A Skeptic's Casebook
Chapter 8 The Media
(Investigator 217, 2024 March)
Does the media,
in particular the tabloid press, perpetuate ignorance and superstition
at the expense of rational enquiry? Given the millions of newspapers
and magazines sold each week it would appear that many people rely on
those sources for information—if you read it in the newspaper it must
be true.
Advertising of
course, is the bread and butter of most newspapers and magazines, and
where extraordinary claims are made it's a case of caveat emptor.
Until recently,
the Manly Daily, one of the Cumberland Group of newspapers with a
claimed readership of over one million, included in its 'Public
Notices' column advertisements by psychics, clairvoyants and others of
that genre. Now they have their own category listed under the title
'Psychic Notices'. The Saturday issue always contains a dozen or so
advertisements and some of them are interesting to read, analyse and
speculate upon. Consider the following examples that all appeared in
this column on the same day.
* TAROT readings, relationships, career, future direction, decisions. Mon—Sat. Debbie. 972----.
* TAROT and Psychic readings. Sue. 968----.
* TAROT readings, questions answered reliably, will travel.
*
PAUL. 976----. asks, 'Are you sick? Maybe medically incurable. Then
tried everything. There's one that you haven't tried yet! Call Paul.'
* TAROT workshops. Learn to read the cards in one day. Phone Judy.
997----.
Among them,
through the medium of tarot cards, the first three advertisers presume
to act in the roles of marriage guidance counsellor, social worker,
financial adviser, vocational guidance officer, and miracle healer.
They insulate one from the responsibility of decision making, and claim
to be a font of infinite universal knowledge. The fourth advertiser
however, claims that these attributes which would normally take one
year of training to achieve can in fact be learned in a single day. Now
I've heard of speed reading and mnemonics, but have considerable doubts
that one could acquire Paul's encyclopaedic knowledge, the counselling
skills of Debbie and the psychic ability of Sue all in one day. I may
be right, for in the same column is a large advertisement by the Unity
College of Healing which invites you to explore your psychic potential
by enrolling in their twelve week course for one hundred and
ninety-five dollars, to learn psychometry, clairvoyance and auric
reading.
The value of
this course was depreciated however, by another advertisement by Mary,
who was offering a free night to understand the aura. Something for
nothing or a sprat to catch a mackerel? A smaller advertisement bearing
the same name and telephone number, advertised a ten week healing and
spiritual development course commencing the following week. More on
that one later.
Lower down the
column was GYPSY, and although one is left to speculate whether this is
her name or ethnic grouping, she leaves no doubt about her spiritual
and psychic qualifications—she claimed to be 'internationally trained'
and has worked in London and the USA. Having bought a 'gold' watch in
Romania which turned green, and had some tobacco stolen while in
London, my own encounters with gypsies lead me to suspect that they
were trained by a fellow called Fagin!
Clairvoyants
abound in the Psychic Notices column and their disparate and diverse
abilities give cause for wonderment. BERIT on 968---- for instance,
advocates healing oneself with 'pulsating therapy', and GRAEM 99----
specialises in casting charms.
One advertiser
who has appeared almost continuously in the column for over twenty
years is astrologer/clairvoyant/consultant Gordon Ballard. Mr Ballard
was the subject of an Australian Skeptics' investigation in 1988, when,
for a fee of one hundred dollars, he drew up a natal chart detailing
the life and future prospects of a female subject who had died at the
age of eight months, twenty-five years previously! Full details of this
damning condemnation of astrology can be read in Chapter One.
[Investigator 213]
Despite the
adverse publicity over the 'tele-psychic' scam in America (see article
in the Skeptic, 14[2]:7) the rip-off thrives in Australia. Using three
different 0055 numbers, personal readings utilising Tarot, Runes or I
Ching, can be accessed for just over seventy-five cents per minute. It
would be an interesting and revealing exercise to ring all three
numbers at the same time for a reading to see whether (a) you are given
the same reading, or (b) all different. If the former, then one could
reasonably assume all three methods were using the same standard
response regardless of your choice. If the latter, it would testify to
the inaccuracy of at least two readings leaving the third to be
scrutinised for the same vague and ambiguous generalisations we
normally associate with this type of psychic consultation.
