With hearts full of love to God, to our Master, and to our Leader, we send the following testimony of the healing of diphtheria in its most malignant form, believing it will give courage and hope to others when the dark shadows of sense seem to overwhelm, and material evidence appears strong.
A year ago last December, just four days after the Reed trial here in Los Angeles, our oldest child, a boy of nine years, went to school in the morning as well as ever, but on returning home in the afternoon he felt so badly that he lay down by the way, and was found by a man who knew the child, and brought home by him in his buggy. We tried to realize the truth, but the following evening he seemed to our sense quite ill. We then decided to send for a practitioner, who sent us this comforting message: "God will care for His own child." He was somewhat relieved, but there were still some strong and alarming conditions. When we told the Scientist, she called, and we thought it best to have a doctor diagnose the case, and if it proved to be a case of contagion, as we feared, we would then obey the ordinance regarding such cases, as our Leader has advised. The doctor came and pronounced it a case of diphtheria in its most malignant form. He described to us the conditions of the throat, and after a few minutes' talk said he would not stay in the house any longer, but would talk with us outside. He urged us to use anti-toxine, stating that our little boy could not live six hours, and that if we would only use the anti-toxine we would always feel we had done everything that could be done to save him; but he held out no hope whatever. He knew that we were Christian Scientists and did not believe in material remedies, and we told him we would still put our trust in God. The doctor expressed great sorrow for us, which he evidently felt, as he did not understand that we had put our child in the care of the great Physician who healeth all our diseases.
A doctor from the Board of Health came out, and we had to go through the same thing again. He asked a Christian Scientist whom the practitioner had sent to us as a nurse, to be a witness that he had offered to administer the anti-toxine free of charge, and said he expected to have to report the case to the Humane Society. She asked, "Will you guarantee that the anti-toxine will cure the child?" He replied, "No, I don't say anything will." She said, "We believe we have something that will." This ordeal with the two doctors did not have a quieting effect, but added to our fear; yet not for one minute did we distrust the power of Truth, but felt that the very difficulties of the situation should call forth greater faith in God.
