ON Thursday the 2d of February, 1911,1 was suddenly seized with all the symptoms of what is known as Bright's disease, a complaint to which, as I subsequently learned, I had been sentenced by a number of persons, including a doctor of medicine residing in the pension in Germany where I was then staying. My condition rapidly became so serious that on Friday my daughter telegraphed to England for absent treatment. On the 4th my state was such that, taken in conjunction with my age (I was in my sixty-ninth year), there seemed, to sense, every probability of my passing on within a few hours, so my son was summoned from England. On the evening of Sunday, however, the symptoms began to yield to treatment, and for the first time since the attack I was able to retain liquid nourishment and to move myself slightly without assistance. The next morning there was a marked improvement in my condition. I was able to open my eyes partially, to sit up in bed and converse for short periods, and at half-past nine on the morning of the 7th all the symptoms of the disease had left me.
After one slight relapse my recovery was rapid and uninterrupted, and within a few weeks I was strong enough to return to England. The long summer of 1911 was exceptionally warm, and I have always suffered from heat; but this year it did not prevent me from going about whereever I wished or from taking my part in the picnics, walks, and other enjoyments incidental to country life. I am now independent of weather conditions and can walk and exert myself at least to the same extent as before my illness, and my energy and general good health are the subject of remark among my friends.
Before I heard of Christian Science, in the autumn of 1906, it had been a regular experience with me for some years previously to spend the greater part of each winter in my room with huge fires and bronchitis kettles and a medical man in regular attendance, who administered numerous drugs. A few weeks devoted to reading the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, combined with the explanations afforded me by a friend, sufficed to convince me of the unreality of all my suffering and slavery. The kettles and the drugs were forthwith thrown away, and during the winter of 1906-07, which was a particularly inclement one, I went out and about without reference to the weather, and have continued to do so ever since.
