Mr. Harold Frederic, the able American journalist and novelist, in whom strength of character was much more prominent than refinement, was about the last person whom any one would have imagined i to become the dupe of the "Christian Scientists." But the inquest which was opened last week and continued yesterday has revealed the fact that his death was accelerated by want of medical treatment in consequence of his having given himself over, on the persuasion of a woman, to this pernicious fraud. It seems, however, that roderic was instigated rather by a dislike of doctors, and by a rebellion against the rules of life which they laid down for him, than by any real belief in the tricksters who took his money under pretence of "*communing with the Almighty on his behalf." This is the second case of death under "treatment" by Christian Scientists that we have had within afew weeks; and it becomes a question what steps should be taken to cope with the evil. As they do not pretend to any medical qualification the Medical Acts are probably powerless against them; but they could surely be proceeded against as rogues and vag-bonds, in the same way as are fortunetellers who'extract money from the pockets of foolish servant girls,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.