Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, uses an interesting term—alterative—to describe divine Truth, with its healing effect on human minds and bodies. In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she writes, “Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it ‘every whit whole’ ” (p. 371).
An alterative is “a medicine which, without sensible operation, gradually induces a change in the habit or constitution and restores healthy functions” (Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828). It makes sense, then, that Mrs. Eddy also refers to divine Truth as the “medicine” of this Science: “A Christian Scientist’s medicine is Mind, the divine Truth that makes man free” (Science and Health, p. 453).
As Truth is accepted and incorporated into one’s thought, it destroys error. In giving Christian Science treatment, we are taught to specifically address whatever error or false belief needs correcting. But often, when doing so, other things are healed, too. In other words, divine Truth comprehensively obliterates anything unlike God.
