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Electrophoresis (polyacrylamide 7-15%. bands revealed by silver staining): samples numbered 1 to 5 are standards for the blind experiments a. c. e, h, m, p. Lane 1. Molecular weight standards for electrophoresis; lane 2, monoclonal IgG added with human serum albumin; lane 3. Tyrode's buffer without human serum albumin; lane 4.1 x 10 2 anti-IgE dilution; lane 5.1 x 10 3 dilution. Samples tested Wind: a and c, buffer; e, 1 x 10 36 anti-IgE dilution: h. 1 x 10 2 anti-IgE dilution; m, 1 x 10 3 anti-IgE dilution; p. 1 x 10 35 anti-IgE dilution.
Source publication
When human polymorphonuclear basophils, a type of white blood cell with antibodies of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) type on its surface, are exposed to anti-IgE antibodies, they release histamine from their intracellular granules and change their staining properties. The latter can be demonstrated at dilutions of anti-IgE that range from 1 x 10(2) to...
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Citations
... As indicated by the author Father of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), the course of progression actuates the "essential energy" of the weakened substance, and that progressive weakening's increment the "strength" of the arrangement. Be that as it may, the solutions to the inquiries why and how it happens have not been explained up to this point [21,22] . This is on the grounds that, at such a low weakening, no atom or Nano-particles of the first restorative material is probably going to be available. ...
Objectives: Through this review assessing the physiochemical properties of potentised homoeopathic medicines by use of certain equipment’s and basic theories by various literature sources. Methods: Summarized the results from the various experimental areas previously introduced, extracting the general findings and trends and also summarized the results in terms of specific research topics: aging, medium used for potentization, sample volume, temperature, material of potentization vessel, and, finally, the use of molecules to probe homeopathic samples. Results: There are number of variations has been recorded in the physiochemical properties of homoeopathic medicines by the application of various equipment’s and laboratory tools in terms of potentization. Conclusions: The field requires further targeted experimentation to validate past findings reporting differences between homeopathic dilutions and controls, and to expand these findings by specifically testing the three main working hypotheses that are currently at hand. Keywords: Physiochemical, potentization, dilutions, nanoparticles
... This hypothesis has already been suggested by Davenas et al. 41 and also by other researchers in liquid systems, 39,40,42 in which water would be responsible for the changes in their physicochemical properties. 33,41,43,44 These different models suggest NPs formation, as well as NBs generation, due to the mechanical energy promoted by dynamization. Also, the succussion of substances performed under electromagnetic field conditions seems to induce the generation of domains composed of water polar molecules, which bear the signature of the dissolved solute. ...
Background Recent experimental results supporting the dynamization process show modification in the characteristics of solid mixtures.
Objective The present work aims to evaluate the physicochemical properties of metallic zinc and lactose, evidencing the interactions between all chemical components presented in dynamized solid mixtures by analytical techniques.
Methods Mixtures of zinc and lactose (1:9 w/w) were successively triturated at the same proportion according to the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, receiving the designation of 10−1 – 10−6 (1dH – 6dH). All samples were submitted to the following characterization techniques: Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetry (TG), and Raman Spectroscopy (RS).
Results AAS results detected 97.0% of zinc in the raw material, and the triturated zinc lactose system (ZnMet) presented mean values similar to those expected for the physical mixtures: i.e., 9.94%, 1.23%, and 0.11% in the three first proportions (10−1, 10−2, 10−3), respectively. SEM images showed particle size reduction due to the trituration process. The XRD assays of ZnMet 10−3 and 10−6 indicated peak changes at 12.3° and 43.26°, probably associated with modifications of inter-atomic crystalline spacing. The thermal analysis results of dynamized samples suggest modifications in the chemical interaction between zinc and lactose induced by the physical forces applied. RS experiments showed variation in vibration frequencies due to the dynamization procedure, in which marked ZnMet 10−6 spectral modifications were detected at 357, 477, 1086 and 1142 cm−1, and in the wavelength range 860–920 cm−1.
Conclusion These results highlight the importance of applying suitable characterization methods to improve our understanding of the properties of homeopathic solid mixtures, whereas the uses of sensitive tools evidence the influence of trituration on the crystalline properties and in the enthalpy variation of dynamized samples.