Passing over
'Healing Solutions', Bach Flower Remedies, Reflexology, Hypnotherapy,
Rebirthing and 'Raiki' (sic) (It's quite amazing the number of
alternative healers who can't even spell the name of their own
modality), we come to a psychic clairvoyant specialising in 'vision
quest' and 'medicine bags'. 'American Indian Insight', according to the
blurb, allows the advertiser to 'remove evil energies which have been
affecting your life.' The readings according to the advertisement, are
done 'unaided' which I assume means sans physical prompting aids such
as tarot cards, and suggests that we are dealing with a channeler
manifesting a (Red) Indian spirit. What relevance Red Indians have to
present day Australians' social, economic and emotional problems I
don't know.
Earlier in this chapter I mentioned Mary and her 'free aura reading night'.
I'm never one to
look a gift horse in the mouth and this offer presented the opportunity
to open up my closed mind to matters ethereal at no cost. The
advertisement advised that limited space was available and this turned
out to be literally true—the venue was what appeared to be a converted
garage underneath a house with floor space for no more than a dozen or
so aspirants.
Entering the
overheated room, the atmosphere thick with the fragrance of smouldering
joss sticks, I was greeted by Mary, a slim figure clad in a long white
crocheted dress, apparently aged in her mid to late twenties who, after
ticking my name off the list, handed me some poorly typed and
unprofessional looking flyers and allotted me a space on the floor.
Around the walls
were crayon drawings of human looking shapes enveloped in various
multi-coloured hues; chakra diagrams, and charts detailing alternative
healing techniques.
While waiting
for the others to arrive, I perused the sheets given me and learned
that Ms Mary McCarthy was a qualified teacher (no details of what),
originally from Balmain; a Kinesiologist, Spiritual Healer, Channel and
Counsellor. She facilitates workshops and courses in healing,
meditation and spiritual healing. She also writes for Southern
Crossings (a give-away New Age magazine). Various courses were
advertised ranging from a one on one consultation at fifty dollars to,
one hundred and sixty dollars for a two day workshop, which included
'art' materials for drawing auras.
With ten
potential clients seated on cushions around the perimeter of the room,
and Mary at one end in front of some crystals laid out in the form of a
cross, we were invited to take off our shoes, make ourselves
comfortable and meditate to the sound of softly playing 'mood' music.
During the
twenty minute meditation, no less than four drawings fell off the
walls, no doubt due to the negative vibrations radiating from yours
truly, patiently waiting to be initiated into the art of aura reading.
The wait over, I awoke refreshed apart from a crick in the neck, stiff
knees and an anaesthetised posterior, to three quarters of an hour of
the most unedifying, unscientific, uninformative new age clap-trap I've
ever had the misfortune to listen to. Mary's version of aura theory was
at variance with what I already knew, and the only authority invoked
was Sai Baba whose aura, according to our lecturer, extends four to
five feet and accounts for his benevolence and ability to perform
miracles. A conclusion with which Premanand our sceptical Indian friend
would have some difficulty concurring.
After a cup of
tea or coffee we got down to the nitty gritty of sensing each other's
auras. Each of us sat opposite a partner and meditated, then after ten
minutes we were supposed to come up with information received from each
other. Needless to say, like the three wise monkeys, I saw nothing,
heard nothing and felt nothing.
Being highly
resistant to the enticing promises of more by Demtel's famous TV
salesman, I am not expecting more for my money and will not be
enrolling in one of Mary's courses. However, I wrote the following
letter to her in the vague hope that she may be enticed to subject some
of her claims to a test.
Dear Mary McCarthy,
I recently
attended your free night to understand the aura, during which you made
several claims which, I believe, under properly controlled test
conditions, you would have difficulty in sustaining.
