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Dowsing for Truth: Report on Tests of a California Wire-Dowser

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Dowsing for Truth: Report on Tests of a California Wire-Dowser NEWS AND COMMENT Dowsing for Truth: Report on Tests of a California Wire-Dowser The Independent Investigations Frank suddenly decided that his dows- Thomson, Keith Jeffreys, Vaughn Rees, Group (IIG) at the Center for Inquiry- ing rods were detecting die paper from Milt Timmons, and Robin.) West conducted an informal experi- the rolled up newspapers. So we asked —-James Underdown ment May 27 to determine if a man him to dowse a patch of parkway grass James Underdown is the Executive (we'll call him Frank) has the ability to across the street while we looked for a Director of the Center for Inquiry-West detect copper wire with two I.-shaped carpet in the building. in Los Angeles. dowsing rods. Frank claimed to be a Frank happened to have some skeptic, which piqued our interest, and 12-gauge wire, which he said he also claimed that not only could he could detect. New York Jury Finds find hidden wire or plastic with great This thinner wire appealed to our Alternative Medicine accuracy, but he could also teach us sense of fairness. After Frank cleared an Doctor Negligent in how to do likewise. area of grass, a few of us (one barefooted) After consulting with CSICOP tried to determine where a hidden wire Patient's Death Fellow Ray Hyman in Eugene, was underneath the carpet. We were sat- Following the death of a patient with Oregon, we designed an experiment isfied that one could not feel such a wire. Hodgkin's disease, a jury ordered Dr. wherein we would conceal 4-foot We placed grid markings along the x Nicholas J. Gonzalez to pay the patient's lengths of 16-gauge wire in long and y axes of two rectangular carpets for husband $282,000. Gonzalez told (approximately 5 foot) tubes of rolled the purpose of recording Frank's guesses, Hollace Schafer, a college music profes- up newspaper. Frank would pass over and also videotaped the entire process. sor, that he could diagnose the state of twenty-five of these tubes and deter- All the observers (and Frank) stayed her cancer and recommend appropriate mine whether or not each contained a indoors while the placer hid the wire treatment by simply testing her hair. piece of wire. We would give him five and recorded its location on the grid. A jury found Gonzalez negligent for separate passes over the set of tubes. The placer then left before we returned not arranging proper diagnostic mea- The wires would be changed between with Frank. sures, contributing to her death. Instead tries. In order to keep the experiment Frank agreed that he would be able of conventional treatments, Schafer was double blind, the person placing the to tell us the direction in which the wire given vitamins, purges, animal tissue wires would not be present during laid, and be able to detect where the extracts, enzymes, and four to ten coffee Frank's attempts, and the observers wire was within a few inches of its loca- enemas per day. Gonzalez was found 49 would not be present during the plac- tion. Frank made six guesses of specific percent liable lor Schafer's deadi. ing of the wires. wire locations and never came within Schafer was first diagnosed widi cancer None of diis happened as planned. three or four feet of die wire's actual in 1977 and had twice been treated with When Frank arrived, he asked if he would location, even after we lifted the larger chemotherapy. Both times the cancer be able to walk on top of the rolled-up carpet once and gave him a second guess went into remission, but when die cancer newspapers. Since die newspapers were on the smaller one. came back a third time she sought treat- diin and die wire was relatively diick, we We learned three things: 1) Frank ment from Gonzalez. T h e doctor's uncon- decided diat Frank would be able to feel does not seem to be able to detect hid- ventional cancer therapy was the subject die wire dirough his shoe, and asked him den copper wire with dowsing rods with of an ABC news special and a segment on if he could just straddle the tubes. Frank any accuracy, 2) Be flexible! Many peo- the CBS newsmagazine 48 Hours. then informed us diat he would not be ple who make paranormal claims have This is not the first time that able to perform in diis environment (i.e., an array of excuses why your experimen- Gonzalez has been found negligent for in die meeting room at die Center for tal test will prevent them from getting treating patients with alternative medi- Inquiry-West) because mere was too accurate results. Always confirm with cine instead of conventional therapy. In much interference from pipes and elec- them before beginning die actual test 1997, a jury ordered Gonzalez to pay tricity surrounding the room. that all conditions are satisfactory. This the family of Julianne Charell more than So we moved the whole kit and gives them as little wiggle room as possi- $2 million because of his unorthodox caboodle out to the parking lot—first in ble; and 3) Anyone (with a little help) treatment of her uterine cancer. one spot, dien in another—to a place can test a claim of the paranormal if you —Benjamin Radford which Frank had dowsed and "cleared" know what to look for. before we placed the tubes. (Hyman had (Thanks to IIG members Brian Benjamin Radford is managing editor of warned us to be ready for excuses!) Kornfeld, Sherri Andrews, Jim the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER magazine. