Edmund F. Burton (1862 – October 25, 1921) was an American physician who left medicine for the study of
Christian Science
Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...
. He was licensed to practice in Illinois, Arizona, and California. While still practicing medicine, he was a member of the American Medical Association.
Career
He was a graduate of
Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, located in the Illinois Medical District, about 3 km (2 miles) west of the Loop in Chicago. Offering a full-time Doctor of Medicine program, the school was chartered in 1837, and ...
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Illinois, where he later taught. He was also on the surgical staff of
Cook County Hospital
The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Cook County Health and Hospital System, along with Provident Hospital of Cook County and ...
.Gottschalk, Stephe ''The Emergence of Christian Science in American Religious Life'' (1974) pp. 232-233. University of California Press, Berkeley. Retrieved May 6, 2013 In 1896, he received the L. C. P. Freer Second Prize and wrote an article on tuberculosis for ''The Corpuscle'', a publication of the Rush Medical College.Burton, Edmund F "Tuberculosis of Bones and Joints" ''The Corpuscle'', Vol. VI, No. 1 (September 1896). Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, Medical Department Lake Forest University. Retrieved May 6, 2013 Burton was a member of the American Medical Association, but resigned when he left medicine for Christian Science.Bio at end of article ''
Christian Science Sentinel
The ''Christian Science Sentinel'' (originally the ''Christian Science Weekly'') is a magazine published by the Christian Science Publishing Society based in Boston, Massachusetts. The magazine was launched by Mary Baker Eddy in 1898. It includes ...
'', Vol. 10, No. 22 (February 1, 1908). Retrieved May 6, 2013
Finding himself ill with tuberculosis of the lungs, Burton became unable to work. He moved to what he hoped was a more favorable climate in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, where he recovered enough to work as assistant surgeon of the United States Marine Hospital Service. His physical condition continuing to deteriorate, he then moved to California In an attempt to mask the pain, Burton became addicted to
morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
, then to
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, as he then sought to counteract the drowsiness caused by the morphine."Science Healer's Plea" ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' (March 18, 1915). Retrieved May 6, 2013 Eventually Burton was unable to eat, suffered a breakdown and fell unconscious for over 48 hours. Some physicians who knew him, in consultation, pronounced him incurable and said he had three weeks to live. His wife attempted to have him admitted to a private sanitarium, but they declined because his condition was so bleak. Christian Science was recommended to him and Burton said that in his desperate situation, he tried it, although assuming it would be useless. He instead found himself healed, which he wrote in 1908, made him
"determined to find out what it was, although I had no thought at that time that it could take me out of my profession. ... Suffice it to say I did not find just what I expected, and many times I put'' Science and Health ''away with a feeling of impatience that the grain of truth which I felt must be there was obscured and buried by what seemed to me a mass of nonsense; but each time there would come back to me the fact that I was alive and well—better mentally than ever in my life—whereas there was the certainty from a medical point of view that I would have been dead and buried..."Burton, Edmund F "A Physician's Reasons for Becoming a Christian Scientist" ''
Christian Science Sentinel
The ''Christian Science Sentinel'' (originally the ''Christian Science Weekly'') is a magazine published by the Christian Science Publishing Society based in Boston, Massachusetts. The magazine was launched by Mary Baker Eddy in 1898. It includes ...
Burton was married to Alberta Neiswanger Hall, a composer who wrote songs for children, including settings for
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
Walton Hubbard
Walton Hubbard (October 25, 1874 – November 9, 1954) was a medical doctor who, after nine years of medical practice, quit medicine and became a Christian Science practitioner, teacher, and lecturer.
Life
Hubbard was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsi ...
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Jer Master
Jer Master was an Indian pediatrician who left medicine to pursue the study of Christian Science. For more than two decades, Master worked in the field of medicine, both in private practice and as a professor of pediatrics at the Bai Jerbai Wadi ...
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John M. Tutt
John M. Tutt (March 20, 1879 – March 1, 1966) was an American physician who converted to Christian Science in 1905, later becoming a practitioner in 1912, and then a teacher of Christian Science in 1916. One of his early patients was the mother ...
The Christian Science Journal
''The Christian Science Journal'' is an official monthly publication of the Church of Christ, Scientist through the Christian Science Publishing Society, founded in 1883 by Mary Baker Eddy.Testimony ''
Christian Science Sentinel
The ''Christian Science Sentinel'' (originally the ''Christian Science Weekly'') is a magazine published by the Christian Science Publishing Society based in Boston, Massachusetts. The magazine was launched by Mary Baker Eddy in 1898. It includes ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...