Specifically you
claimed that it is possible to see an aura around a human being and
that information—spiritual, psychological and physical can be assessed
from it. You further claimed that its colours can be accurately
reproduced for diagnostic purposes and that the aura can be physically
manipulated.
Although the
subjects were not raised at the meeting, I note that your advertising
flyers also make some specific claims, they are—that you can channel
healing energy from a higher source to stimulate cell growth and
restore health, and that you can heal by the use of crystals.
As these are
extraordinary claims with enormous potential they come within the scope
of our investigations into paranormal claims.
Australian
Skeptics Inc. therefore invite you to participate in a preliminary
assessment of your claimed abilities prior to the setting up of a
mutually agreed upon scientifically controlled test which, if the truth
of your claims are proven, would entitle you to the award offered by
our association of thirty thousand dollars.
Response? Yes,
you guessed it—no reply, and Mary carries on teaching her
unsubstantiated nonsense to all who are gullible enough to pay for it.
Uncritical reporting
At one of
Australian Skeptics monthly National Committee meetings, President
Barry Williams thrust a rolled up copy of Woman's Day into my hand
saying, "Do something with this.” Ignoring the rude connotation, I
placed the magazine on the table before me, and lo and behold, it fell
open, like a well thumbed copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover, at an
'exclusive' to reveal four pages of titillating poses by Rachel Hunter
in skimpy swimware. Casting a keen eye over the feminine pulchritude,
and noting the sweat and coffee stains evidence of the President's
prior licentious lollygagging, I nodded my approval and asked what I
was supposed to do with it. 'Not that you bloody fool, read the
articles and write something about them' came the admonishing response.
Curious to see
what the Editor-in-chief would find interesting enough to write about
in a magazine already a past recipient of the bent spoon award, (this
award is presented annually by the Australian Skeptics, to the
perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal piffle), I
thumbed through the mag. 'Exclusive' pics of Cher and her toy-boy;
Denise Drysdale defends her lover— 'Exclusive'; another 'exclusive' on
cricket hero Shane Warne; and yet another 'exclusive' on an Aussie
'hunk' in Hollywood; four pages of pics of the interior of the White
House; more pics of socialites, film and other personalities; and then
... ah ha! 'CLOSE ENCOUNTERS'—three anecdotal accounts of Australians
who claim to have been abducted (by you know who!) or have had a close encounter with a
UFO. For good measure a story on those 'mysterious' crop circles was
thrown in under the heading 'Aliens in Adelaide', accompanied by a pic
of a not so circular circle and another of Colin Norris, director of
Australian International UFO Research, poking around in the dirt. His
expert opinion? 'I can spot a fake a mile off. This is no hoax. There
has been a visit from an extraterrestrial craft here for sure.' An
accompanying 'scientist' (discipline not stated) carried out soil and
radiation tests and found that the salt content in the circle was forty
per cent higher than the rest of the paddock and radiation was up. As
these characteristics are claimed to be peculiar to UFO circles (so the
story tells us) what more proof could one ask for?! Prior to this
'landing', Norris had received a call from the Air Force because they
were getting so many reports of lights moving and standing still in the
Adelaide Hills. I see exactly the same sort of activity in the hills
surrounding my residence ... funny, I always thought they were car
headlights—just goes to show how wrong one can be.