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER September/October 2000 5 NEWS AND COMMENT American Chemical recent course in polarized light that she didn't know Candace was hav- microscopy, the highlight of the week ing problems. Jeane Newmaker, Society Honors Walter was the final lecture given by McCrone Candace's adoptive mother, watched McCrone, Cites Work on himself on his work on the Shroud of from a nearby room. Shroud of Turin Turin and the Vineland Map. Although Watkins, along with four other peo- now in his eighties, McCrone's mind is ple including Newmaker, was charged still sharp as a knife. With no difficulty with criminally negligent child abuse he recited complex technical details of resulting in death. In seeking help for his analysis from memory. McCrone, a her daughter's depression and attention CSICOP Fellow, is obviously hurt by deficit disorder, Newmaker turned to the vicious criticism the shroud propo- Watkins after finding little success with nents have heaped on him, but he traditional treatments. Watkins charged remains congenial and modest. A typical $7,000 for an intensive two-week ther- comment was "I didn't find any blood apy session that included "rebirthing." on the shroud, but the STURP (Shroud Rebirthing therapy was founded by of Turin Research Project) members all therapist Leonard Orr in the 1970s, disagreed with me, so I guess I must be who is said to have re-experienced his wrong." To the contrary, McCrone's evi- own birth while taking a bath. This led dence is clear and convincing. him to develop breathing exercises that would supposedly release repressed trau- —Bill Vanderlinde mas. In the form of rebirthing practiced William Vanderlinde, Ph.D., is an engi- by Watkins, the blanket was said to rep- neering failure analyst in Columbia, resent the womb, and the pillows were Walter C. McCrone received well- Maryland, and a member of the National pushed to simulate labor contractions. deserved recognition when he was Capital Area Skeptics. He recently co- Struggling out of the blanket was sup- awarded the American Chemical Society authored a paper on microscopic methods posed to help the child heal from past Award in Analytical Chemistry at the with McCrone Institute Director Dave trauma by being "reborn." ACS annual meeting in San Francisco, Stoney. Terry Levy, co-founder of an Ever- March 26, 2000. The award was given green clinic, admitted that there is "a for Dr. McCrone's groundbreaking lack of proper training, credentialing, work in chemical microscopy, specifi- New Age 'Rebirthing' and regulation in this field." A spokes- cally citing his work on the Shroud of Treatment Kills Girl woman for the American Psychological Turin. McCrone showed that the shroud Association went much further: "There is a piece of medieval artwork produced A ten-year-old girl undergoing an is absolutely no evidence that this by painting red ocher and vermilion pig- unproven New Age therapy suffocated works, that it helps people. This is far ment onto linen with collagen tempera. on April 18 in Evergreen, Colorado. outside what mainstream psycho- His prediction of a fourteenth-century Connell Watkins, an unlicensed and therapists are doing." origin for the shroud was proven correct unregistered therapist, along with three In the wake of the child's death, the by carbon dating. The award nomina- others, wrapped Candace Newmaker tion was written by David Stony, completely in a flannel blanket, twisted Director of the McCrone Research the ends together, and placed large pil- Institute in Chicago, who wrote that lows around her head. The session lasted McCrone's work on the shroud "is an over half an hour, and when the blanket excellent example of the use and appli- was unwrapped, Candace was lying in cation of his methodology, the necessity vomit and no longer breathing. for the ultramicroanalytical approach, A videotape of the episode revealed and of McCrone's character." The that the girl cried out at least a dozen award is sponsored by Fisher Scientific times that she couldn't breathe, had to Co.
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