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Pseudoscience [Radionics; Orgone Therapy; Energy Polariser; etc.]
From: Edwards, H. 1997 A Skeptic's Casebook, Australian Skeptics Inc, Chapter 4
(Investigator Magazine #219, 2024 November)
Any theory, hypothesis, idea or concept that does not conform to established physical or natural laws and cannot be replicated, is pseudoscience, or, if you prefer, false science. The claims come in all shapes, sizes and guises, and when given a veneer of respectability by using scientific and technical terms with which most people would be unfamiliar, they can be made to sound very plausible. One needs therefore, to use extreme caution when confronted with an unusual or an extraordinary claim. Radionics is a classical example of pseudoscience. According to the Encyclopaedia of Occultism and Psychology, 2nd edition, radionics is the instrumental detection of vital energy patterns and associated diagnosis and therapy. According to radionics theory, all living things radiate an electromagnetic field which has different characteristics in health and disease conditions. Energy patterns are given a numerical value or 'rate', usually calibrated on the dials of a diagnostic apparatus euphemistically referred to as a 'Black Box'. The original Black Box, sometimes called the E.R.A. or Ocilloclast, was the invention of Dr Albert Abrams, A.M., M.D., LL.D., F.R.M.S., a San Francisco physician. Abrams graduated in medicine from the University of Heidelberg in 1882, and with post graduate courses in London, Berlin, Vienna and Paris, set out on what promised to be a distinguished career. He was Professor of Pathology at the Cooper Medical College, became President of the Emmanuel Polyclinic in San Francisco, Consulting Physician, Diseases of the Chest, Mt Zion and French Hospitals, San Francisco, and made significant medical contributions which established his national reputation. In the years shortly after the turn of the century, Abrams became increasingly more eccentric, devoting his time to the Electronic Reactions of Abrams (ERA), changes in electronic vibrations measurable at the skin surface by which he claimed he could diagnose and cure disease. He developed and sold expensive apparatuses for measuring the ERA, including the 'Ocilloclast', the 'Electrobioscope' and the 'Biodyamometer', travelling extensively giving clinical courses in his theory of 'spondylotherapy' for a substantial fee. Among the claims made by Abrams for his instruments were long distance diagnoses which he could perform on a drop of blood, tissue or even the patient's handwriting! Some were patently absurd—as for instance, the determination of a patient's sex, race, religion and financial standing. Dr Abrams' black boxes were the subject of numerous investigations by the sceptical. Nobel prizewinner in physics and head of the California Institute of Technology, Professor R. A. Millikan, examined the Abrams apparatus and issued a statement to the effect that not only did the apparatus not rest on any sort of scientific foundation, but from the standpoint of physics was the height of absurdity. Professor Millikan pointed out that the Abrams' followers insert electronic resistance into a circuit which cannot oscillate at all, and therefore has no vibrationary frequency. Other physicists and engineers opened and investigated the devices and found them to be essentially a jungle of electric wires, violating all the sound rules of electronic construction. The above notwithstanding, by 1923, there were more than three thousand five hundred practitioners in the USA alone who had found that push button therapy was clean, quick and painless, and free from the prejudices and inadequate knowledge of flesh and blood doctors. Thousands of Abrams' patients were diagnosed and cured of 'bovine syphilis', the etiology or even the existence of which was never demonstrated to the satisfaction of the medical profession, who concluded that the disease and cure were a product of Abrams' imagination. A blood sample from a healthy guinea-pig was analysed and diagnosed as having general cancer and tuberculosis of the genito-urinary tract; another of a drop of sheep's blood came back with a diagnosis of as hereditary syphilis with an offer of a cure for two hundred and fifty dollars. In the same year both the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Scientific American published reports on Abrams, furnishing convincing evidence of charlatanry. When Abrams died in 1924 the AMA noted that he 'easily ranked as the dean of all twentieth century charlatans'. So much for the early history of radionics, now dead and buried? No sir, not on your sweet Aunt Nellie. Like many other pseudoscientific inventions, the gizmos have been resurrected, so forget all you ever learned about physics and biochemistry, burn your science books, tear down your institutes of learning, and put your academics out to pasture, for if the advocates of radionics are to be believed, we are once again on the threshold of an agricultural and medical revolution.
