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Water Memory




Water memory is a concept, basic to Homeopathy , which holds that Water is capable of containing "memory" of particles dissolved in it. This memory allows water to retain the properties of the original Solute even when there is literally no solute left in the solution. The idea is dismissed by mainstream science as Pseudoscience .

The most prominent advocate of this idea was the French immunologist Jacques Benveniste , who attempted to construct a mechanistic explanation for homeopathy. He has gone so far as to say this information may even be transmitted via Telephone or the Internet . His results have not been successfully replicated in other laboratories.

There was a short-lived discussion on a reproduction of the results by Benveniste by other scientific laboratories in a research led by Professor Madeleine Ennis of Queen's University, Belfast, compare the list of references. However, subsequential research has not provided more evidence.
To the contrary, skeptic James Randi placed a $1 million challenge to the BBC Horizon team to prove the "water memory" theory. Experiments were conducted in a proper scientific manner, with the Vice-President of the Royal Society , Professor John Enderby , overseeing the experiment. The challenge ended with the Horizon team failing to prove the memory of water. However, Ennis claimed that Horizon did not faithfully reproduce her experiment (see external links).

According to many experts the claims of healing by homeopathy are related to the Placebo Effect , compare, e.g., the research results of White et al.(see external links).


POLYWATER

During the 1960s , Soviet scientist Boris Derjaguin developed an experimental model of anomalous behaviour in water, called Polywater . In some ways it was analogous to the current concept of water memory. Derjaguin's work led to a brief flurry of research interest in the field before it was determined that his findings resulted from poorly controlled experiments and improperly cleaned glassware.


SEE ALSO



REFERENCES

  • "Transatlantic Transfer of Digitized Antigen Signal by Telephone Link," J. Benveniste, P. Jurgens, W. Hsueh and J. Aissa, "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - Program and abstracts of papers to be presented during scientific sessions AAAAI/AAI.CIS Joint Meeting February 21-26, 1997"

  • "Thanks for the memory" Milgrom, L. Guardian, The (newspaper) 15.03.2001



EXTERNAL LINKS

  • DigiBio — Jacques Benveniste's water memory research company.

  • http://thorax.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/58/4/317] — Study by White et al. on homeopathy.

  • {Link without Title} — A critical account on the BBC Horizon program by Morag Kerr, Vetlab Services.

  • {Link without Title} — Email from Madeleine Ennis detailing differences between the BBC Horizon program's experiment and her own.