"Captain, why don't you heal your wife yourself?" So said Mary Baker Eddy to Captain Joseph S. Eastaman during a personal interview in which he appealed to Mrs. Eddy for help regarding his wife's illness. Mrs. Eddy gently explained that she was not now taking patients but had instructed students who were well qualified to heal. The captain, believing that none less than the Founder of Christian Science could heal this case, explained that he had procured the best medical aid, that he had left nothing untried. "What more can I do?" he asked. Mrs. Eddy replied, "Learn how to heal."
This is an account from a series of articles written by Captain Eastaman and published in The Christian Science Journal in 1892. The story is retold in the book A Century of Christian Science Healing. The captain immediately made arrangements to enter Mrs. Eddy's next class. His wife responded quickly to treatment and was eager to join a subsequent class so that she might bring help to others through Christian Science.A Century of Christian Science Healing (Boston: The Christian Science Publishing Society, 1966), p. 19;
We can respond to the call of serving God and mankind just as the fishermen left their nets and followed Jesus, just as businessmen, homemakers, tradesmen, and people from various walks of life felt themselves directed to Mrs. Eddy to learn to heal through prayer. We don't have to hold to that "Who—me?" attitude, believing we have not reached a point of spiritual development sufficient to give effective treatment.
