"The object of this book is to describe in plain terms the work in behalf of nervous sufferers which has been undertaken in Emmanuel Church, Boston. So much has been written on the subject of our movement, in many instances by persons slightly acquainted with it, that we feel it due to the public and to ourselves to state what we are doing and to discuss the religious and scientific principles on which we are building. If a temporary digression may be pardoned, our Class for the Treatment of Nervous Disorders is not the first effort we have made for the relief of the sick. Nearly three years ago the Emmanuel Church Tuberculosis Class began its beneficent mission under the medical direction of Dr. Joseph H. Pratt. The question we attempted to answer in founding this class was, can the poorest consumptives be cured in the slums of a great city without removing them from their homes? The treatment consisted of the approved modern method of combating consumption, plus discipline, friendship, encouragement, and hope, in short, a combination of physical and moral elements, and we are satisfied that the personality of Dr. Pratt is largely responsible for the fact that while our work has been carried on under the most unfavorable environment, our records will bear comparison with those of the best sanatoria"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).