Orgone Energy
Before I go any further, perhaps it would be as well to look at the origins of orgone energy, that mysterious albeit undetectable force so often credited as the driving energy behind a multitude of pseudoscientific gizmos. Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957), studied psychoanalysis under Sigmund Freud, and was considered to have contributed significantly to Freudian theory. In the 1930s, Reich postulated a new form of non-electromagnetic energy which he named 'orgone'. Initially he claimed that orgone energy was discharged during sexual orgasm, although later he decided that it pervaded the universe, being generated by the stars. Orgone was alleged to be blue in colour, and Reich claimed to have studied it under a microscope and to have detected it both with thermometers and Geiger counters. It was responsible for, among other things, the blue of the sky, Aurorae, lightning, St Elmo's Fire and the blue colouration of sexually excited frogs. Reich believed that clouds were caused by changes in atmospheric concentration of orgone and that UFOs, in which Reich became a fervent believer, were powered by orgone. He believed that orgone could be used to immunise mankind against radiation. It is perhaps superfluous to say that no other scientist has been able to replicate Reich's findings, and without fear of contradiction safe to claim that orgone energy joins N-rays, dianetics and phrenology as some of the curious side tracks of scientific history that depended more on the faith of the proponents than on any scientific evidence for their existence. The following is an extract from an article on radionics which appeared in the April 1992 issue of the Australian Organic News, and which takes a broad look at its aspects and the concept on which it is based. If you have a problem comprehending the pseudoscientific confabulation don't despair, you are not alone. (Parenthetical comments are mine).
'Firstly, there appears to be an infinite source of intelligent energy
which provides us and everything in our universe with life force ... To
understand radionics, we need to study it under the premise that such
an intelligent energy is the common thread which shapes and holds all
form together and provides the medium for us to communicate with our
thoughts, feelings and emotions and that each of us and everything have
an individual energy pattern and energy emanations, which are an
expression of that energy in all its variable forms. (Don't ask
questions—believe.) For example, the transference of thought, by what
is called telepathy, (an unproven concept) is an illustration of the
ability to transfer thought, instantly and over great distances, and
demonstrates that we are really tuning into an existing network that is
everywhere, including this Earth and infinite space and has no need for
the signal to take time to travel, as it merely exists. Once we have
tuned into it, we are there. (Telstra and Optus shareholders are
advised to seek further confirmation of the above before selling their
shares.) Radionics is based on this principle and that everyone and
everything has its own particular energy emanation and uses sensitive
electronic equipment in conjunction with the sensitivity of the
operator, to detect the presence and intensity of such emanations and,
in the treat mode, to transmit particular emanations, directly to the
subject, over vast distances.'
(Anyone who talks to their pet moon rock and gets an answer would be advised to see a psychiatrist without further delay, but read on, you ain't heard nuthin yet.)
'We sometimes talk of people having good or bad vibes, these so called
vibes are something which we 'feel'. This aspect is a practical example
of what we are doing when we use radionics equipment for analysis. We
are not measuring something which can be measured with an electrostatic
or electromagnetic measuring device, we are measuring by 'feeling' the
presence and intensity.'
(There's the bottom line dudes, a 'vibe' measuring device powered by imagination and, as the article goes on to reveal, with seemingly limitless applications.)
'With this brief look at what we are dealing with (give it a name), let
us now look at the practical aspects and how they can be of assistance
to us. (Steady folks, here comes the big one.) In the US, UK, and
Europe, radionics equipment is being used extensively for the analysis
and treatment of disease in humans and animals and in agriculture, to
assist in the balancing and revitalising of the soils and disease,
insect, animal and weed control. (Now that's what you call versatile,
but the simplicity of the operation is breathtaking.) The analysis and
treatment is carried out using an alyser/broadcaster, two tuning dials
control the 'rates' to find and/or determine and treat organs,
elements, compounds, disease, feelings and emotions etc:' (for a mere
two thousand seven hundred and ninety-three dollars.)
