Article January 5, 1899 Issue

About Diphtheria

N. M. Dunn

I am glad to give to the Field an instance of the healing power of Christian Science which occurred in the city of Berlin, Ont., last February.

A Christian Scientist was called to one of a family of thirteen children, and the claim was diphtheria. The parents notified the Board of Health, as was the law of the city, and a doctor came and said, "Examination proves it to be diphtheria, and a very bad throat." The boy's sister was pronounced affected with the same disease. The Scientist then said to the mother of the children, "Which do you want, Christian Science or materia medica." "Why, Christian Science of course. This is no more to God than any other disease." When the doctor returned to his home he said to his sister, who is a Christian Scientist, "There will be a funeral at the S—home." This was Saturday afternoon. The Tuesday following the boy was well, playing in the back yard—all the outing the city allowed the family while in quarantine. The first two nights the Scientist read "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and the sense of protection, and joy to witness the removal of every seeming mountain by the omnipotence of God rendered her too grateful to want to sleep. The second day two more of the children complained of the same symptoms that the others did at first, and the next day two more, and the next day one, but the fear was met in a few hours, thus proving what Science and Health says, "Destroy fear and you end the fever."

Three days after the first examination of the M. D., another doctor was sent by the Board of Health who said, "I am sent to swab the throats of all the children, and each swab, with the child's name attached, will be sent to Toronto to a specialist; if the report of diphtheria is returned the swabbing will be repeated in a week, and every week until no germs are found, then disinfecting will be done and the card removed from the house." The doctor said to the Scientist after swabbing the throats, "I have looked into Christian Science, and it is beneficial in some cases, but this is different." "Can we limit the power of God?" the healer answered. The doctor then continued, "That child needs immediate attention, his throat looks all right but it has gone down; it is a serious thing to tamper with a human life." "Yes," replied the Scientist; "that is why we leave the child in God's hands."

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