SIGHT RESTORED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18953, 29 August 1923, Page 4

SIGHT RESTORED.

HICKSON HEALING MISSION. A REMARKABLE CASE. (From Odk Own Correspondent.! AUCKLAND, August 28. A remarkable case of restoration of sight to a woman suffering from glaucoma, an ej'o disease which ends in blindness, is reported in the current issue of the Auckland Church Gazette. The cure took place during Mr J. M. Hickson’s healing mission at Bathurst, New South Wales. The patient was a nurse, and the care Was vouched for by the Rev. W. Clough Black, Baptist minister, and an ex-president of the Baptist Conference. The editor of the Gazette wrote to Mr Black, and has received the following reply: ‘‘Several years ago Nurse Heasworth developed eye trouble and consulted in successive order seven Macquarie street specialists, Dr Temple Smith being her mam adviser. They all averred that she suffered from glaucoma, and ultimately Dr Temple Smith operated on her eye. The glaucoma operation s car is still discernible. Six years ago the eye operated on went totally blind, and she was gradually losing the sight of the other eye, and could but dimly see a few months ago. In great distress she came to see me sorrowing because her prospective blindness would make her a burdensome care to her two sisters, who lived with her. She had heard of Mr Hickson’s coming, and, being a deeply spiritual woman, believing in the efficacy of prayer, she prepared for it, realising that if it were God’s will that no restoration of eight should be given her, then, as a Christian she must humbly accept His Divine will. In this spirit she attended the cathedral services on the first Monday. The moment Mr Hickson’s hands touched her eyes she felt a burning sensation and partially swooned, so that she had/ to be assisted by nurses to the door. The first few moments she saw but dimly, (hen soon after there came restoration of vision, and she could tell the time by the adjoining town hall clock. Returning home, she loft a message asking me to call and return thanks to God. That evening Dr Baring Deck, a city consultant, with a very extensive practice, though, unfortunately, for purpose of attestation, he is not a British Medical Association man, being a homeopathist, phoned me. Dr Baring Deck has specialised on the eye diseases, and when I told him about Nurse Heasworth ho consented to come and scientifically examine her. To his amazement, she had a glaucoma operation scar, and yet her eyes were not strained and tense, but normal. Ho disbelieved her testimony for a moment, but soon discovered that she could see fairly well out of the blind eye and perfectly with the other, and he exclaimed, “This is a remarkable miracle.’’ Next day she could see the Blue Mountains 50 miles away and all the intervening landmarks, and since then her vision has improved in a remarkable way, so that she can see further and more distinctly than the majority of folk.” The writer speaks of the scepticism with which the report of the cure was received in. Sydney medical circles. Several doctors, disbelieving that Nurse Heasworth had suffered from glaucoma, visited a local chemist and asked him to verify the reports by turning up the prescriptions of the Macquarie street specialists, as he had dispensed them. Ho did so, and they were astonished to find glaucoma drops repeatedly prescribed. An interesting account follows of an interview between the nurse and Dr Temple Smith, the surgeon who performed the operation. At first, states the writer, ho refused to believe his visitor was his patient, and when finally convinced ho asked her for an explanation. She said, “God did it,’’ to which he replied that evidently she was a religious fanatic, and her explanation did not appeal to him. Then she mentioned Mr Hickson and drew \ from him a denunciation of that “humbug. ’ An amazing demonstration followed. Ho placed Nurse Heasworth in a darkened room, continues the writer, for the purpose of a test, saying, “I will ask you soon to tell mo what you can see on this board.” And then God performed another miracle. In the pitch dark she saw letters and numbers. Trembling with excitement, tho doctor said, “Good God, woman, you can see in the dark. I have not turned on tho light .yet.” The light was turned on, and, examining her eyes closely, ho said, “You have the most perfect eyes I have ever aeon. Your optic nerves are as strong and clear as those of a girl.” However—and this is the strangest part of the story—Dr Temple Smith is so opposed to Mr Hickson, that, despite this miracle, lie refuses to allow his name to be publicly, mentioned, and will not give Nurse Heasworth any indication in writing that she ever was his patient, that she ever suffered from glaucoma, or even that now she has a clear vision. . The editor of the Gazette is writing for further particulars, and a specialist will be asked to examine Miss Heasworth’s eyes and give a written report.