Various versions are being marketed in Australia by Biogan (Aust) located at Tweed Heads, NSW, the principals involved being the Researcher and President of the Agriculture Energisers Association, Mr T. C. Asbill, and Mr Frank Ireland, modestly described in the association's brochure as 'the BEST antenna designer in the world'. The accompanying thirty-eight page 'How to Manual' (one hundred dollars extra) lists the following that can be detected and treated by this wonder machine:- AIDS, Bloor Pressure (sic!), Bone Cancer, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Ear and Eye Problems, Fertility, Fibroid Tumor, Hair Loss, Headaches, High Blood Pressure (as distinct from ordinary Bloor Pressure!), Lead Poisoning, Leukemia, Mucles (sic!), Parasites, Parkinson's Disease, Radiation Burns, Spine Problems, Unduland (sic!), and Weight and Habit Control. (Dandruff, warts and spelling are evidently beyond its capability!) The operating instructions for this remarkably sophisticated and versatile device are extremely facile. No years of intensive study, no internship, no degrees required, in fact no training whatsoever. All you need to know about detecting and treating the above is covered in twelve pages. Fifteen pages however are devoted to auric, etherical and astral bodies, chakras and auras, astral projectoion (sic!), Killer Psychic Forces and Dowsing. Another gizmo is the 'Cosmic Pipe', a tube in the ground into which a little fertiliser such as rock phosphate is put, and which 'reads' the vibrations and transmits them over the prescribed area thus eliminating the need to physically spread it. (Homoeopathic agriculture?) A further application of the Cosmic Pipe which should send pesticide manufacturers into a panic and is of particular interest to harassed housewives—how to get rid of those uninvited, nocturnal and voracious insects of the order Blattaria, (Cockroaches). 'Place a sick or dying insect inside the Cosmic Pipe and the pipe will transmit the vibes of the dying insect and all the rest of that species within the range will get sick.' (Think of the value of this as a weapon of war. Capture a nearly dead enemy, place him in the pipe and Bingo—the enemy population is wiped out instantly. And no messy radioactive pollution to make his country uninhabitable.) It would probably suffice to dismiss the article and the claims made therein as pure unadulterated drivel, concluding that anyone foolish enough to purchase what can only be termed expensive junk on the basis of the 'evidence' deserves to be taken for a ride. However, Radionics as defined by Abrams, now appears to have embraced the concept of 'intelligent energy' also known as Mesmer's Animal Magnetism, Elan Vital, Odic Force, Bioplasma and Bio-cosmic or Orgone Energy, terms that have been used across time and around the world to designate the fundamental life-force or energy that animates all living organisms. Among the pioneers were the late Wilhelm Reich and Rudolph Steiner. Reich postulated that orgone energy is cosmic life energy, the fundamental creative life force known to people in touch with nature. It charges and radiates from all animate and inanimate forms of matter and exists in a free form in the atmosphere. The US Food and Drug Administration disagreed however, and in 1954, sought and obtained an injunction through the District Court, Portland, Maine, which ruled that orgone energy 'does not exist'. Books and research journals bearing the word 'orgone' were ordered destroyed as were the devices claiming to use the energy. Reich who died in Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in 1957, is probably best remembered for his Orgone Energy Accumulator—a phone booth sized metal layered contraption in which patients would sit to absorb 'healing' orgone energy. Radionics in relation to organic fanning can be traced to Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Anthroposophical Society who, like the Theosophists, believed that there exists on another plane of consciousness a store of records of every deed, thought and event in human history. According to believers, this astral databank known as the Akashic records, can be tapped by psychics, mediums and clairvoyants. A book recently published by British scientist Percy Seymour of Plymouth University argues the existence of ghosts based on (this) theory, that all matter in the universe leaves an indelible trace and it may be possible to tune into this image. (Homoeopathic apparitions?) Steiner, who was also an avid believer in the existence of Atlantis, established Bio-Dynamic farming at his school of Spiritual Science (how's that for a contradiction in terms?), in Dornach, Switzerland, early this [20th] century. In essence, the anthroposophists' approach to Mother Earth is the same as their approach to the human body—a variation of homoeopathy, where the compounds are so diluted that nothing material remains. Although to scientists in a multiplicity of disciplines the word 'energy' encapsulates a huge range of physical phenomena, there are only four fundamental forces of nature: the strong and the weak nuclear, electromagnetic and gravity, all of which are detectable and measurable. Pseudoscience however posits a fifth energy which in addition to being undetectable and unmeasurable by any method known to science, (or pseudoscience for that matter), is also untenable. Because the lay person is unlikely to have more than a basic understanding of the word, pseudo-scientists achieve an aura of academic respectability by using it and other words borrowed from real physics. Today, Biogan (Aust) markets THE SUPER EARTH ANTENNA designed by Messrs Asbill and Ireland which, is claimed, 'taps into the broadest spectrum of harmonic Cosmic and Subtle Energies which promote optimum health'. To me it looks like a simple TV antenna but the proprietors claim that it is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for medication and synthetic