About the first of July, 1912, I was taken sick with a fever and severe pain in the abdomen. I sent for a Christian Science practitioner, who treated the case for a few days but, the thought that the trouble might be contagious decided us to call in a physician in compliance with the Massachusetts law requiring contagious cases to be reported. The doctor's diagnosis was typhoid fever, and the disease was accordingly reported to the board of health. The doctor also said there was a condition requiring a slight surgical operation, but as he did not take such cases himself, he recommended a regular surgeon. Upon examination, the surgeon called it septic fever that had reached a gangrenous stage. An operation was arranged for and performed, although it was at first thought that I would not live through the ordeal. The next morning the surgeon told my wife there was very little chance of recovery, and told the nurse there was no chance at all; that no case which had reached this stage had ever been known to be healed.
I had been having Christian Science treatment for about a week prior to the operation, and continued to do so during the operation and afterward. The surgeon called every day, and later made several incisions, in order, as he said, to reach the poison which had spread to other parts of the body. Beyond making these incisions (there were ten in all), and draining and dressing the wounds, he did nothing. No stitches were taken, even in the largest wound, which was seven inches long and an inch and a half wide.
In three weeks I could move in bed, in five was up and dressed, and at the end of two months was back at my business perfectly well. I had gone far below my normal weight, but more than regained it. All the wounds healed with no other attention than the dressing and the Christian Science treatment. During the illness many alarming conditions arose for which the surgeon seemed to feel a drug was needed, but in every instance the condition was promptly alleviated by the Science treatment. When the practitioner was first called I was suffering intense pain, but this ceased at the first treatment and never returned. Aside from some discomfort when the wounds were drained, there was no suffering at any time after the operations.
