detail about some crazy Ideas that something called the Placebo Effect was the most potent excuse for the power of a higher power, or A God, if you will. It would take some convincing for me to get my head around this concept. I realized that “The Placebo Effect” was what was responsible for my life and my ability to transform Hate into Love. Even at 66, it is hard to do. He was a believer in as you believe, so shall it be. At thirteen, I would get a bad and only cause of any sexual dis-ease he claps. I went to see an ancient Doctor on East Washington Street for Penicillin. While there in terror, The Doctor told me I was fortunate to get this Clap. He was privy to a new, spectacular drug that not only would cure this but would stop me from ever getting any other type of sexually transmitted disease.

For the rest of my life, I am sure I got the standard dose of Penicillin, now. Yet the Doctor’s smooth and kind voice assured me I was safe. I attest that I would become, by the push of the local Catholic Priest at the time, a high-priced preteen escort from 1965 to 1972. I joined the Army in Jan 72. I am missing the AIDS epidemic. Several of my clients died from AIDS. I was OK. Thanks, Colonel Eli Lilly. He was overly convinced that God was a larger form of the placebo-an idea that suggests our faith in a higher power can have real effects on our health and life outcomes. This effect makes me wonder how much our beliefs, whether in medicine or Spirituality, shape our experiences and perceptions of reality, blurring the lines between faith and placebo influence.