The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-03

the kind. state ve. MylOd 40 At. 7j3), !
decided in Rhode Island last july upon 7
these facts: Defendant undertook TO
cure one Hale of malaria and one 2
Vaughan of grippe, by apparently EN- .
gaginE i'm silent prayer and giving
them pamphlets on Christian Science.
He received fee of 81, but gave no
medicines. made no examination or
diagnosis He testified that he did
not attempt to cure disease, had no
knowledge of medicine or surgery, and
that his only method wac prayer and
effort to encourage hopefulness for all
who come to him in public or private.
and whatever diseases they may inn
agine they have. The court held,
citing Smith W. Lane, that in the ab-
senCe of diagnosis. prescription of
remedies or surgical methods there
was no medical practice. They SuE-
gested that if Christian Science Is
practice Or medicine, then as a school
ii is entitled to recognition by the state
board. and that it would be absurd to
/ hold. under the Rhode Island statute
which forbids discrimination against
medical schools, that requirements
could he prescribed which members of
Il particular school could not comply
with since that would be not tn dis
! Criminate only but to prohibit. And
! the court distinguished the cases of
| clairv'Eant physicians, upon the
ground that therein the defendant"
had prescribed medicine and professCd
to cure Diseases There seems to b
/ fallacy in the implication by the court
] ti,..,n
condition of medical licence are pro-
| hihitory upon any persons except those
/ who are unable to acquire an educa-
! ton; and it is quite proper to exclude
such persons from the ranks of ply
sicians.
COMMON SENSE
The question is fun of difficulty.
Every one admits the power of mental
impulses in nervous diseases: admits
natures healing force that SO often
cures without any attendance at all:
and admits that it would he wrong to
| forbid all recourse to any aid. But this
much being conceded. are we to admit
also that any person should be entitled
to take charge Of the sick merely be-
cause he pIetenG,s To act under relig-
ious beliefs and 10 abstain from using
by study and investigation? Are we
To punish the physician who fails to
report yellow and scarlet fevers, diph-
tneria, and other contagious disorders,
and allow a person who boasts his ig-
norancc of medical and sanitary
science to treat and conceal such
cases? The Christian Scientist, in his
madness or worse, says that there is
no disease but only fear or loss Of re-
| lation to God, which he in his bias
! phemy undertakes to restore, provid-
ing he is paid for his services. What
then, would his death certificate be?
Would ii he that Jones was perman-
estly scared? What would his report
of a contagious disease be? That
Brown has Il panic, which is likely TO
spread?
In the case of Reynolds vs.. United
States COS L. s. l45, A. ID. 1879 the SUI
preme court of the nation applied
common sense to this proposition, that
the name of religion may be used to
cloak either lust or impOsture. De-
fendant, member of the so-called
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. being indicted for bigamy,
pleaded i'm defence that the penalty
imposed by his church upon its male
members who failed to practise poly
gamy when circumstances would ad-
nit" was "damnation in the life 10
come" No such dreadful penalty
hangs over a Christian Scientist who
abtains from his lucrative practices.
The supreme court said in Reynolds
case: Laws are made for the gov
eminent of actions, and while they
cannot interfere with mere religious
belief and opinions they may with
practices Can ii be seriously con-
tended, asked the court that civil
lied nation may not lawfully suppress
human sacrifices and the Indian GUS
tom of suttee, because their Votaries
claim religious sanction therefor; or
polygamy for the same reason? To
suffer such things, it was answered,
would be to make the professed doc
trlne of religious belief superior to the
law of the land and in effect To per-
NIT every citizen to become n law
unto himself. Government could exist
only i'm aame under such circum-
stances" These wise words of the
court apply even TO honest believers,
whom we may respect or, at least,
sympathize with, even in their delu-
sions. But if the defence Of religion
We're allowed to the extent that the
eccentrics claim the deadly sin of ly-
ing would become even more preva-
lent than il is, and the dangerous
classes would go over i'm Il body to SOL
distant religion.
AN ENGLISH CASE.
There was an English case in 1868,
Reg, VS.. Wagstaffe 40 Cox's Or, Cas-.
53O), wherein parents We're charged
with manslaughter of a child because,
pursuant to their religion as members
of the Peculiar People" they neg
lected To provide medical attendance
for II, in case of acute Inflammation
of the lungs; instead they anointed
and prayed over it. The court charged
that II they had let the child starve
for want of food, the case would have
been different; for every one recog-
nizes the need of food, But it was not