Page:Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1898).djvu/114

94 The materialistic doctor, though humane, is an artist who outlines his thought relative to disease, and then

fills his delineations with sketches from text-books. It is easy to prevent disease forming in mortal mind, to appear afterwards on the body. The thought of disease is sometimes formed before you see your doctor, and before he undertakes to dispel it by a counter-irritant, — perhaps by a blister, by the application of caustic, by croton oil, or by a surgical operation. Perhaps, giving another direction to faith, he prescribes drugs, until the elasticity of mortal thought haply causes a vigorous reaction upon itself, and thus reproduces a picture of healthful and harmonious formations.

The patient's belief is more or less moulded and formed by his doctor's belief in the case, even though the doctor says nothing to support his theory. His thoughts and his patient's commingle, and the stronger rule the weaker. Hence the importance that doctors be Christian Scientists.

Because the muscles of the blacksmith's arm are strongly developed, it does not follow that exercise has

produced this result, or that a less-used arm must be weak. If matter were the cause of action, and muscles, without the co-operation of mortal mind, could lift the hammer and strike the nail, it might be thought true that hammering would enlarge the muscles. The trip-hammer is not increased in size by exercise. Why not, since muscles are as material as wood and iron? Because mortal mind is not willing that result on the hammer.

Muscles are not self-acting. If mortal mind moves them not, they are motionless. Hence the fact that