and general disability of the nervous system.[1] The doctors had tried their best to relieve her but to no effect; their efforts only made her worse, and at last she sent for me. I found her very nervous, complaining of aches and pains all over. When I told her that it was her mind that was disturbed she replied, “Oh, no, my mind is at rest. I know I am in the hands of a merciful God who will deal with me according to His will. I have full faith in Him.” Do you suppose He knows your troubles? I asked. “Yes, He knows all things.” Suppose Jesus were here as He was eighteen hundred years ago do you think He could cure you? “Oh, yes. I know He knows all my suffering.” Then why does He not cure you? “Because it is His will that I should go through all this suffering to fit me for the kingdom of heaven.” Now suppose your daughter should be taken sick away from home in a strange land among strangers and suppose some kind friend should call on her and say, “You seem very low spirited” and she should reply, “Oh, no I know that it is all right.” “Suppose your mother were here, would you not get well?” “Yes, she knows all my sufferings, but she knows it is all right to make me better prepared to enjoy her company when I get home.” “Do you believe that if she had a mind to cure you she could do so?” “Certainly.” “Can you say you love your mother when you admit your life is in her hands and she permits you to suffer so much?” “Oh, she is my mother, and I feel that she knows what is for the best. It gives me comfort to know that I am in the hands of a merciful being.” [Despite this reasoning the patient fails to admit a point, and so Dr. Quimby, once more addressing her, says:] Would you like to have me cure you? “Yes, if you can, but not if I must give up my belief in my religion. I should rather go down to the grave with my religion than be cured and lose my belief. If you can cure me of my lameness and not talk to me about my religion I should like to get well, but if you cannot cure me without that I do not know as I will be cured, for I don't think my religion has anything to do with my disease.” Do you not think your belief has something to do with your happiness? “Oh, yes, but it has nothing to do with my disease.” What is your disease? “Why, it is rheumatism, the doctors say, and a general prostration of the nervous system.” What is that? “Neuralgia, I suppose.” What is that? “I
- ↑ This is a typical instance of Quimby's method of re-education.