... polémiques intenses. Et bien que l'idée ait été émise à la suite d'une publication dans une revue scientifique renommée [1] et portée par un chercheur et médecin de réputation internationale, le Dr Jacques Benveniste, elle reste actuellement dans l'histoire des sciences comme un affaire trouble, ravivant les conflits autour de l'homéopathie et autour de laquelle rôde le fantôme de la fraude. Ayant été à l'origine de ces travaux pour les médicaments homéopathiques en 1980 [2] dans l'Unité U200 de l'Inserm dirigée par Jacques Benveniste où je suis resté jusqu'en 1991, j'ai ensuite essayé de les prolonger jusqu'en 1997 au sein des laboratoires homéopathiques, puis seul jusqu'au déremboursement de l'homéopathie en 2020. ...
... L' « affaire » médiatique a connu de nombreux rebondissements : après la publication dans Nature [1], et la contrepublication assez incroyable de la commission d'enquête [3], la mémoire de l'eau a été décrite sous l'angle du mystère [2,4], de la vérité [3,5], et de l'imposture [6]. Cet aspect tient naturellement au fait qu'elle impliquait l'homéopathie, mais est aussi en lien avec la personnalité et le parcours de J. Benveniste, biologiste réputé qui faisait partie des scientifiques nobélisables au début des années 80. Dans les années 90, son opposition en France aux Prix Nobel de physique (Georges Charpak) ou de biologie (François Jacob), l'implication très forte de Nature, le suivi et l'organisation d'une partie du débat par le journal Le Monde [7,8] ont contribué au caractère sensationnel de ce qui est ainsi devenu une « affaire ». ...
... Ce modèle avait à ses yeux l'avantage de se dérouler en un seul temps, ce qui facilitait son étude par d'autres laboratoires, contrairement aux études d'inhibition qui nécessitaient d'abord l'activation par un agoniste approprié (allergène ou anticorps anti-IgE), puis mise en présence des cellules et du médicament ou de son contrôle. De plus, il n'était pas question directement d'homéopathie, même si des références à son évaluation sont faites dans l'article de Nature [1]. ...
Résumé
La controverse à propos de la “mémoire de l’eau” ne peut se comprendre que si le volet médiatique de cette “affaire” est dissocié des publications scientifiques sur ce sujet et des sources médicales homéopathiques qui en ont été à l’origine. Si l’aspect médiatique a été excessivement développé, la répétabilité des travaux scientifiques s’est avérée insuffisante, les efforts faits par la communauté homéopathique ayant été limités. Ceci a eu des conséquences sur l’évolution de la recherche en homéopathie et indirectement sur l’arrêt du remboursement de l’homéopathie par la Sécurité sociale en France.
... Nature [21]. The paper reported the results of a simple bench experiment. ...
... After the publication of Ref. [21], Nature set up a team to oversee replications. These Field Theory is the appropriate framework to describe the interaction between photons and dipoles [24]. ...
Water is present in all of its three phases in our natural world. It carves the landscapes on our planet, it is the solvent for biological activity, and it is central in humankind’s physical and intellectual existence. We summarize how water’s properties as a liquid and as a solvent are a consequence of the molecule being a strong dipole subject to Brownian motion. Short-lived hydrogen bridges between neighboring water molecules set up a flexible tetrahedral network. Convoluted pseudoscientific theories have been formulated about water. Many of these theories involve elaborate forms of higher organization and quantum physics. Some such theories have been used as a basis for scams and quackeries. We discuss of few of these excesses.
... These pharmacologically active remedies elicit change within the body, both on a biological and physiological level. 9,10 Homeopathy uses several potency scales, 2 of which are D or X (decimal scale 1:10) and the cH (centesimal dilutions 1:100). When potencies beyond 24X or 12cH are reached, the process of preparing homeopathic remedies through potentization leads to the dilution of a raw or bulk form of starting materials beyond Avogadro's number-the number of units in one mole of any substance. ...