The article
started with some comments from the 'experts'. Roy Lake, chairman of
UFO Studies, says, 'You can't dispute the evidence that is
materialising to the contrary', (whatever that means), and Tony Dodd,
director of research for UFO Magazine, who believes the aliens have
been involved in genetic engineering for centuries, concludes that
'because the similarities of the stories related by the people under
hypnosis are so strong, even sceptics would change their minds.' Well
here's one sceptic who won't change his mind for some very sound
reasons. Firstly, anecdotal evidence, particularly under hypnosis, is
not evidence at all. Secondly, despite tens of thousands of alleged
sightings and landings of UFOs over the past half century, not one
piece of tangible evidence in the form of hardware has ever been found,
yet when the first astronauts landed on the moon they left behind
footprints, tyre tracks, electronic equipment and a moon-buggy. Perhaps
extraterrestrials always 'do the right thing' and take their garbage
back with them. Thirdly, one would have thought that if crop circles
were depressions made by alien spacecraft there would be some
consistency in their size and shape, but to my knowledge no two have
ever been shown to have had exactly the same shape or dimensions and
some shapes have been decidedly odd. Fourthly, why would an alien
civilisation which, if it exists, and by virtue of the advanced
transport involved, would be far more technically advanced than our
own, send spacecraft through distances measured in light years just to
park on Earth for a few minutes and then whiz off into space? Fifthly,
I would suggest that the reason for the similarity of descriptions of
aliens by alleged abductees is patently obvious from an accompanying
photograph of one of them clutching a copy of Whitney Streiber's
'Communion'. And finally, as man has made enormous progress in the
field of genetic engineering in a matter of a few years it doesn't say
much for the aliens' medical technology if they have been slugging away
for centuries and are still experimenting on foetuses.
In an
accompanying box labelled 'UFO researchers believe' we were told that
an alien spaceship is spotted every fifteen seconds; women up to three
months pregnant are being abducted and their unborn babies snatched;
male abductees are being used for bizarre experiments; fifty thousand
US security documents are being withheld from the public, and
governments are covering up sightings to prevent mass civilian panic.
Having spent
many a balmy night on my patio relaxing with a coldie and a pipe gazing
at the stars, I have never yet spotted one of the two million odd
spacecraft supposedly passing overhead each year, and conclude that my
suburb must be in a UFO free zone as well as a nuclear free zone.
Woman's Day readers can take comfort from that and may like to note
that I currently have a couple of vacant units for lease and give a
written guarantee that female occupants will not be abducted—at least
not by aliens!
The suggestion
that governments are 'covering up to prevent mass civilian panic' is
quite amusing when one considers the number of government 'secrets'
periodically leaked, and surely if it were true, then that knowledge in
itself would create more panic than preventing it.
More pabulum
Moving on
through the mag we have Fiona McCullum, Australia's 'best known and
most accurate clairvoyant' (aren't they all?) answering questions sent
in by mail. There is no indication or confirmation that any of her
answers to the questions were accurate or otherwise.
Then we have
'The Lovers' Tarot', the brainchild of 'sex, psychology and psychic
expert' Jane Lyle, who has used the tarot to predict the course of love
affairs over the past ten years.
But wait,
there's more! An exciting numerology guide by Australian numerologist
Christopher Mason, which predicts your good and bad days for work, love
and play, and palmist Jan Sinden, who will read your palm from a
photocopy.
Had enough?
There is also Joan Hanger revealing the secret meanings hidden in your
dreams, and Athena Starwoman (see also Chapter 11, Blatant Fraud)
dispensing knowledge gleaned from the heavens. Yawn! A total of
thirteen pages of occult pabulum resulting in record sales.
OK Harry, so
what's the point? Well, women are the first to complain that they are
discriminated against, treated as second class citizens, considered
intellectually inferior and incapable of rational thought; and yet the
popular media on which many rely for information and advice encourages
irrational thinking, superstition and the uncritical acceptance of
unsubstantiated paranormal claims. It would seem that women are their
own worst enemy.
Uri Geller's comeback
Shortly after
writing the above a copy of New Idea (Dec 5. 1992) came into my hands
and guess whose making a comeback? Uri Geller, not as a psychic but as
the star of a Dorothy Dix column!
The article
commenced by saying that after years of amazing the world with his
psychic powers, Uri Geller has decided to channel his energies into
helping people lead healthier lives.