chemicals and to achieve exciting results in Dairies, Poultry and Hog Houses, Hatcheries, Greenhouses and Fish Farms. (Personally I feel that a multi-tiered budgerigar perch or a clothes hoist for a bonsai garden in suburban Tokyo would be more apt.) Going on to describe a 'SUPER ENERGY UNIT' as the 'latest technology in Subtle Energy', the blurb says, 'the Patent Pending system uses an external antenna which receives and transmits the Natural Cosmic Energies to the main units.' This implies a detectable, measurable and usable supply of energy and raises further questions. Other instruments advertised such as the A.E. GREEN MACHINE ANALYSER and the A.E. AUXILIARY BROADCASTER are devices using a conventional power supply. Unless the sole purpose of the 12 volt DC supply is to illuminate a bulb indicating that the power is switched on, why would you need it when there is a plentiful supply of orgone energy available? Then we have a paradox, the PEN ARMOUR, 'a multi-wave receiver that will receive the harmful radio and magnetic waves and redirect them away from the body.' Although functioning as, but not described as, a transceiver, we are now dealing with a known energy that can be both detected and re-transmitted, so we are told, without either a conventional or metaphysical power source! The device appears to be the brainchild of Ward Penwarn, whose confidence in his invention could be put to the test by inviting him to put his head in a microwave oven while wearing it! To use one of these devices to protect oneself against any form of radiation would be dicing with death. A letter to Mr Penwarn asking whether any scientifically controlled testing had been carried out on any of Biogan's products remains unanswered. Information supplied to me by a third party advises that radionics devices have a fail safe type mechanism which makes it impossible to test objectively. The negative vibes of critical analysis are enough to affect the experiment! Enough said. Reiterating, it is claimed that a fifth force unknown to science exists in nature and that it can be harnessed and redi rected for uses as diverse as medical diagnosis and treatment, and for agricultural purposes. However, in the absence of any information to the contrary, or the suggestion that the devices contain some magical ingredient, it can be assumed that they contain conventional electrical and/or mechanical components and therefore there is no reason why, if a metaphysical force exists, it cannot be shown to exist. To suggest that 'negative vibes' would prevent any form of analysis is fatuous and defies all logic. Further, no evidence or suggestion that controlled tests have been carried out to substantiate claims made on behalf of radionics has been presented. Priced from five hundred to three thousand dollars, the instruments generally, with their multiple dials, knobs and switches (but no quantifying indicators or meters) look reminiscent of the amateur radio rigs popular in the 1930s. What lays behind the 'handsome green and white' mounting panels is anybody's guess. The putative worth of these devices is abrogated by the proprietor's own warranty and disclaimer—they are guaranteed for one year against defects in materials and workmen-ship (sic!) but not theory! All the instruments are EXPERIMENTAL and, notwithstanding the laudatory hype, are not intended to be used instead of other proven modalities! Caveat emptor! Another example of pseudoscientific gadgetry was Peter Brock's Energy Polariser. In a comprehensive coverage by Barry Williams, President of Australian Skeptics, (the Skeptic Vol 7, No 2), Mr Williams quotes from an article by Phil Scott, motoring editor for the Sydney Sun Herald, (May 18, 1986). When asked about the device, Brock is quoted as saying that it 'improves performance handling and ride comfort as well as producing better economy and less component wear'. Brock further described the device as '... a transmitter that emits a signal (that is) neither electric nor magnetic nor is it a radio wave or X-ray'. (All in fact are forms of electromagnetic energy.) 'It is a form of energy called orgone energy ... British medicos are using a derivative of it to produce body scans'. Mr Brock doesn't seem to be too well informed as he appears to be referring to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI) which uses a great deal of electromagnetic energy and not orgone energy for which there appears to be no evidence in favour of its existence. Explaining how the energy polariser worked Brock said, 'We haven't altered the molecular structure but realigned the molecules into an almost crystalline layout ... inside my polariser, you've got magnetic energy acting on a crystal which causes the transmission of a high frequency wave which in fact is orgone energy. When the car is fully charged with orgone energy, the molecules are all nicely aligned and you can feel it working better'. The Energy Polariser consists of a small box, attached to the firewall of the vehicle in the engine compartment. It has no electrical or other connection to any other part of the vehicle. It contains two opposed magnets and some crystals. A metalised decal, attached to the rear window is supposedly the antenna of the Polariser. It has no physical connection with the Polariser or any part of the car. All this completely contradicts the laws of physics. Dr Anthony Garrett, Australian Skeptics committee member and theoretical physicist, contacted Mr Brock and GM-Holden to discover what, if any tests had been carried out on the Polariser. The response from Mr C.S. Chapman, managing director of Holden's Motor Company, revealed that in a test carried out at the Lang Lang Proving Grounds in November 1986, instigated by him, no scientific substance to the device was found. Subsequently, the Willessee program (Channel 9 network) conducted tests on a Brock car that had travelled forty thousand kilometres after a Polariser had been personally fitted to it by Brock. Neither the car owner, motoring journalist Paul Wiezel, nor another motoring journalist, David Morely, could detect any difference in performance between the car when fitted with the Polariser or a day later, after the Polariser had been removed. The gadget, formerly advertised for sale at four hundred and seventy-eight dollars, was subsequently withdrawn from the market. Other useless pseudoscientific gizmos which have appeared at one time or another on the Australian market include, a 'Neutralizer' which supposedly protects the body from electromagnetic radiation; a 'Water Polariser' for attachment to water taps, a 'Harmatron' for attachment to vehicles, and an electronic TV antenna which, when tested, did no better than a wire coat-hanger! None of the claims made on behalf of the products stood up to scientific scrutiny by Australian Skeptics. