Mojo
Mostly harmless
Is there any info about this challenge?
It relates to some experiments conducted by Charles Darwin, published in his 1875 book Insectivorous Plants (see Chapter 7 on pp.136-173), that a number of homoeopaths have touted as evidence for homoeopathy.
There is no mention of serial dilution or succussion being used in the preparation of the solutions Darwin used. Darwin established something like an orthodox dose-response curve, with the effect becoming smaller and more difficult to observve with decreasing concentration (Note for example the comment on p.171 that “It is to be especially observed that the experiments with the weaker solutions ought to be tried after several days of very warm weather. Those with the weakest solutions should be made on plants which have been kept for a considerable time in a warm greenhouse, or cool hothouse; but this is by no means necessary for trials with solutions of moderate strength”) and a limit beyond which no response was observed. According to another homoeopath's website the weakest solutions used were equivalent in dilution to about a 7X remedy (i.e. 1 part per 10,000,000), so according to Darwin's results a 6C remedy should have no effect even though it would still have some of the original substance present, so would presumably not come within the MDC definition of paranormal.
The same poster (or at least someone posting under the same name) has posted about this experiment elsewhere on the web, for example on the HuffPo and Guardian websites.
Was anything actually received by JREF regarding this?
It relates to some experiments conducted by Charles Darwin, published in his 1875 book Insectivorous Plants (see Chapter 7 on pp.136-173), that a number of homoeopaths have touted as evidence for homoeopathy.
There is no mention of serial dilution or succussion being used in the preparation of the solutions Darwin used. Darwin established something like an orthodox dose-response curve, with the effect becoming smaller and more difficult to observve with decreasing concentration (Note for example the comment on p.171 that “It is to be especially observed that the experiments with the weaker solutions ought to be tried after several days of very warm weather. Those with the weakest solutions should be made on plants which have been kept for a considerable time in a warm greenhouse, or cool hothouse; but this is by no means necessary for trials with solutions of moderate strength”) and a limit beyond which no response was observed. According to another homoeopath's website the weakest solutions used were equivalent in dilution to about a 7X remedy (i.e. 1 part per 10,000,000), so according to Darwin's results a 6C remedy should have no effect even though it would still have some of the original substance present, so would presumably not come within the MDC definition of paranormal.
The same poster (or at least someone posting under the same name) has posted about this experiment elsewhere on the web, for example on the HuffPo and Guardian websites.
Was anything actually received by JREF regarding this?
