Responsibilities of the Physician
399
the laws which govern the physical system? If they do not put to a
practical use the knowledge they have of the laws that govern their
own being, if they prefer present gratification to soundness of mind
and body, they are not fit to be entrusted with the lives of others. They
are in duty bound to stand in the dignity of their God-given manhood,
free from the bondage of any appetite or passion. The man who chews
and smokes is doing injury not only to himself but to all who come
[443]
within the sphere of his influence. If a physician must be called, the
tobacco devotee should be passed by. He will not be a safe counselor.
If the disease has its origin in the use of tobacco, he will be tempted to
prevaricate and assign some other than the true cause; for how can he
condemn himself in his own daily practice?
There are many ways of practicing the healing art, but there is
only one way that Heaven approves. God’s remedies are the simple
agencies of nature that will not tax or debilitate the system through
their powerful properties. Pure air and water, cleanliness, a proper diet,
purity of life, and a firm trust in God are remedies for the want of which
thousands are dying; yet these remedies are going out of date because
their skillful use requires work that the people do not appreciate. Fresh
air, exercise, pure water, and clean, sweet premises are within the
reach of all with but little expense, but drugs are expensive, both in the
outlay of means and in the effect produced upon the system.
The work of the Christian physician does not end with healing the
maladies of the body; his efforts should extend to the diseases of the
mind, to the saving of the soul. It may not be his duty, unless asked, to
present any theoretical points of truth; but he may point his patients
to Christ. The lessons of the divine Teacher are ever appropriate. He
should call the attention of the repining to the ever-fresh tokens of the
love and care of God, to His wisdom and goodness as manifested in
His created works. The mind can then be led through nature up to
nature’s God and centered on the heaven which He has prepared for
those that love Him.
The physician should know how to pray. In many cases he must
increase suffering in order to save life; and whether the patient is a
Christian or not, he feels greater security if he knows that his physician
fears God. Prayer will give the sick an abiding confidence; and many
times if their cases are borne to the Great Physician in humble trust, it
will do more for them than all the drugs that can be administered.