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between pseudoscience, science fiction and the just plain weird and wacky, as in the example I came across in the Manila Bulletin (Philippines) of February 26, 1990. The article, based on a report from Novosti Press Agency of the USSR, catalogued the exploits of one Dr Yuri Jiang Kanzheng, including the production of hybrid 'hen-ducks', 'bushy corn' and a 'pumpkin-cucumber with a very strange taste'. Egg laying rabbits, buck-toothed carrot-nibbling chickens, electronic gene transfer and a microwave rejuvenating machine? Was this for real? Well according to Dr Jiang, all this tampering with nature is some sort of emanation or 'biofield', which living organisms are supposed to exude, and which Dr Jiang claims he can detect, amplify and transmit to other living organisms. The benefits are alleged to include cancer cures and rejuvenation of the aging. Let's take a look at some of the implications for this technology in the unlikely event that it was true. Readers may recall a horror movie called The Fly, in which the hero succeeds in teleporting himself from one location to another, and the unintended results which occurred when a fly bumbled into one of the experimental pods. I strongly suspect that this film, or an earlier version of it, must have turned up recently in Khabarovsk, Siberia, where Dr Jiang now resides, having been previously purged for 'idealism' and sent to a labour camp in his native China. The article is full of low quality science fiction ideas to be found in the 1950s epics which make repeated appearances on our post-midnight TV screens. Dr Jiang claims to have doubled the life of old mice by 'irradiating them with the biofield from young mice'. Having performed this useful service, he then 'subjected himself to the rejuvenating biofield impact of young animals'. As the biofield is also used to make hybrid duck-hens, one is left to wonder what other effects might be felt by someone who has been irradiated by the emanations of young mice? An unnatural fondness for cheese? The tendency of women in ones presence to jump on chairs and scream? It's enough to make Monty Python sue for plagiarism. But perhaps (the article does not make this clear) you do not irradiate old humans with the biofields of young mice, maybe you do it with the fields of young humans. What it also does not make clear is what happens to the donors of the biofield? To rejuvenate the old, do you necessarily have to balance the books by gerontifying the young? It certainly gives new meaning to, 'Having children keeps you young.' But it is, yet again, an old SF plot, sucking the life force from the young, to keep some geriatric power baron in youthful trim. One can imagine this transmission of energies from other creatures as being a great boon to the astrologers. I can see ads now 'Scorpios! losing your sting? Get a shot of Dr Jiang's microwaves NOW. I will really curl your tail.' or 'Pisceans, get in the swim again with Dr J's essence of mullet.' It seems to me that Dr Jiang may have been irradiated with a little too much of the biowaves of Taureans. On a more serious note, if that's possible, one experiment is describe as follows: 'In the focus of parabolic antennas inside the microwave biotransmitter sits a rabbit, feasting on a carrot. The waveguides transmit the microwave biofield, which passes genetic information to the incubator with hen eggs in the adjacent laboratory. In this receiver the miraculous hen-ducks and bushy corn have been produced.' To the casual reader, it sounds seductively plausible. Micro-waves are used to carry information, genes carry information, and we know that microwaves interact with biological material. The trouble is, that when these ideas are put to rigorous testing, they don't work. Dr Mel Dickson, a biophysicist, and Director of the Electron Microscope Unit at the University of New South Wales explains:
'Experimenters have not found any detectable radiation coming from
living organisms, apart from a small amount of infrared radiation from
warm blooded organisms. Dr Jiang has confused the sorts of information
carried by microwaves and genes. For his ideas to work, it is necessary
for information coded in triplet sequences of nucleotide bases to be
transmitted as modulated microwave radiation which will then be decoded
in a receptive organism and transferred to new genetic material. There
is simply no known mechanism for any of this to occur. DNA decodes its
information into further nucleotide sequences, which eventually are
converted into amino acid sequences in proteins. None of the chemistry
involves energy transfers of such levels that microwaves are generated.
And information cannot be incorporated direct from microwaves into base
sequences. Microwaves might cause some twisting of intermolecular bonds
and at shorter wavelengths they cause molecular agitation, but these
are productive of disorder in organisms. It is inconceivable that they
somehow organise nucleotides into working codons that are invariably
beneficial to the organism.