One could be
forgiven for suggesting that as he is no longer able to get away with
fooling the public with his conjuring tricks this is simply another
less vulnerable business venture. He already has a newspaper column in
Britain and in an experiment, thousands of readers who took part
reported dramatic changes to their lives. The unemployed found work,
people trying to sell their homes were inundated with offers, and some
sufferers of chronic aches and pains felt better. Of course the number
of people who noted no change in their status or affairs was not
reported. Also in the article there were the usual misleading comments
on deja vu linking it with psychic powers, and how Uri overcame
bulimia. In his column Uri investigates a range of fascinating subjects
such as UFOs and star signs, and offers advice on how to improve your
sex life and how to communicate with animals, from household pets to
dolphins. For Australia, he is preparing a special column on the
telepathic abilities of Aborigines—apparently he hasn't seen the
Telecom advertisement in which an Aboriginal is using a mobile
telephone!
UFOs and the Press
Having
previously concluded that I lived in a UFO free zone my complacency was
shattered when flying saucers were reported by several eye-witnesses
between May 27 and May 31, 1995, over the Northern Beaches area of
Sydney—weird orange lights hovering over the ocean, and a bright light
changing colour before blooming into a large multi-coloured sphere
being the most frequently observed.
The local
suburban newspaper (The Manly Daily, May 28) featured a full front page
story about two young men who claimed to have captured on video what
they believed to be two UFOs hovering over the Sydney suburb of Frenchs
Forest.
The pair were
returning home from a nightclub at about 3.30am when they spotted a
strange bright light hovering off the coast. They spent twenty minutes
taking still photos of the object then raced home with the intention of
returning with a video camera to capture it on film. It was not
necessary however, as they claimed that the object 'followed' them and
brought a friend with it!
Interviewed, one
of the observers, a nineteen-year-old university student, said that 'it
(the object) kept changing colour from fluorescent to reddish, even the
aura it was putting off was changing. I definitely felt that there was
an intelligence behind it.' He made the usual 'spotters' claim to have
experienced a loss of time and remains convinced that he has had a
'galactic experience.' (Whatever that is!). He also admitted to having
an avid interest in the unexplained, and collects videos and magazines
concerning UFOs.
Manly UFO
investigator Gary Wiseman (better known to Skeptics as an astrologer)
was called in by the Daily for an opinion, and after viewing the video
tape said predictably, 'It's not necessarily something from outer
space, but it looks like something with extreme energy. The reaction
from the boys is very similar to those people I have spoken to in the
past.' The reporter also rang me to see if I would be interested in
viewing the tape but I was unable to spare the time. However, given a
description over the phone of what was on the film I ventured the
opinion that it was probably Venus rising. Like the full moon low on
the horizon this would account for the colour changes and distortion.
Unsteady hand held cameras or videos would account for apparent rapid
movements.
The Sydney
Observatory education officer subsequently confirmed that the large
bright object could have been Venus which rose in the east at 3.l5am.
The orange
lights were apparently seen by many people over a period of several
nights, but were certainly no mystery. One Avalon resident zoomed in on
the lights with his binoculars and discovered that they were part of a
large ship. This was confirmed by a Manly police officer who said there
was a large container vessel moored off Harbord for a couple of days
and on the nights in question, only the bright orange lights were
visible in the dark.
Another resident further down the coastline looking through his telescope spotted two men flying kites on Dee Why beach.
Less objective
however, were those convinced that they had experienced a true UFO
sighting. One man said, 'The two lights I saw stood still for a long
time. They moved very gracefully. These were definitely UFOs.' And a
Balgowlah woman said she had spoken with aliens in the Past who had
told her they were hoping to halt the environmental destruction of
earth!
It would be
trite of me to finish by saying 'what are we to conclude?' when the
evidence is as plain as the nose on one's face. The Manly Daily beat-up
continued for two more days.
Personally I feel it was just another of those Usual Faulty Observations.
Never let the facts...
Most readers
will be aware of the American magazine National Enquirer, whose
outstanding reputation is for the bizarre, and an ability to
exaggerate, embellish, distort and sensationalise just about anything
to the extent that any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental.
Recently on the
market was the Australian version, more inclined to drift along with
the plethora of women's magazines who thrive more on royal trivia than
the paranormal fantasies featured by its American counterpart.
