FAITH CURE. A term applied to the prac tice of curing disease by an appeal to the hope, belief, or expectation of the patient, and without the use of drugs or other material means. For merly it was confined to methods requiring the exercise of religious faith, such as the 'prayer cure' and 'divine healing.' but has now come to be used in the broader sense, and includes the cures of '\lental Science,' and hypnotism; also a large part of the cures effected by patent medi cines and nostrums, as well as many folk prac tices and home remedies. By some it is used to include also Christian Science, hut the believers in the latter regard it as entirely distinct.
Faith cure, in some of its forms. is' as old as human history. The Christian Church has al ways held that prayer should be offered for the sick, and many sacred relics and favored shrines have had marvelous powers of healing ascribed to them. The Grotto of Lourdes, in France, and the shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupri"., in Que bec, are well-known instances. In each of these places thousands of cures have been wrought, in accordance with the faith of the sufferers in the potency of the blessed waters. These cures seem to many to be the natural consequences of the doc trine taught by the story of the Pool of Bethesda, and various utterances of Jesus and the Apostles are quoted in support of more or less definite teachings and practices of faith healing. About a quarter of a century ago, one Dr. Curtis, of Bos ton, created a sensation by preaching the efficacy of prayer in the cure of bodily ills. Alore recent ly two men have become prominent from their advocacy of the prayer cure. Rev. A. B. Simp son, of New York, teaches that the healing of the body is included in the Atonement, and that, having accepted the Atonement, it is dishonoring God not to claim healing of the body. Simpson follows the Apostolic practice, and anoints with oil. John Alexander Dowie„ of 'Zion City (see ( HRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH ) , maintains a large establishment on the plan of a hotel, which he calls a 'Divine Healing Home.' Ills method
is by prayer and the laying on of Minds. Ile re ports many cures, and has ;tecinnulated a large sum of money from the voluntary eontribittions of those who have been healed. Another class of divine healers is the group who have been styled the 'tramp healers,' from their habit of traveling about the country, The most important person in this class is the unfortunate Sehlatte• (q.v.), the Denver healer, whose autobiography shows that he was the victim of an insane delusion. .rdost prominent among, those forms of healing covered by the broader use of the term faith more are Christian Science (an account of which will be found in the art isle on that subject) rind 'Mental Science,' of which Dr. P. P. Quimby, of Portland, was the formulator. Airs. Eddy was a patient of Dr. Quimby, and is believed by some to have derived her 'science' from I . This, however, is denied by Christian Scientists. Since Dr. Quimby's death 'Mental Science' has been espoused by a large number of intelligent people, until there are now many variants. There being no organization and no one to diet ate what one shall believe or practice, each 'Mental Scientist' is free to put his own individuality into the movement, formulating his own theory and adapting his practice to his own ideas. This has resulted in the development of a large number of leaders and types of mental healing. Their treatment. consists in holding up to the patient ideal conditions of health and happiness, and so freeing his mind from the unhappy condition or unpleasant thoughts which are supposed to have caused the physical disease. Sometimes this is done by conversation and sometimes by silent influence. Both Christian Scientists and 'Mental Scientists' give 'absent treatments,' but the for mer with the understanding that God heals, while the latter claim that they influence the patient's mind.