Further, if our bodies are acting as sensitive microwave receivers, how do we stop our genes from being reassembled by the radiations from radar and other microwave antenna?' Of course, if you are unconvinced by scientific reason you can always volunteer to take part in a pseudoscientific experiment, so roll up, roll up ladies and gentlemen, now's your one chance in a life-time to take part in an experiment which will ensure the inclusion of your name on the roll of honour of those who gave their all to advance the cause of medical science. No discrimination here ladies and gentlemen I assure you — males, females, other genders, the old, the young, employed, unemployed, the pregnant, sceptics, believers, Uncle Tom Cobby and all are welcome to take part in this history-making experiment. All you have to do is stand still while we stick skewers into the fleshy parts of your body and take photographs. Now before I get trampled on in the stampede of volunteers, let me assure you that I have it on the best authority that you will feel no pain, you will not bleed, will not become infected and the small wound will heal instantly and leave no scar. Just contemplate the ramifications; the revolution in surgical procedures; the future prospects for mankind. Do I hear a murmur of scepticism? Would I lie to you? Is this a con? No sir, I swear to you on the Koran that the aforementioned experiments have been conducted by scientists in laboratories over the past twelve years and the results have proved to be megamazing! Tape back your eyelids and read on. A little over a year ago I received a letter from a Mr Jamal N. Hussein, Ph.D., Director of Paramann Laboratories, in Amman, Jordan, (It is possible, although not confirmed, that 'Paramann' is a contraction of 'paranormal-man', from mann, German, husband), in which he introduces himself and his staff as a group of experimental physicists and experts in medical sciences who, for the past twelve years, have been studying the phenomenon of unusual body reaction to pain, injury and infection as demonstrated by swamis, gurus and fakirs etc. The letter continued, 'Due to the unstinting cooperation of the Tariqa Casnazaiyyah (an old sufi doctrine dating back to the seventh century, and a chain of Masters in possession of its secrets and powers) the Paramann programme has been able to perform hundreds of highly sophisticated experiments on its dervishes, all of whom are endowed with the unusual reaction (ability to withstand) to pain.' In 1988, Paramann developed techniques called 'Spontaneous Transmission' which allowed the 'mass production' of individuals capable of resisting pain, injury and infection on performing Schmerzdemonstration (Smertz, Ger. pain), and the 'Switch Technique' which allowed the former to be 'switched off'. The letter was accompanied by a photograph of a rather fleshy male individual with skewers stuck through various parts of his anatomy, and concluded by suggesting that, Australian Skeptics might be interested in joint research. Aware that there are many groups around the world who for some obscure reason indulge in masochistic demonstrations and self-mutilation, and having witnessed the Indian skeptic Premanand attach a lemon to the skin of his forearm with a needle and thread, I was inclined to comment 'so what?' and file the letter in my green plastic bag emptied every Wednesday and Sunday nights courtesy of the local council. However, for the price of an air-mail stamp, I decided it would be worthwhile giving the fellow a bit more rope and asked for details of any surgical procedures in which the techniques may have been used, I also suggested that they contact Premanand of the Indian Skeptics who for sure would have had experience of fakirs (or fakers as the case may be!). By return mail I received four typewritten foolscap sheets outlining the aims of the Paramann Programme, the Spontaneous Transmission Technique and the Switch Off Technique, more or less reiterating what was in the first letter. However, one point which caught my eye suggested that rather than an organisation engaged in scientific research I was corresponding with a parapsychologist looking to confirm his own beliefs. Referring to the aim of the Paramann specialists in medicine and experimental physics seeking to provide the medical media with new effective methods of controlling pain, bleeding and infection, the sentence reads:
'The scientific legitimacy of this aim is based upon the following
simple logical analysis: there are many persons who possess various
kinds of paranormal abilities ... therefore all human beings are
potentially prepared to have these useful talents.'
As the existence of any form of paranormal ability has yet to be proven such a conclusion is a logical fallacy and has no scientific legitimacy whatsoever. Further on, referring to the devotees of the old sufi doctrine of Tariqa Casnazaniyyah it is claimed that they 'have paranormal abilities with unique characteristics ... each dervish acquires his abilities immediately after becoming a dervish and obtaining an oral permission from the present Master of Tariqa, Shaikh Muhammad Al-Casnazani.' This is about as plausible as Duane Gish (Creation Science Foundation) becoming inculcated with scepticism after receiving oral permission from Professor Ian Plimer, his greatest antagonist. And finally, 'No other achievements in parapsychology can be compared with the new fabulous techniques of the Spontaneous Transmission and Switch Off.' One could well ask: What parapsychological achievements? At this point I was about to inform Pararnann that we were unable to help in the investigation as I doubted we could find anyone endowed with the ability to demonstrate the phenomena. Then I changed my mind, and told them that we might have found a subject suitable for experimenting on. In his response, Mr Hussein expressed his delight that we had found a volunteer and was pleased to hear of my concurrence with his view that Paramann's findings could revolutionise medicine around the world. This 'agreement' I might add, was based solely on the highly unlikely assumption that their claims had some substance. Paramann's director also had this to add about the Spontaneous Transmission Technique:
'All you need to succeed in learning this technique is to be in the
vicinity of one of our gifted subjects whom we discovered to be endowed
with such a power of will that makes inevitable the transference of
their exceptional abilities to all in their vicinity.'
