Article February 19, 1903 Issue

The Right not to take Medicine

Chicago Record-Herald

The overwhelming defeat of the bill prohibiting "the practice of Christian Science, mind and faith cure in healing" in the lower house of the New Hampshire legislature is highly creditable to the intelligence of that body and highly satisfying to those who have any conception of the menace to personal liberty involved in such measures.

No matter what may be the individual judgment or opinion concerning the efficacy of Christian Science in the treatment of disease, to prohibit its practice would be practically to deny to persons the right not to take medicine, and this would be a flagrant infraction of personal liberty. The state might as well undertake to say that only allopathy shall be practised in healing, thus denying to all the right to receive homoeopathic or eclectic treatment.

The Christian Science healers give no medicine. The practitioners of both the allopathic and homoeopathic schools give less medicine than they did twenty years ago. The medications are not only not so strong but increasing dependence is placed upon nursing, and upon hygiene and sanitation. The practice of medicine is necessarily an experimental science. Distressing failures to cure or give relief are noted on every hand. But the vast majority of people still have faith in medicines. Their efficacy in many ailments has been frequently demonstrated.

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