The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-27
DOCTORS AND THE FAITH CURE

A Christian Science healer was fined
$50 in Kansas City the other day for
practicing her profession in her own
way. Instances of arrests Of this class
of practitioners in the curative art have
become frequent of late, seeming to in
crease in proportion to the growth OF
the cult.
While the courts are hammering
away at those who practice the faith
cure, hypnosis and methods of that
class under whatever name known the
medical men are coming more and more
to acknowledge certain merits in the
system if system it may be called
Discussing the relation of the medical
man to these recently developed meth
DDS of healing the sick DR.. Albert H.
Burr, of Chicago, in an article in the
Medical Record says:
As a rule he has overlooked the i'm
portant relations of the mind to NOR
bid processes, and is too apt to regard
its influence in the cure of diseases as
of minor or secondary Importance.
It is not creditable to the Intelligence
of the great body of scientific physi-
clans that so many of US rld1Cule or dis
credit the cures, some of which are gen.
uine, wrought without the regulation
agencies through so called faith healerS,
Christian scientists, and the like We
cannot ignore entirely the testimony OF
those who have been relieved and cured
of maladies by these methods.
It is time the medical profession ac-
knowledged candidly that such things
are possible and do take place in a GER
tain class of patients and diseases. 1t
dS time it learned to account for and ex-
plain these results through the opera
ton of we'll known psychical laws.
Every physician should be prepared
to show that there is nothing miracu-
lous or supernatural about these cures.
He should be able to demonstrate that
the physician who devOtes his life to the
healing art can do all, and much more
than this class of healerS can do, no
matter by what name they are known,
without maSQuerading behind supersti-
tons, simply by compromising and
acting upon certain principles of psy-
chology and the laws which govern
If any physician thinks it is not time
for the profession to wake UP on this
subject, let him look at those great in
situations of divine healing and Chris
tian science on the prominent bOule-
Yards of our city. Let him visit them
and see his patients and his neighbOrs'
patients hOcking to them, and consider
If 1T is not worth his While to employ
antelligently a much neglected means
OF therapeutics which some of these
1aymen employ ignOrantly and often
harmfully. Many of these healers are
IrlckSterS and mOuntebankS, like the
recent false SchIatter. Others are sin
cere, but deluded as to the philosophy
OF the few cures they are able to bring
knows are due to suggestion alone
These various schools claiming to prac-
tise mental healing, faith healing, di-
vine healing, ChriStiOn science healing
may all be classed under the head of
psychO-therapy, which is a division of
suggestive therapeutics. It is by sug-
gestion that a mother sooths the pain
OF her little child who has pinched its
ringer in the door and runs screaming
to her for aid. Mamma. will kiss the
hurt all away. Now it doesn't hurt any
more" The child believes its mother.
the hurt is gone; its own faith has done
the work; it dries it's tears at once and
goes back cOntentedly to it's play. That
As faith cure and divine healing and
Christian science in nutshell Again
the mother instinct knows her restless
Wakeful babe needs sleep. She sings
a soothing slumber song full of sIeep
suggestions and the babe closes its ewes
in dreamland. That is hypnotism in a
nutshell. Faith cure and hypnosis are
both ruled alike by suggestion, and the
mother, so far as child life is concerned
as the unconscious mistress of both All
we may hope to do in whatever form we
employ therapeutic suggestion is to ex-
pand and improve upon her methods.