No doubt if the New Age aura therapists get to hear of this gain without pain, auric transference will become the new craze! Anxious to find out whether Paramann's ten years of research had led to any worthwhile practical application, I contacted Dr Steve Basser of the Australian Council on Science and Health, Dr Richard Gordon of the Australian Skeptics National Committee, and William Jarvis, Professor of Health Education, Department of Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University, California, and of the National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc. for professional opinions and some pertinent questions I could put to Paramann to determine that end. All were equally sceptical of the claims made but nevertheless obliged by suggesting I ask for (1) an unedited video of a conscious alert person having the abdomen cut into with a scalpel, experiencing no pain or evidence of bleeding, (2) an explanation of the proposed mechanism by which the claimed technique exerts its effects, (3) the proposed mechanism by which bleeding is prevented and (4) the size limit on blood vessels that can be prevented from bleeding. Paramann's reply was hardly encouraging. After ten years research and experimentation, 'no surgical procedure had been carried out ... and there is no limit to the size of the blood vessel', but they obviously haven't tried sticking a dagger into the jugular vein or carotid artery, and they 'had not succeeded in uncovering anything to explain how the wounds heal and repair in such a short time.' The video tape requested (notwithstanding the previous admission) is in the mail. Date of letter, August 10, 1993. With the letter were a dozen gruesome photographs of men and boys with skewers, daggers, spikes and other sharp implements stuck through cheeks, jaws and various fleshy parts of the anatomy. Professor William Jarvis expressed the following (edited to conserve space) Opinion:
'These people have written to CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of the Paranormal) and NCAI-IF (The National Council
Against Health Fraud) with these claims and asking for cooperation in a
research project ... my opinion is that it is probably a scam ... their
pictures show only the piercing of the body, which is a very old
practice with mainly carnival value ... I do not understand why they
are contacting skeptics and anti-quackery groups unless it is to defuse
our criticism in advance which might be forthcoming if they take their
show on the road .. I suspect that this is a ploy to arrange a media
tour for an entourage of fakirs and fakers ... my understanding is that
instruments are run through body regions with no vital organs, left in
place tissue around them heals forming a scar tissue. Once a channel is
established the instruments may be removed and replaced. It probably
takes a bit of grit the first time, but the result is status and even a
way of making money. These dramatic pictures only serve to create a
“Gee whiz!” reaction with an accompanying suspension of critical
judgment.
They have nothing to do with the claim of being able to teach others. The claim that this has no bleeding or risk of infection for neophytes is hard to believe. If they were to stop grandstanding with the fakirs, and instead devise a useful medical application, someone might take them seriously.' Dr Richard Gordon, not renowned for his ebullience, summed up by commenting, 'I'm not impressed', and my letter to the Information & Public Relations Dept. of the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan requesting any information they may care to provide on Paramann Laboratories remains unanswered. The last communication from Paramann came in the form of a thirty-one page booklet giving an abstract of Paramann's investigations, and a list of the DCBD abilities of Tariqa Casnazaniyyah, among them, (1) the insertion of sharp objects such as skewers and spikes into the body, (2) with the aid of hammers drive daggers into various sides of the skull bone and just below the eyes, (3) chew and swallow glass and razor blades, (4a) handle fire and apply to face, arms and legs, (4b) hold red-hot plates in their bare hands and bite them with their teeth, (5) handle snakes and scorpions and allow them to bite their tongues, (6) eat poisonous reptiles demonstrating immunity to poison, and (7) resist an electric shock of 220 volts for several minutes. An explanation for number (1) has already been given. In number (2) I would speculate that the many joins in the skull would provide crevices into which objects could be driven without undue harm; (3) and (4a) have been demonstrated to us by Premanand; (4b) same as walking on hot coals, preparations are also available to insulate both the tongue and hands against burning; (5) a natural immunity from reptile poison can be built up by subjecting oneself to small doses over a period of time (immunisation); (6) to be fatal, poisons must enter the blood stream, no doubt they can be absorbed and/or rendered harmless by the prior ingestion of an appropriate solid or liquid and passed through the body. (7) 220 volts need not necessarily be fatal, there have been cases of prisoners sentenced to die in the electric chair surviving sixty thousand volts, and in Queensland, Australia, in 1995, a linesman working on an electricity transmission line survived a three hundred thousand volts shock. It would seem to me that reading a few books on magic tricks and 'miracles' that have been exposed as such would have saved the Paramann researchers an enormous amount of time. End of story? Not quite. Late in August 1993 I received an invitation from Paramann Laboratories to attend the 'First World Congress on the Instantaneous Healing of the Deliberately Caused Bodily Damage phenomena and Unconventional Healing methods', to be held in Baghdad in November. Full board and accommodation in first class hotels, transportation, and tours to historical sites would be supplied free of charge, all the participant would need to pay was the air-fare. The Australian Skeptics National Committee voted to pay my fare as a delegate on one condition—I buy a one way ticket! Ungrateful scumbags—that made my aura bristle! I responded thanking Paramann for the invitation to attend their congress and made my apology, then, having decided that I had beaten around the bush long enough, decided to lay it on the line with the following:
'Consideration has been given to the information provided by you over
the past year or so in respect of your experiments, but we are unable
to concur with the conclusions reached by your group, that is, that the
feats exhibited by the subjects are indicative of paranormal powers.
