Testimony of Healing June 22, 1929 Issue

I am a witness of the healing power of God through...

John Wilbur Ward

I am a witness of the healing power of God through Christian Science, even though at the time I was in complete ignorance of its teaching and its methods. The experience came to me some years ago, while I was in active military service in the United States Army. I knew nothing of Christian Science, although my mother had become a Christian Scientist after I had left home to join the army.

I received a serious injury necessitating the immediate amputation of a limb, and my life was despaired of from the very first. After a few days, being still alive, I was moved from the camp to a general hospital, where there were some of the foremost surgeons in the military service. During the following week a number of conferences were held over my case by the surgeons, several of whom I knew quite well. These conferences were over the continued bleeding from the wound, which they were unable to stop. Finally, one day after such a conference, the chief surgeon came in for a serious talk. He said: "I know you well enough to talk plainly, and you know what is happening to you. We are unable to stop that bleeding. Everything known to medical science has been tried, and the bleeding continues just the same; we can do nothing more. Ever since you were hurt you have been bleeding to death. God knows why you are alive now. You are losing a pint of blood a day and should have been dead days ago from that alone." Shortly afterwards he left.

Within half an hour a gentleman appeared at the door of my room. This in itself was extraordinary, as my case, and all serious cases, were under strict guard, and no one was allowed to enter. He introduced himself as a Christian Science practitioner and said my mother had seen a notice of my injury in the papers and had wired him to call and see me. He said, "Are you a Christian Scientist?" I answered, "No." "Do you know anything about Christian Science?" I said, "No." "Do you object to a Christian Science treatment?" I said, "No." "Well, there is one more question, Do you believe in God?" I answered, "Yes." Then he said, "I can give you a Christian Science treatment." He then sat quietly in a corner of the room for about fifteen minutes, after which we talked a moment or two and then he left. Almost immediately thereafter the nurse came in to change the bandages. This was done frequently as they were quickly blood-soaked. When the bandages were removed she suddenly called out, "The bleeding has stopped!" and ran to call the head nurse, who notified the surgeon, who came at once. He made an examination. "Well," he said, "it has stopped all right;" and to me, "What did you do?" I said, "Nothing." "Well," he said, "somebody did it; I didn't. Anybody been here?" I said, "Yes, a man who said he was a Christian Science practitioner, who had had a wire from my mother to come and see me, and who said he gave me a Christian Science treatment." "What did he do?" the surgeon asked. I said: "He asked me if I objected to his treating me, and then sat quietly over there for about fifteen minutes. I understood that he prayed, or did something similar." "Well," the surgeon said, "whatever he did, or didn't do, he was welcome! The bleeding has stopped, and I know we did not stop it."

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