Article October 8, 1949 Issue

DEMONSTRATING MENTAL SURGERY

BESSIE L. CARN

Under the marginal heading "Skilful surgery" in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy makes known the right course to pursue in regard to the handling of surgical problems in Christian Science practice. She writes (p. 401), "Until the advancing age admits the efficacy and supremacy of Mind, it is better for Christian Scientists to leave surgery and the adjustment of broken bones and dislocations to the fingers of a surgeon, while the mental healer confines himself chiefly to mental reconstruction and to the prevention of inflammation." In this connection she adds (p. 402): "Christian Science is always the most skilful surgeon, but surgery is the branch of its healing which will be last acknowledged. However, it is but just to say that the author has already in her possession well-authenticated records of the cure, by herself and her students through mental surgery alone, of broken bones, dislocated joints, and spinal vertebrae."

Therefore, when a Christian Scientist is asked to handle a case of breakage or dislocation, he may well call the patient's attention to Mrs. Eddy's words on the subject, while at the same time he mentally denies the erroneous arguments of accident and displacement. Understanding the spiritual facts of being as revealed in Christian Science, namely, God's allness as infinite Mind, Spirit, or Life, to whom matter, or evil, is unknown, and man's present and eternal perfection as God's image, or reflection, the Christian Science healer refuses to allow his thought to rest on the level of false beliefs or admit the testimony of material sense to be true. He knows that human personality is not man's true individuality and rejects the suggestion that man is a material organism. He resists the temptation to be curious regarding evil's claims to substantiality, intelligence, activity, and reality.

Understanding the supremacy of spiritual law enables one to nullify so-called material law and reverse the false testimony of the material senses. Recently a little girl was struck by a truck on her way home from school. The mother immediately asked a Christian Scientist to know the truth for the child. In the meantime the little patient had been taken to the hospital. The diagnosis of the attending surgeon was a broken leg, a slight concussion, and severe bruises. This information was immediately telephoned to the metaphysician by the child's father, who also said that the surgeon expected to set the bone in about half an hour.

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