Editorial September 30, 1905 Issue

Prayer as a Healing Agent

ANNIE M. KNOTT

IT has been said that all things come to those who wait, and in keeping with this familiar adage we note the admission made before the British Medical Association, by one of its members. It seems that at its annual meeting, Dr. Hyslop, a specialist in neurology and in the treatment of mental disease, said, among other things, "As an alienist, and one whose whole life has been concerned with the sufferings of the mind, I would state that of all hygienic measures to counteract disturbed sleep, depressed spirits, and all the miserable sequels of a distressed mind, I would undoubtedly give the first place to the simple habit of prayer."

In last week's issue of the Sentinel, attention was called to the recent utterances of an English bishop with respect to the efficacy of prayer, and now we have this admission from the medical profession. Not very long since, it was customary for ministers who admitted that Christian Science heals the sick, to find fault with it for teaching the causal relation of prayer to this healing. On the other hand, a good many doctors admitted that as a religion Christian Science was all right, but they have denied the efficacy of prayer in the healing of the sick.

Christian Scientists are always glad to observe the disappearance of prejudice, whether theological or medical, and see a hopeful sign of the times in Dr. Hyslop's statement that prayer should have "the first place" in the treatment of what are called mental or nervous ailments, inasmuch as it can do more for sufferers from these disorders "than any other therapeutic agent." They welcome even this slight concession, and regard it as a promise of the ultimate recognition of true prayer as the only "therapeutic agent," not only for nervous disorders, but for all the ills of a stricken human race.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Letters

Letters to our Leader