Throughout the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and her other writings, Mary Baker Eddy gives students definite rules to be applied in the healing of sin and disease. One such rule, on page 11 of "Rudimental Divine Science," reads thus: "The lecturer, teacher, or healer who is indeed a Christian Scientist, never introduces the subject of human anatomy; never depicts the muscular, vascular, or nervous operations of the human frame. He never talks about the structure of the material body."
An illustration of this statement made a deep impression upon the writer's thought many years ago in the healing of a member of her family. This one turned to Christian Science as a last resort when a certain drug administered by a physician for a painful physical condition failed to bring relief. Being unacquainted with the teachings of this Science, the sufferer felt some doubt of its healing efficacy, because the practitioner made no effort to ascertain a physical cause for the trouble, and seemed unimpressed by the disturbing physical symptoms involved. However, before the close of the practitioner's visit, this relative was entirely free from pain and able to partake of solid food for the first time in several weeks, without experiencing a recurrence of the trouble. The following day he returned to his duties, permanently healed. At that time the healing seemed little short of miraculous. Later, it was understanding recognized to be the divinely natural result of the practitioner's clear apprehension of divine metaphysics, coupled with her calm mental attitude and strict adherence to the aforesaid rule.
The experienced student of Christian Science is aware of the incongruity and folly of delving into the subject of human anatomy or physiology, because he has gained a scientific understanding of God's allness as infinite Mind, or Spirit, and man's spiritual, perfect, and immortal status as the son of God. He knows, therefore, that he must turn away from the state of consciousness which testifies that man is a material organism, or that man is a sick or sinful mortal who needs to be healed. The Christian Science healer knows that God's man, the real man, exists at the standpoint of spiritual perfection, that he is not and never has been subject to so-called laws of matter. He knows that matter or evil is a supposititious mortal belief, without intelligence or reality, and that its false claim to existence must be repudiated and cast out of human consciousness through the knowledge and utilization of spiritual law. His understanding of the true facts of being enables him to view the inharmonies of the material body and material surroundings as false human beliefs. And he earnestly endeavors to correct these errors with his understanding of the power of Truth on all occasions.
