Christian Science was brought to my attention at a time of great physical suffering. I had met with an accident while yet in my early teens which resulted in the fracture of the right lower rib. It caused me great pain, but I consulted a nurse, an acquaintance of the family, who thought it was merely a bad bruise and with a little care would soon heal. After quite a while it did appear to be much better and I got along fairly well, although my side never felt entirely free from pain. I could never wear close fitting clothes.
Later in life this side commenced to give me trouble. The pain grew in intensity as time passed, until it became almost unendurable. I consulted a physician, who decided that the broken rib had never properly healed, and that it had been forced upward across the two ribs next above it and had grown fast thereto. He made more than one examination, and gave it considerable thought, but finally decided there was nothing that could be done, as an operation would most certainly leave me in a worse condition.
I decided to make the best of it, and for a while seemed to improve. However, later it grew even worse than ever before. For months thereafter I suffered constantly. The misery seemed to undermine my health and nerves. I became a semi-invalid, and ran down in flesh and strength until I could barely stand alone. A second physician made an examination and advised the same as the first. After this, I consulted other physicians and took their treatments, but in a general way my condition grew worse.
