Patrick Flanagan

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G. Patrick Flanagan (b. 1944) is an American inventor. Although he claims to hold doctorates in nanotechnology, chemistry, bioscience and medicine and physics,[1] his medical degree originates from Medicina Alternativa,[2] a Sri Lankan organisation which is generally unrecognized as a bona fide academic institution and has been called a degree mill. [3]

As a child Flanagan was reportedly plagued by a recurring dream in which he was an adult, flying a small aeroplane which suffered engine failure. This forced him to land on a small island, where a UFO landed and disgorged a party of "beautiful blond beings." They used a silver helmet to measure his intelligence and told him that if his intelligence did not match their expectations, he and the rest of the human race would be destroyed. [4]

In 1958, at the age of 14, while living in Bellaire, Texas, Flanagan invented the neurophone, an electronic device that claims to transmit sound through the body’s nervous system directly to the brain. It was patented in the United States in 1968 (Patent #3,393,279).[2] The invention earned him a profile in Life magazine, which called him a "unique, mature and inquisitive scientist." [5]

Flanagan claims to have worked with government weapons projects, developing and sold a guided missile detector to the U.S. military. He is said to have worked with the Pentagon, NASA, Tufts University, the Office of Naval Research, and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds for the Department of Unconventional Weapons and Warfare,[6] though it may be noted that independent evidence of this claim is lacking.

During the 1970s, Flanagan aroused controversy by becoming a leading proponent of "pyramid power," widely regarded by mainstream science as a "New Age" pseudoscience or fad. Flanagan wrote several books about the topic (see bibliography) and promoted "pyramid power" through lectures and seminars. According to the Skeptical Inquirer, during the planetary alignment of 1985 Flanagan "charged up a number of crystals full of pyramid energy during the alignment and offered to give one free to everyone who signed up for his $145 seminar near San Francisco. These crystals "were also charged at the apex of the Pyramid in the full moon-light on the last day of this most powerful alignment." If you missed this seminar, you're simply out of luck, because these crystals "will not be available again, not for the next 2000 years!"" [7]

In 1977, Flanagan was reported to have had 15 gold needles embedded in his body at a cost of $1,000 in the belief that this would make him immortal. [8] He was named 1997 Scientist of the Year by the International Association for New Science, a body that promoted work in fringe science (but was wound up the following year).

Flanagan has continued to develop and sell the neurophone as an aid to "speed learning", as well as promoting a nutritional supplement called Microhydrin. It is a compound of silica, potassium carbonate and magnesium sulfate. These minerals are claimed to be found naturally in "Hunza water" in the area inhabited by the Hunza people of northern Pakistan, who are renowned for their longevity.[9] The supplement is claimed to provide the body with "negative hydrogen ions" that help boost energy and improve nutrient absorption and hydration. Most scientists, however, say there is little scientific evidence for such claims [10] and the University of California, Berkeley has said that "health claims made about Microhydrin are outrageous and not supported by science [but are] being promoted with piles of technical, pseudo-scientific gobbledygook." [11]


[edit] References

  1. ^ "About Dr. Patrick Flanagan", Phi Sciences. Retrieved 2 September 2006
  2. ^ a b "The Amazing Neurophone", Anchorage Press, Sept 5 - Sept 11, 1996 / Volume V, No. 36
  3. ^ Consumer Health Digest #04-04, January 27, 2004
  4. ^ "Life: Heard instinct: Far out", The Guardian, April 21, 2005
  5. ^ "Whiz Kid, Hands Down", LIFE Magazine, Sept 14, 1962
  6. ^ "Ground-Based 'Star Wars' Disaster Or 'Pure' Research?", Earthpulse Flashpoints, Series 1, Number 3.
  7. ^ "Pyramid Energy is for Money Making", Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 2 No. 5 September 1989
  8. ^ "You Can Read This Article", Washington Post, November 30, 1977
  9. ^ "Water of life on sale in Ireland", Daily Mirror, October 29, 2001
  10. ^ "Sweeping claims for antioxidant", Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2004
  11. ^ "Microhydrin", UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, November 1999

[edit] Bibliography

  • The pyramid and its relationship to biocosmic energy, 1972 (ASIN B0006WI7UM)
  • Pyramid Power: The Millennium Science, 1973 (ISBN 0964881268)
  • Beyond pyramid power, 1975 (ISBN 0875162088)
  • Pyramid Power II: Scientific Evidence, 1981 (ISBN 0940598000)
  • Elixir of the ageless: Liquid crystal water, electro-colloidal mineral concentrate, 1986 (ASIN B000724IK4)

[edit] External links

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