Context:
Nanomedicine is a rapidly expanding field in which nanoparticles play an integral part. They have 2 distinct characteristics, namely a small size and large surface area, which influence a drug's permeability, solubility, and bioavailability. The trituration technique used in the preparation of certain homeopathic remedies is similar to some processes used to manufacture nanoparticles. New research has confirmed the presence of nanoparticles in homeopathic remedies. The majority of these studies use transmission electron microscopy (TEM), alone or in combination with other methods, to characterize the nanoparticles.
Objectives:
The study intended to evaluate the use, efficacy, and application of 5 characterization techniques for investigating the presence and size of nanoparticles in Ferrum phosphoricum (iron phosphate) in 2X, 4X and 6X potencies.
Design:
Quantitative experimental study.
Setting:
The study took place in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, and the Department of Chemistry (Central Analytical facility and UJ Spectrum facility) at the University of Johannesburg in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Outcome measures:
The study analyzed 2X, 4X, and 6X potencies of Ferrum phosphoricum using: (1) ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), (2) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), (3) dynamic light scattering (DLS), (14) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and (5) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Data were generated through imaging and the software programs of the equipment.
Results:
All 5 procedures confirmed the presence of Ferrum phosphoricum nanoparticles and nanofibers for all 3 potencies. Using all 5 techniques permitted characterization of different aspects of the particles, such as functional groups, elemental iron, concentration base, and size distribution.
Conclusions:
Although all 5 techniques used in the study showed the presence of iron phosphate nanoparticles in the 2X, 4X and 6X potencies of Ferrum phosphoricum, making them essential tools in determining the presence of nanoparticles, UV-vis, FTIR, and TEM analysis were best suited for the analysis of nanoparticles in high-dilution preparations such as homeopathic remedies, due to the limitations of DLS and EDX.
... The controversy over the "memory of water" that burst in 1988 continues to maintain in the shadow the whole story of Benveniste's experiments that extended over 20 years from 1984 to 2004. 1 Admittedly these claims were anything but insignificant: the experiments presented in Nature suggested the existence of molecular-like effects in the absence of molecules. 2 The authors of this article stated that dilutions of biologically-active molecules beyond the limit defined by the Avogadro number had nevertheless a biological effect. ...
... 1,17,18 Similar arguments have been reported for high dilutions in basophil degranulation (e.g., active histamine vs. inactive histidine; active anti-IgE vs. inactive anti-IgG). 2 In fact, this argument is not valid if one considers that specificity is always indirectly "demonstrated" through an intellectual construct. These assessments of specificity were nothing more than comparisons of "active" versus "inactive" labels. ...
The “memory of water” experiments suggested the existence of molecular-like effects without molecules. Although no convincing evidence of modifications of water – specific of biologically-active molecules – has been reported up to now, consistent changes of biological systems were nevertheless recorded. We propose an alternate explanation based on classical conditioning of the experimenter. Using a probabilistic model, we describe not only the biological system, but also the experimenter engaged in an elementary dose-response experiment. We assume that during conventional experiments involving genuine biologically-active molecules, the experimenter is involuntarily conditioned to expect a pattern, namely a relationship between descriptions (or “labels”) of experimental conditions and corresponding biological system states. The model predicts that the conditioned experimenter could continue to record the learned pattern even in the absence of the initial cause, namely the biologically-active molecules. The phenomenon is self-sustained because the observation of the expected pattern reinforces the initial conditioning. A necessary requirement is the use of a system submitted to random fluctuations with autocorrelated successive states (no forced return to the initial position). The relationship recorded by the conditioned experimenter is, however, not causal in this model because blind experiments with an “outside” supervisor lead to a loss of correlations (i.e., system states randomly associated to “labels”). In conclusion, this psychophysical model allows explaining the results of “memory of water” experiments without referring to water or another local cause. It could be extended to other scientific fields in biology, medicine and psychology when suspecting an experimenter effect.
... Zweifelsfrei konnte weder sein Similia similantibus curantur («Gleiches heilt gleiches») noch die Potenzierung von Arzneimitteln durch Verdünnung je experimentell untermauert werden [17]. Die angeblichen in Nature publizierten Beweise des französischen Pharmakologen Jacques Benveniste mussten zurückgezogen werden [18], nachdem klar wurde, dass die Experimente nicht korrekt durchgeführt worden waren: Wasser hat also doch kein Gedächtnis [19]! Dann konnten Metaanalysen zur klinischen Wirksamkeit homöopathischer Globuli keinen Vorteil gegenüber Placebo belegen [20]. ...
