To say a person deliberately falsifies seems harsh. When it is possible to say they are only mistaken it seems more gentle and charitable. To lie is to "intentionally violate truth." While to be mistaken is only to err in one's opinion. I am led to make these suggestions because certain doctors, have either wilfully or mistakenly misrepresented cases within my knowledge. Let me state a case or two in point. A poor, distressed mother came to a lady Scientist, and asked her to visit and treat her daughter, who, the doctors said was dying with consumption. She had been given up by them, as a hopeless case. She went and found the girl had not been able to sit up for months. She was a mere skeleton, with a harassing cough,— and an abscess on her left side. After being given up by several doctors, and sentenced to die in a few weeks, some friend advised her to try Christian Science, as it might help her. The lady Scientist took a look at the poor girl, and her heart failed her until she called to mind the fact, that not she, but Truth, God, was the healer. So she took the case without further fear, and the girl began to recover. Her cough ceased; her appetite returned. In a few months, the abscess was well, and she appeared as well as ever. About that time one of the doctors heard of it and called to see her. He asked her if she had stopped taking his medicine; she told him she had, when he said to her, If you stop taking that medicine you will have boils come out all over your body; and have an awful time." This alarmed her very much and when the Scientist visited her again, she found her in a dreadful state of mind, and felt sure the boils were coming fast; in fact was sure one of them was just putting in an appearance. She was assured that all this was untrue; her fear was destroyed and she experienced no further trouble from that source.
When she had demonstrated over this falsehood her mother chanced to meet another doctor who had attended her and assured her, that one of her ribs was decayed and must come out. He inquired how she was, and her mother assured him she was all right, and that the abscess was well. At this he expressed great regret, as there was a "dead rib" there that was loose and must come out and that it must now be cut out before she could recover. Foolishly her mother told her of what the doctor had said. This alarmed her very much, and she began to feel of the rib to see if it was loose. She became satisfied it was, and began to be in great distress about it. The more she thought about it the worse she got. The next day the mother came to the Scientist and told her the whole story, and said she left her daughter rolling on the carpet in the greatest agony, and sure she was bound now to die soon. The lady assured the mother this was all false, and sent her home, and in the afternoon went to see the young lady. She found her in a state of perfect happiness, reading Science and Health, and laughing at the absurdity of the whole tiling. She said that while rolling on the floor in awful agony, she bethought herself and got up and got Science and Health, and began reading it and in a few moments every twinge of pain and agony was gone.
She now thinks these doctors made either a wretched mistake or else deliberately tried to deceive them, she does not know which. One thing is sure however, she is now, some three years after, in perfect health; is married and keeping house, and laughs when reminded of these experiences.