In your booklet, The Deliberately Caused Bodily Damage Phenomena, the following "paranormal" abilities are attributed to the Tariqa Casnazaniyyah. 1. Insertion of sharp unsterilised objects into the body—without pain. 2. The chewing and swallowing of glass and razor blades. 3. Exposing parts of the body to fire and the handling and licking of red-hot metal. 4. The handling of serpents and the exposure to poisonous bites. 5. A resistance to electric shocks. All the above are or have been performed in circuses and carnivals and the explanations can be read in the many books available on magic and conjuring. Some in fact have been performed by members of our own and other investigating groups. Regarding the claimed ability to resist pain and infection, the control of bleeding and rapid healing. Although your organisation has been conducting experiments for a long time it seems strange that the experiments as yet have not conducted a single surgical procedure which would prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether these claimed paranormal abilities have any substance. In your last letter responding to my questions you stated that 'there is no limit to the size of the blood vessel that could be severed.' and in the booklet (p2) it says that 'various organs may be pierced.' This being so, would any of your subjects agree to have their jugular vein or carotid artery severed, or have their heart pierced with a sharp wooden stake? With respect, I suggest that considerable time and effort could be saved without going to the above extremes simply by performing any standard abdominal surgical procedure using unsterilised instruments, without anaesthetic, and without suturing the wound on completion.' My letter crossed with one from Paramann in the post, this time a mini-booklet—entitled 'Proceedings of The Eighth International Conference of the International Association for Psychotronic Research' University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA., a reiteration of the information already at hand but with a couple of items worth mentioning. The research into fire-walking by Leikind and McCarthy, 1985, 1988, and Walker 1977, (no other references) for example, who explained fire-walking in terms of established physical knowledge was dismissed and countered by Barclay 1973, and Kane 1982, (again no further references) who rule out any possibility of accounting for the phenomenon physically. Without any possibility of checking what was said this may well come down to 'faith versus science' again. My supposition that the 'unusual ability' of dervishes to transfer their supposed powers of immunity to others by 'rubbing auras' was proven wrong on pages 478-479. It's done by a simple handshake and a mantra! According to the spiel, 'To become a dervish the person has to put his right hand in the right hand of one of a certain group of dervishes and recite after him a few sentences announcing his loyalty to the masters of Tariqa Casnazaniyya—the ritual takes two to three minutes ... this gives a real example of an “immediate” acquirement of Super Reactions without the assumed need for long physical or psychical training.' The paper goes on to say that ... 'the experiments carried out with the dervishes have proved that during their performances they were not in any kind of hypnotic trance or altered state of consciousness' and that 'the most important feature of Spontaneous Transmission is that it is the first technique ever known to transfer abilities such as Super Reactions without any of the traditional “religious” or “magic” contexts.' (But did they check to see if they were 'stoned?') Now it seems to me that Paramann is claiming to win the test match before the first ball is bowled. Despite years of experimentation, in reality all they have succeeded in doing is confirming that certain people can pierce their non vital parts apparently without showing any discomfort or adverse reaction—something that has been known for centuries. There are prosaic reasons to explain this, none of which have paranormal correlations. Unless these alleged abilities can first be shown to be other than those which can be explained in terms of established physical knowledge, Paramann Laboratories, whose research has produced nothing new, is jumping the gun. I have often wondered why parapsychologists deem it necessary to set up long complicated and sophisticated testing procedures to determine whether a person possesses paranormal abilities. To my mind, Paramann's ten year effort to prove that paranormal abilities were responsible for resistance to pain, poison, bleeding and healing could have been reduced to ten minutes—a whack over the head with a sledgehammer, a blow torch applied to the gluteus maximus and a strychnine sandwich in the coffee break. I doubt even the dervishes would come back for more! There has been no further communication from Mr Hussein or the Paramann Laboratory. |