When a serious medical emergency arises, most people contact a doctor but not always.
Some time ago I wrote a column about a young girl who some 70 years ago had the misfortune of accidentally having her dress catch fire at an open fireplace. I still remember the incident because I happened to be a witness.
The details of the accident are still vivid after all these years, and especially a remark made by one of the family members after the fire was extinguished leaving severe burns on the victim’s body.
She excitedly shouted, “Someone go get Miss King because she can talk with fire out of a burn victim.” And it was done.
Now just how successful were the services of Miss King, I am not sure; however while talking to a patient at the hospital, the subject of the event came up.
She knew about the accident and informed me that she was indeed kin to the family. It’s a small world.
Since then I have talked with several people about the prevalence of this type of healing and to my surprise, it apparently is still practiced today.
I skeptically mentioned this to my housekeeper thinking that she might mark it up to superstition but to the contrary, she had actually been the recipient of the healing.
Now middle aged, when she was about ten years old, she said that her mother left her and her brother briefly to tend to a frying pan of hot grease cooking fish.
During her absence, she and her brother were playing around when she accidentally hit the handle of the pan and the hot grease spilled onto her arm and hand.
Hearing the commotion, the mother came running and when she saw what had happened, she immediately sent her son to get a neighbor who was known for talking the fire out of a burn victim.
When she arrived, reportedly she carefully held the crying child’s injured arm and gently rubbed her hand across the burn site with her eyes closed and while doing this, she silently uttered some words that the child did not understand.
The child was told that this would relieve the pain, and the injury would soon heal. She believed and according to her comments, it was not long before the accident was only a bad memory.
According to a website, even today there are those who purportedly have this gift. Not only are they able to help fire victims, but they ordinarily can remove warts and stop bleeding.
Nonbelievers of this healing process are likely to suggest that the real healing in such an occurrence is simply that the victim believes it will give relief similar to the medical doctor giving a patient a placebo and convincing him that taking the (sugar) pill will cure his ills. The power of suggestion does work… sometimes.
While my housekeeper is convinced that there are people with such an unusual healing gift, I personally will try the ER first.

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Bill Lee
PO Box 128
Hamer, SC 29547