The headline of
one story to which my attention was drawn (National Enquirer, August
31, 1993), proclaimed 'MIRACLE ROCK FLOATS IN THE AIR.' The
sub-headline, not to be outdone exclaimed, 'Experts baffled by ninety
kilogam stone that flies like a balloon.' Another picture showed a
group of Indian men pointing with fingers and arms outstretched at a
rock seemingly floating above their heads.
Now having done
some pretty hard yakka in my time including clearing boulder strewn
building sites, I was just a mite sceptical about a rock imbued with
the ability to overcome the law of gravity. However, as the 'experts'
were baffled I read on curious to find out why.
The story goes
on to say that the stone—a round hunk of granite weighing just under
ninety kg, located at a Moslem shrine in the city of Khed, can normally
only be lifted by a weightlifter, but each day scores of visitors line
up, chant 'Peerbaba Kamarali Dervish' the name of an ancient Moslem
holy man, and effortlessly lift the stone with their forefingers. The
text reports that the stone then hovers in the air for a few seconds
and then drops heavily to the ground. In an adjacent box however, it is
claimed that 'It floats on its own for a few minutes then drops.'
Who were the
experts baffled by this extraordinary event? A riddle anyone could
solve by dividing eleven pairs of willing hands into ninety kilogams?
Well there was Abdul Karim, age fifty, a bicycle shop owner; Ubedulla
Khan, a forty-five-year old teleprinter (sic!), and Javed Mehboob
Tambuli, the shrine's caretaker. Not impressed? But what about this?
A Dr A.
Nigavekar, head of the department of physics India's University of
Poona, was quoted as saying, 'It's definitely not a trick ... I've
examined the stone. It's an ordinary rock weighing just under ninety
kilogams. There's absolutely nothing special about it at all.'
Now having spent
two months in India lecturing at universities, scientific
establishments and to rationalist organisations, predominant among
which are members of high academic standing and who would be as likely
to confirm such a mundane happening as miraculous as Uri Geller would
admit to being a magician, I wrote to Dr Nigavekar asking whether he
had been quoted out of context or inaccurately.
I just couldn't
bring myself to believe that the head of a physics department could go
along with such nonsense ... perhaps he was having a joke at their
expense.
In September I
received the following reply from Dr Nigavekar. The letterhead read:
Department of Physics, University of Poona, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007.
India. Prof. Arun S. Nigavekar, Member, University Grants Commission.
'Dear Mr. Harry Edwards,
I am in receipt
of your letter dated 6th inst., with a clipping from the National
Enquirer, August 31, 1993, Australian news item mentioned in the
clipping. Indeed, I do not recollect meeting any reporter or any other
person in connection with the news item that has appeared in the
National Enquirer. In fact, I have never visited the place mentioned in
the news item even though I have heard about lifting of a stone by a
group of persons.
Under the
circumstances, the statements mentioned in the news item cannot be
attributed as my statements. In fact, I would be pleased to know the
name of the person who has written this particular news item.
In the news item
it is mentioned that the boulder floats on its own for a few seconds
(it is interesting to see that this is converted as 'for a few minutes'
in the adjacent box), which as told to me by many people, is not true.
With kind regards, yours sincerely,'
A.S Nigavekar.
My faith in
scientific integrity restored, I concluded that journalistic licence is
one thing but another to put words in the mouth of one who would have
been accepted as a credible witness but was not even present at the
time.
I wrote to the
National Enquirer enclosing a copy of Professor Nigavekar's letter and
asked for their comments so that they could be included in a future
article for the Skeptic. A few days later I received a call from the
editor of the National Enquirer, Mr Grant Vandenberg, who thanked me
for the opportunity to comment but added that the material in question
had been sent them from the United States and he would have to fax them
for a comment. I offered to delay publication of the proposed article
until a reply was received — it never came. Shortly afterwards, the
Australian edition of National Enquirer ceased publication.
