Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-05

TIME attitude of Christian Scientists
toward physicians and surgeons is as
Il greatly misunderstood as is their atti-
tude toward the other churches. 1t is
commonly believed that they are at ell
nifty with the doctors and seeking 10 De-
little the good they are doing in the
world. Nothing could be further from.
the truth. 1t Is a common thing, IN the
testimonial meetings, to hear mea ana
women who have been healed in Christian
Science expressing their sincere gratitude
to the physician or physicians for their
skill and devotion to them in the EFFORT
to heal them of their diseases. But they
failed, not through any fault or want OF
skill on their part, but because they de-
pended upon drugs to do what God alone
could do, make them whole. The Bible
tells us that ASA was diseased :
yet in his disease he sought not unto the
Lord, but to the physicians. And Asa
slept with his fathers and died" So
have many more In the centuries that
have followed. Even after Jesus mac
demonstrated, over and over again, tnat
the power of healing was not In drugs
or other material remedies, but was OIL
vine the lesson was soon forgotteh ana
mankind has suffered and died because
people have put their faith In tbs doc
tors and their material remedies.
Confidence and Trust Heals
This dependence upon mere human
remedies has given rise to the BELIEF IN
incurable diseases, In the presence Oh
which the doctor stands utterly helpless
No one knows better than he that the ia
terial means upon which he relies, forti-
fed by the learning and skill Oh tine
greatest physicians and medical experts
in the world can do nothing in SUCH
cases. They do their best and do 1t con
scientiously. Their patients have more
lconfidence In them and their remedies thar
thew have themselves. 1t Is this very
confidence and trust in the physician thai
heals many of their diseases The CON
scientious physicians are using less ano
less drugs They will tell you that GER
tain diseases, classed as incurable, anc
many Others cannot be healed by drugs
and of the others, large percentage oil
them would recover of themselves. we
often hear 1t said that nature Is the great
restorer and that the chief service OF
the doctor and his remedies is TO ale
nature in this restorative work.
The habit of using drugs TO excess nos
probably done more to shorten the spar
of life than any other of the evil or ar
roneous habits to which men are addicted
Beyond any doubt drugs have taSoD more
lives than they have saved. Physicians
realize this because they are eVeryoaA
witnesses of their deleterious and Otter
deadly effects, and therefore are NOR
| and more discouraging their use, oftel
deceiving their patients by giving then
harmless bread pills, or the like. in plac,
| of the medicines they think they heed
But, admitting all this, what would thu
world do, at the present time, without tn
physician?
Fear Causes Disease and Death
Man has, in ignorance of any better
succor, in time of sickness been depend
ent upon him and his remedies for centu-
ries past Disease and death are gener'
ally the results of fear. Take awaj
mans belief in the healing power of ma
teriai remedies and his trust and conf
dence In the skill of the physician to af-
ford him relief, and he would be deprived
of hope; the fear would be redoubled
and many would succumb to disease who
are now healed by their faith and trust II
the doctors On the other hand. Christian
Scientists have no faith In the efficacy
of drug to heal disease, no matter by
whose hand administered. AS result
the doctor. however skillful or learned he
may be, inspires no confidence in them
and his remedies afford them no relief
They have learned to depend upon another
and higher power, power that recog-
nizes no incurabe diseases. Jesus applied