In the year 1900, in a township in a county of the State of Illinois, the mother of a German family passed away and left a number of children,—mostly grown to maturity. One of the daughters seemed very dejected and mourned her mother very deeply. There seemed to be no way in which they could break the spell that was over her, and she passed into a state of religious monomania in which she was continually exhorting every one to a religious life and did it in such a way as to convince every one that there was mental aberration in a deplorable form. The family endured it until it seemed wise to the father to have her removed to the state hospital at Kankakee.
While doing this, through ignorance of how to control her, she was angered and became raging and furious, and it required three strong men to take her to the hospital. After that she was violent and it seemed necessary to use severe treatment. Once when the father went to see her she was strapped on a bed, the only way they could get along with her. There were times when she had to be controlled in this way.
She was in this condition for eight months with only the care of the hospital given her, and no improvement to be noticed. In June, 1901. the father having learned something of Christian Science, came to consult in regard to its efficacy in such a dire calamity as had befallen his daughter. He engaged treatment for her and the work was begun.