In another
article 'Holy Woman Oozes Oil and Bleeds from Hands and Feet', the
followers of stigmatic Mirna Nazzour claim that she has been given
divine healing powers by God. Thousands said (at least so the story
goes) that they were cured by Syrian-born Mirna's touch—among them the
blind, crippled and cancer sufferers. The article further claims that
medical science has never given an explanation for stigmata and that in
1990, the 'miracle' was witnessed by Dr Mansour, a professor at the
UCLA School of Medicine who testified to the authenticity of the deep
wounds which opened on Mirna's body, saying they healed in two
days—compared with an expected ten. Again I sought confirmation only to
have the letter returned marked 'insufficient address'. Subsequent
enquiries showed that there are fourteen Dr Mansour's listed in UCLA.
Two other points
can be addressed however. First, the 'thousands' of anecdotal
testimonies and second, the 'absence' of a scientific explanation for
stigmata.
Generally
speaking anecdotal evidence is worthless, and the National Enquirer
degrades it even further by omitting the source of the information—if
there ever was one.
Assuming it was
not a hoax or a self-inflicted wound as in the case of the Bavarian
stigmatic Theresa Neumann whose 'stigmatic' blood when analysed turned
out to be of menstrual origin, there is a condition known as
psychogenic purpura, in which spontaneous bleeding can occur with no
current physical trauma. As it can be brought on by severe stress and
occurs in people of 'hysterical predisposition', the cause therefore
would appear to be a psychological manifestation rather than a
supernatural one.
Yet another tall
story in the National Enquirer referred to an iron pillar in New Delhi
apparently impervious to rust. Having encircled this famous tourist
attraction with my arms during a visit to India, it naturally took my
attention.
Modern
metallurgists combine metals and use sophisticated techniques during
the manufacturing process to produce alloys suited to the diverse
requirements of industry. A principal objective being strength and
durability, a major requirement in many cases is that the end product
be impervious to the elements. The process of treating and combining
metals to resist corrosion, being a relatively recent innovation, it
comes as a surprise to most to discover an ancient iron pillar
virtually unrusted after centuries of exposure to the elements.
A testimony to
skills of the early Hindu artisans, the curious monument stands near
Kutab, about ten kilometres south of New Delhi, set midst the ruins of
an ancient mosque. In stark contrast to the elaborately carved stone
temples one customarily associates with early Indian architecture, the
iron pillar is an imposing monolith weighing nearly seven tons and
measuring just under eight metres in length, the solid shaft of wrought
iron having a girth at ground level of about forty-one centimetres
tapering to thirty-one centimetres at the top. Set up about 400 A.D. by
Kumaragupta I, in honour of his father, a six line inscription
describes the conquests of King Chandra Gupta II Vikramaditya (AD.
375-413), and another inscription mentions the name of Raja Anangapala
(1052-1109).
Inscriptions
engraved on rocks and pillars were a popular way of publicising the
thoughts, actions and teachings of rulers of the day. Ashoka, the last
major emperor in the Mauryan dynasty of India, (c. 265-238 BC. also
given as 273-232 BC.) furthered the expansion of Buddhism throughout
that country by promulgating a policy that he called 'conquest by
dharma (principles of right life)', using (among others) Pillar Edicts.
The lion capital of the pillar found at Sarnath became India's national
emblem. It is popular with tourists, never tired of displaying their
photographs depicting 'me standing on-in-under-by etc', and tradition
has it, that if one stands with their back against the pillar,
encircles it with their arms and clasping hands, happiness and
longevity will be theirs. Unfortunate of course for those with short
upper limbs!
Although those
who have examined the Iron Pillar cannot say for sure why it appears to
have resisted rusting, the explanation appears to be that during the
shaping process (continuous hammering, reshaping and hammering again),
the malleable iron was hardened and became extremely dense. The
continuous rubbing of clothing by wishful thinkers on the pillar would
of course account for the polished appearance of the lower portion.
From: Edwards, H. 1997 A Skeptic's Casebook, Australian Skeptics