Science cannot prove that the soul exists, and scientists cannot weigh it. But there is a bizarre story about a doctor’s attempt to perform an unusual experiment. The scientist even received a specific figure, which became the basis for a beautiful legend.
The soul is a central concept in many religions, so people have long been interested in the question of its existence. In the 20th century, the American physician Duncan McDougall decided conduct an unusual experiment, the purpose of which is to try to weigh the soul. He believed that the soul leaves the body at death. This must therefore be accompanied by a decrease in the weight of the body by an amount which he called “the weight of the soul.”
In 1901, McDougall performed a series of experiments on dying patients in a consumptive home. Using special scales with a sensitivity of up to 567 milligrams, the scientist weighed patients before and after their death, comparing the change in weight. Tuberculosis was well suited for the experiment, the patients died in severe exhaustion and without movement.
His first patient died after losing 21.2 grams. This gave rise to the legend. Few people know that the next patient lost 14 grams, and the third first became 14 grams lighter, and then 28.3. After McDougall’s scales completely broke. Apparently, someone did not like these experiments at all …
Later, the doctor repeated the experiments on 15 dogs and found no weight loss. Apparently not all dogs go to heaven.
The study was even published in scientific journals, but faced criticism. The doctor was criticized for the lack of rigorous scientific study and a small sample of patients. However, McDougall himself recognized the limitations of his experiments and scientific methodology.
The weight loss discussed in McDougall’s experiments has an explanation associated with physiological processes, and not with the departure of the soul or consciousness. The process of dying is associated with changes in the body: loss of fluid, release of gases, decay of tissues, and a decrease in the activity of organs. This makes a person a little easier.
Modern science does not recognize the existence of the “weight of the soul”, and attempts to measure or weigh the soul or consciousness remain outside the scientific approach. But, if someone still needs faith, the scientist gave a figure – 21 grams. No one can refute this either.
Ekaterina Sadkova
2023-08-04 07:49:39
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