We often read and hear it voiced that the Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy has no right to lay claim to having discovered what is known as Christian Science, the reason given being that ideas similar to hers have been held by others, that healing has been practised with a greater or less degree of success ever since the beginning of the Christian era, and, because of these admitted facts, Mrs. Eddy cannot justly lay claim to be the discoverer of what was already known, and that she should not therefore be entitled to either honor or material benefit from what she terms her discovery.
This claim was very clearly answered in the mind of the writer through a decision given by a judge presiding in the United States Circuit Court and affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals.
A certain firm had sued another for infringement of a patent owned by them and asked damages because of the infringement. The firm sued set up the claim of want of novelty in the device and patent in question, and to sustain their claim, proved eight or ten cases where a somewhat similar device and method had been used before the plaintiff's patent had been issued, and therefore asked that the plaintiff's patent be declared void for want of novelty.
