International Society of Life Information Science (ISLIS)
Journal of International Society of
Life Information Science
Vol.15, No.1, March 1997
ISSN 1341-9226
Letter to the Editor
Message from Editor-in-Chief
Letters of opinion, questions or short reports on research fields within the scope of ISLIS's prospectus will be published in the Journal of ISLIS, if they have merit.
Please send us your letter. We reserve the right to edit any material submitted and to ask writers to modify their letter, if necessary.
Mikio YAMAMOTO
Editor-in-Chief
Journal of ISLIS
The opinions expressed here are those of the letter writer and do not represent policy of the Journal of ISLIS.
To the Editor:
Questions about the Anomalous Magnetic Phenomenon of Humans
November 14, 1996
The "Biophysical Study on the Phenomenon of Human Extremely Strong Magnetic Field Emission from a Healer" (Yamamoto, T., et al.)1) reported in the second symposium on Life Information Science at Tokyo Denki University on August 24th 1996 was an interesting study. I felt that it was valuable research which examined the influence on a living thing of the magnetism radiated from the living body.
However, at the discussion in the symposium, a person claimed "There was a case in China that a psychic who put out strong magnetism had actually prepared the magnet in his/her finger-nails", and I noted that there was no clear answer from the reporters about this respect.
An anomalous ability can not be researched without a prevention plan against tricks and deceptions; this is clear from the history of parapsychological research which exceeds 100 years. If the existence of the anomalous person who emits strong magnetism at Gauss order2) is not a fact, research on the special ability becomes worthless, too.
I felt it necessary that I directly confirm Subject S (Mr. S), who seemed to be a person emitting strong magnetism, in the experiment by Yamamoto, T., et al.; fortunately I got a chance to see a demonstration by Mr. S in the 23rd meeting of the Research Society on "Magnetic Fields and Living Bodies" (held on November 9th, 1996 at the Keidanren Kaikan)3).
The demonstration introduced by Dr. Seto was the following:
Detection: A signal was amplified in the differential circuit with a magnetic sensor which used coils rolled 80,000 times, and the signal was observed with an oscilloscope.
Demonstration: Mr. S and one of subjects recruited from participants of the meeting sat face to face on the chairs placed at a reception table of knee-height. Both put their hands on the table. Three pulse groups were observed on the oscilloscope at the place "resonated" when Mr. S searched for a "tsubo" by bouncing soft touch with his fingertips toward the direction of the subject's wrist beginning the tips of the fingers on the backside of the hands.
There were some anxious points for me, though this was a demonstration not an experiment under strict conditions.
1. I observed that the pulse height, the shape of waves, the number of pulse groups (3 groups), the interval between pulse groups etc. were always the same judging from seeing the oscilloscope though "resonate" positions and subjects were different. The disorder of the signal was not felt though it might be natural to cause some differences according to the subject or the "resonate" position, if these were real signals emitted by living bodies.
2. Mr. S actually did "magnetic resonance" when I was a subject. "Resonance" happened for me in the vicinity of my wrist. At the time, I was paying attention to the movement of Mr. S's knees and observed: Mr. S's knees went out ahead little by little as Mr. S moved the tips of the fingers, and his knees touched the under surface of the table when his finger tips came to the vicinity of my wrist. Moreover, I could feel that Mr. S pressed his knees to the under surface of the table because I had been applying my elbows to the table. It is possible to think this was an action by which the switch of some electric devices installed at his knee is operated.
On Mr. S's magnetic ability from the above-mentioned observations, I cannot remove all doubt about his ability. I would wish to have answers to the following questions at least to wipe out some of this doubt.
Question A: I wonder how it is interpreted that almost the same signals come out though conditions are different.
Question B: I wonder who prepared the table used at the demonstration.
Question C: I wonder whether procedures to search his clothes etc. were taken in previous experiments.
Question D: I wonder what are the reasons by which you judge this a real phenomenon.
Question E: Are the authors of Ref.1 willing to help to re-test him by other research institutes ?
References
1) Tatsutaka YAMAMOTO, Akira SETO, Seiki NAKAZATO and Tadasi HISAMITSU, "Biophysical Study on the Phenomenon of Human Extremely Strong Magnetic Field Emission from a Healer", J. Intl. Soc. Life Info. Sci., 14(2): 201-205, 1996
2) Tatsutaka YAMAMOTO, Akira SETO and Tadasi HISAMITSU, "Ishiki no serufu-contororu ni yori jintai kara 1 Gauss(100 micro T)-oda no jiki wo hukushasuru noryoku-sha ni tuite", "Jiki to Seitai" Kenkyukaishi, 21(1): 57-70, 1994 (Japanese)
3) "Jiki-noryoku-sha no jintai-tokui-noryoku-pafoumansu", "Jiki to Seitai" Kenkyu-kaishi, 23(1): 65-72, 1996 (Japansese)
Hideyuki KOKUBO
Bio-Emission Laboratory,
Division of Radiation Science,
National Institute of Radiological Sciences
9-1, Anagawa-4, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi 263, Japan
Phone +81-43-255-3139, Fax +81-43-251-9046,
E-mail: kokubo@nirs.go.jp
Reply to the above letter
January 31, 1997
We received Mr. Kokubo's letter on November 14, 1996 which dealt with a paper published in the Journal of ISLIS, Vol.14, No.2, September, 1996.
After checking the letter, we decided to publish it in this issue, and immediately suggested to the authors of the article that they reply to it. However, we have not yet received the response letter for publishing from them as of January 31, 1997.
Perhaps other readers may care to comment about the points Mr. Kokubo raises.
Mikio YAMAMOTO
Editor-in-Chief
Journal of ISLIS
Last modified: MAY. 15, 1997
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