Famous dowsers

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Plazak

Famous dowsers

Post by Plazak »

A number of dowsing books and websites list the following people as either dowsers or believers in dowsing: Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, and Thomas Edison. Unfortunately, none of the dowsing literature I've seen contains a citation for these assertions. Could anyone point me to a source (preferably in the non-dowsing literature) about the dowsing views of any of these men? Thanks.
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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

Haven't found anything as yet for the three above men but the references to dowsing in letters (to Herman Peisach) by Einstein are listed on the Einstein archive database:

http://alberteinstein.info/vufind1/Sear ... ubmit=Find (link broken - but see Ian's later post below)

Although the content is not given here, I believe these letters are reproduced on this website:

http://dowsingworks.com/einstein.html (link broken)

Other scientists who believed in dowsing:

Yves Rocard, who helped develop the atomic bomb for France - author of "La Science & Les Sourciers : Baguettes, pendules, biomagnétisme", "Le signal du sourcier" etc.

Professor Vincent Reddish - former University of Edinburgh lecturer, he worked at Jodrell Bank and was author of "The D-force - a remarkable phenomenon". More about him elsewhere on this forum.

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

Silent film footage of David Lloyd George discussing dowsing to a crowd of onlookers:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/irrig ... e-at-churt

And now, updated with sound!


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Last edited by Grahame on Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: added new link
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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

Isaac Newton - was he a dowser? I've spent a little time researching this. Thus far, all I've found is that his library included three books by Georgius Agricola including De Re Metallica volume XII. This work (not sure which volume though) does mention dowsing. The other two were De animantibus subterraneis liber... and De ortu causis subterraneorum lib. v, De natura eorum quae effluunt ex terra lib. IIII. see The Library of Isaac Newton, John Harrison, Cambridge University Press, 1978. p.84.

Correspondence from Issac Newton involved the sale of tin from Cornwall, because he was involved with the Royal Mint.

The correspondence of Isaac Newton. Newton, Isaac, Sir, 1642-1727., Hall, A. Rupert (Alfred Rupert), 1920-, Tilling, Laura., Royal Society (Great Britain) vol 6. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Society.

All of which is very interesting, but doesn't really prove much on its own alas.

I wonder if there's anything in the early BSD writings about this?

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

from the BBC...
Cambridge University puts Isaac Newton papers online

The notebooks in which Sir Isaac Newton worked out the theories on which much classical science is based have been put online by Cambridge University.
CLICK HERE for the article.

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

Two popular beginners books on dowsing are Dowsing for Beginners by Richard Webster and
Principles of Dowsing by Dennis Wheatley.

Both of these have almost identical lists of famous dowsers. Not only that but they are listed in the same order - but Wheatley doesn't mention Lloyd George whilst Webster does. Instead, Wheatley mentions Johan Ritter ("founding father of electrochemistry") who is omitted in Webster's list.

Wheatley also mentions Sir JJ Thompson.

Webster's book dates to 1996. Wheatley's was published in 2000.

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by plazak »

Thanks for the amount of work you have put into my original question. I am familiar with Webster and Wheatley, as they are the main sources I had in mind when I wrote of dowsing books that listed da Vinci, Newton, and Edison as dowsers, without, unfortunately, giving their sources. The dowsing advocacy of Johann Ritter and J. J. Thompson is well documented, as are the others you have mentioned in previous posts. But the factual basis for listing da Vinci, Newton, and Edison as dowsers, if there is any, remains unknown.
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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

plazak wrote:But the factual basis for listing da Vinci, Newton, and Edison as dowsers, if there is any, remains unknown.
Well, unknown to you and me. Not quite the same thing...

8)

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Ian Pegler »

I can no longer find the dowsingworks.com website. Has it gone or am I blocked from seeing it?

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Grahame »

I can't see it either Ian, but a Whois serach reveals that the domain expired on 15 May 2014 so it looks like it hasn't been renewed?

**edit** The Whois entry also says 'domain status - deleted'. Guess there's your answer then. **/edit**
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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
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Re: Famous dowsers

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I retrieved the page with the EInstein info from the Wayback machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20120809235 ... stein.html

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Re: Famous dowsers

Post by Grahame »

Thanks Ian, it's good to finally have a reference for that oft-quoted Einstein letter.

In case it disappears into the ether again, I'm reproducing the text here. I'm guessing that the 'Danville Convention' mentioned refers to the ASD, since their HQ is there.
4 February 1946

"Mr. Herman E. Peisach
32 Flax Hill Road
South Norwalk, Conn.

Dear Sir:
I am a novice in this field that we are discussing. However, I would
like to have you send me the reports. Even if I have no connection with
scientist in this field, a recommendation from me could perhaps be
effective, so that this subject could receive more attention.

Very truly yours,
A. Einstein

The above letter was received by Mr. Peisach, with whose kind permission
it, and the one below, are published, in reply to a letter seeking Professor
Einstein's views on his father's papers. Peisach senior, now deceased, was
a physician in Germany who had learned to use the dowsing rod for diagnostic
purposes, and had become interested in the influence of radiation from water
and mineral veins on health. Mr. Peisach wrote us that by chance he had
tuned his TV set to the "Look at Us" program on the Danville Convention, and
generously referred us to this correspondence. After forwarding the reports
to Princeton, he received the following reply. Translations are courtesy of
Tell Ehardt and the German Department of Villanova University.



Dear Mr. Peisach: 15 February 1946


I read with great interest the reports from your father and I think
that they deserve attention. To publish them in the daily press would have
little effect. However, if you send these reports to a medical journal, you
will have to re-write some of the other aspects that are not really
pertinent to this matter.

I know very well that many scientists consider dowsing as they do
astrology, as a type of ancient superstition. According to my conviction
this is, however, unjustified. The dowsing rod is a simple instrument which
shows the reaction of the human nervous system to certain factors which are
unknown to us at this time. That the same circumstances can bring forth
nervous difficulties in breathing appears entirely plausible. However, I do
not think there is any connection with the occurrence of cancer. This
latter connection, if true, would not be easy to prove with supporting
statistics.

If you submit the carefully revised reports to a medical journal you
may attach a copy of my letter, so that this matter will receive the
attention I feel it deserves.

Very truly yours,
A. Einstein
Grahame
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it - Terry Pratchett.
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