... The water memory controversy supporting the homeopathy industry or the false link between autism and vaccination published by Wakefield, et al., have been highly discussed and publicized. 81 Despite this, the involvement of industrial sponsors of scientific research, particularly in clinical trial research, has increased exponentially. In 1980, 32 % of all biomedical research was funded by industry; this figure increased to 62 % in 2000. ...
The independence of science was long seen as of prime importance. This position has become less common today. The perception of scientific research as a public service has led to the opinion that it must be accountable to citizens and produce knowledge and innovation that meet their expectations. Numerous authors have voiced the need for anticipatory ethical control of innovation focusing on the scientific research process. This control is considered as the must-have guarantee for “good science.” The current article attempts to trace the ideological origins of the ethical control of innovation, examines its effectiveness against the challenge of globalization and technology-derived major threats and its compatibility with scientific methodology. It also suggests ways to both regulate the innovation process and preserve the independence of science. On the whole, we conclude that truly effective ethical regulation of innovation, i.e. one that protects the greatest number from its adverse effects, is achieved first and foremost by questioning our liberal economic model and the place given to science in our societies.
... The opinion that the experiments of Jacques Benveniste 19 were erroneous or ill-founded may be encountered even among people from the homeopathic community. 20 However, we believe that the verification of these experiments by Jean Sainte-Laudy, Madeleine Ennis and others, 21,22 despite the subsequent equivocal results of different scientific teams in their attempts to replicate that outcome, renders the picture very complex, as well as open to alternative explanatory hypotheses. ...
... Oscillatory responses to a remedy have also been observed. 40 In Benveniste's article in Nature, 19 an oscillatory response of the intensity of basophil degranulation is observed, in this case not over time but depending on the degree of dilution of the utilised anti-IgE. In experiments with Arnica montana acting on a human macrophage cell line, where its effect on gene expression was measured and when low and high potency dilutions were used, patterns of down-and up-regulation of several genes were observed correspondingly. ...
We discuss questions related to the ‘Benveniste Affair’, its consequences and broader issues in an attempt to understand homeopathy. Specifically, we address the following points:
1. The relationship between the experiments conducted by Benveniste, Montagnier, their collaborators and groups that independently tested their results, to ‘traditional’ homeopathy.
2. Possible non-local components such as ‘generalised entanglement’ as the basis of the homeopathic phenomenon and experimental evidence for them.
3. The capability of highly diluted homeopathic remedies to provoke tangible biological changes in whole organisms and cellular experimental systems.
4. Aspects of the similia principle related to the above.
5. Suggestions that can lead to experimental verifications of the non-local hypothesis in homeopathy.
... The controversy emerged in 1988 after the publication of an article of Benveniste's team and other scientists in the journal Nature [5]. The experiments described in the article suggested that water kept information of biologically-active molecules that had been so diluted that no molecule could be present in test samples. ...
Background:
Benveniste's biology experiments suggested the existence of molecular-like effects without molecules ("memory of water"). In this article, it is proposed that these disputed experiments could have been the consequence of a previously unnoticed and non-conventional experimenter effect.Methods:A probabilistic modelling is built in order to describe an elementary laboratory experiment. A biological system is modelled with two possible states ("resting" and "activated") and exposed to two experimental conditions labelled "control" and "test", but both are biologically inactive. The modelling takes into account not only the biological system, but also the experimenters. In addition, an outsider standpoint is adopted to describe the experimental situation.Results:A classical approach suggests that, after experiment completion, the "control" and "test" labels of biologically-inactive conditions should both be associated with the "resting" state (i.e., no significant relationship between labels and system states). However, if the fluctuations of the biological system are also considered, a quantum-like relationship emerges and connects labels and system states (analogous to a biological "effect" without molecules).Conclusions:No hypotheses about water properties or other exotic explanations are needed to describe Benveniste's experiments, including their unusual features. This modelling could be extended to other experimental situations in biology, medicine, and psychology.
