Testimony of Healing May 12, 1923 Issue

I am very glad to tell of the experience which first caused...

William A. Sawyer

I am very glad to tell of the experience which first caused me to become interested in Christian Science, because it has since proved to be such a great help in my life; and what seemed at the time to be a misfortune was really a blessing in disguise.

In the early fall of 1917 I met with a painful accident, in which my right elbow was badly dislocated, the ligaments being torn from the joint; also a small bone in the wrist was broken. At that time I knew nothing of Christian Science; in fact, I was a bit inclined to be prejudiced against it; so the natural thing to do was to send for a surgeon, which I did. For some reason it was impossible to have an X-ray photograph taken until the following afternoon, and by this time a great deal of swelling and inflamation seemed to be manifested. After the usual surgical work in such cases was finished, I was told that I must carry my arm in a sling for six weeks, which announcement I accepted cheerfully, as I had become somewhat resigned, thinking that at the end of the six weeks my troubles would be over. I was yet to learn my troubles had but just begun. When I was finally allowed to remove the sling, I found I apparently no longer had a joint in my elbow. I asked the doctor who had charge of the case how long it would be before I could bend my elbow, and he said it should begin to become limber in a week or two. I was a little disappointed, but still resigned. Each day I tried to use the arm a little, but could see no sign of a yielding joint.

At the end of two weeks I was no better, and my hand had swollen so badly that I was unable to close my fingers enough to grasp anything. In two more weeks it had not improved in the least, and my elbow could not have been more set had it been made without a joint at all; meanwhile the swelling in the hand seemed worse. About this time, the insurance company with which I carried accident insurance asked me to call on their doctor for an examination. This I did, and he recommended massage; also, that I carry a weight in my hand as much as possible each day. This I tried, to do, but the swelling in my hand became so much worse that I began to get alarmed. I went to a doctor in whom I had a great deal of confidence. He told me the only hope was an operation on the elbow, but he would not give me any great encouragement as to how the joint would come out afterward. I next went to an osteopath, who told me he thought he could help me, but it would be a long process. It was now fourteen weeks since the accident, and that seemed long enough to me. I began to grow nervous and irritable from the anxiety of not getting help.

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