Drugs and True Healing

LEWIS C. STRANG.

In the National Museum at Washington is a department devoted to the History of Medicine, which aims to present the chronological development of materia medica, and which affords a striking illustration of the erroneous derivation of the "science" which claims to heal suffering humanity by means of matter. It is graphically set forth in this exhibition that the practice of materia medica began with undisguised incantation. The first drugs were charms and amulets worn on the person. A direct descendant of these ancient superstitions is the habit of carrying a horse-chestnut in the pocket, which is supposed to ward off rheumatism, and of wearing an eel-skin around the leg, which is regarded as a preventive of cramps. Indeed, it is plainly, though perhaps unintentionally, indicated that the difference between the ancient tom-tom, beaten by the bedside of the sick to frighten away the devil, and the modern electric shock, given the body for the purpose of dislodging pain, is not so much one of kind as of time.

Nevertheless, definitely shown as these things are, the casual visitor customarily leaves the exhibition quite unimpressed by the lesson as to the false basis of materia medica so emphatically taught. Instead of noting the logical sequence between the charm of yesterday and the drug of to-day, the person whose preceptions have not been somewhat sharpened by an understanding of spiritual reality, marvels at the progress that medicine has made. Such a person seems to regard as of no consequence the suggestive fact that day after day honest medical men are frankly voicing their conviction that, from the standpoint of absolute science, drugging is a failure,—admissions which declare how generally the truth taught in Science and Health is striking off humanity's mental shackles.

An experience like the one just described has a compound effect upon the Christian Scientist. It strengthens him in his conviction regarding the basic absurdity of drug medication, and it further awakens him to the seeming hold that the false claim of its efficacy has on the human consciousness. The reason that the average person sees nothing in the medical exhibition at this museum to uncover to him the primitive and derivative error of materia medica, is because he is under the widespread mesmeric influence of the belief that materia medica is scientific. This mesmerism holds strong sway, not so much because humanity generally desires to be healed by material means, as because mortals fear that if they learn that these cannot heal them, there will be nothing to which they can have recourse for help. Mortals deliberately blind themselves to the failures of materia medica, because they fear to lose their faith in the only healing system they know anything about.

Plainly the way to break this mesmerism is to teach fearful humanity that the Christ, Truth, is the same positive and certain healer to-day as when Jesus did his mighty works, and this is exactly what Christian Science is doing for a world pitifully in need of mental, moral, and physical salvation.

Error accomplishes its purpose when it establishes in human consciousness the lying sense of separation. The first argument of the serpent was that man could have a mind apart from God, a mind which was more desirable than the one divine Mind, in that it knew both good and evil. As a natural next in the suppositional development of evil came the argument that man himself was separated from himself, that he was two persons instead of one, spirit and matter, soul and body, immortal and mortal. Death came into the world with the knowledge of good and evil, and mortals, having permitted the error of separation to rule them, experienced death in two phases in their dream existence; death of the soul, so-called, through sin; and death of the body through sickness. Ignorant of omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient Life, Truth, and Love, they forthwith called upon a manlike God to heal them of sin, and godlike drug to heal them of sickness.

Thus, from the one trunk of false religion, there grew in human consciousness the two separate branches,—theology and medicine. Not until Jesus revealed the true healing, and Mrs. Eddy discovered the Science of this true healing, did it dawn on mortal thought that in reality theology and medicine were one and the same thing.

The great privilege and stern duty is therefore laid upon Christian Scientists to-day of demonstrating the healing power of Truth. Peace, the result of this true healing, is the great need of the world. Amid wars and rumors of war, amid ever-increasing human weakness, disease, and distress, all witnessing to the impotence of human idealism to save, individuals and nations are crying aloud for peace. Christian Scientists know where to look for true peace. They know that it is to be found in Spirit, not in matter; and they know that the basis of peace is unity with God and with man. They know, too, that the enemies of unity are self-will, self-justification, and self-love. Is there aught to prevent them from scourging these errors out of the temple for the glory of God and the benefit of humanity?

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