Mrs. Eddy and the Late Suit in Equity – Primary Source Edition

Meehan, Michael. Mrs. Eddy and the Late Suit in Equity – Primary Source Edition

This extremely rare and important primary resource is a fairly complete and accurate report on the six-month court trial known as the ‘Next Friends’ suit brought against Mary Baker Eddy, which was finally dismissed. The importance of this full record of pre-trial publicity, court proceedings, press interviews, and biographical studies of leading figures in the case lies not only with the history of Christian Science but also with the American history of religion, the struggle between religion and science, medical and psychiatric history, legal precedence, and the powerful, long-lasting impact of yellow journalism. The case of Salem witchcraft teachings is an example of some of the evidence given in oral arguments. Following the trial, Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton, the leading ‘alienist’ [19^th century term for ‘psychiatrist’] replied to a “New York Times” inquiry following his professional interview with Eddy, “Her case is a perfectly simple one, and the sensational stories which have been disseminated about her have no foundation in fact – although they can be very easily traced to a spirit of religious persecution that has at last quite overreached itself” (241).

Of special note: Meehan’s original extremely rare book now has many editions and printings which have been distributed in various forms since 2010. This blog post, “Michael Meehan’s Book on the Next Friends Suit—A Study in Bibliography describes the history of the book, its near suppression, and how to distinguish the various editions available today.

ISBN-10: 1294535277
ISBN-13 (Softcover): 978-1294535270
ISBN-13 (Hardcover): 978-1297961274