A year's course of study, involving both physical and mental strain, acting on a constitution never considered robust, and weakened by two years' residence in the enervating climate of Aden, reduced me to a state of nervous prostration and one hundred and twenty pounds in weight. I completed the year's course and passed the final examination, though living in constant dread of breakdown at any time during the last three months. I then obtained two months' leave and submitted myself to a German specialist at Wiesbaden. He diagnosed my case as diabetes, and put me on a very strict diet, allowing me no bread, potatoes, fruit, sugar, or starch. I had twelve months' sick-leave and then three months on half pay. I had to rest a great deal and could take but very little exercise without losing weight and getting very tired. I regained thirty pounds in weight during this time, but I used to make a chemical analysis for myself and regulate my diet so as to keep the disease from advancing.
In this state I was allowed to return to my work, at the recommendation of a Birmingham specialist, and came out to Halifax, N. S., as instructor in gunnery in June, 1903. I was still very weak and easily overtired, and although my duties would not have been very onerous for an ordinary individual, I had to rest all my spare time.
In six months I had lost ten pounds in weight and was in despair, feeling that I was slipping back, and fearing that I would have to throw up my appointment and go on half pay. Just then Christian Science was brought to my notice. I knew next to nothing about it, and fortunately for myself, was not much prejudiced against it. I was willing to try anything on the chance of being helped. I went to a practitioner in February, 1904, and within four days I was eating everything like an ordinary individual, and have done so ever since. I was asked to make no chemical test until I was certain that my change of diet was doing me no harm. In about two weeks I was perfectly certain that this was the case, and that on the contrary I was improving in health with great rapidity. I then tested and found that I had been gaining, in spite of the fact that I had been eating jam, pastry, sugar, etc. I repeated the test three times. That settled the question of the efficacy of Christian Science healing to my mind. Since then, February, 1904, I have steadily improved in health and strength.
