Law and Magic Blog

The Mind-Body Problem

I'm currently reading Anne Harrington's The Cure Within: A History of Mind-Body Medicine (Norton, 2008). It's a history of how notions of positive mental health and the search for cures feed into today's conventional physical treatments. Why is there is such a violent battle between the alternative medicine camp and the traditional medical folks? I think this book assists in clarifying that issue. 

One of the things Dr. Harrington does is illuminate the beginnings of skeptical thought about the origins of disease. She tells an interesting story about a young French woman whom relatives and the Catholic Church thought might be possessed by demons. The French King, Henry IV, whom as it happened had been raised as a Protestant (he was the one who decided Paris was worth a Mass), sent physicians to check things out. They sprinkled holy water on her but told her it was plain old water. No reaction, although there should have been, since demons don't like holy water. Then they read her passages in Latin from the Aeneid but told her they were passages from the Bible. Oh, dear--reactions aplenty. Conclusion--maybe the root of the young woman's problems (assuming she had any) was something other than demons. Good reading.

Milwaukee's Haunted Hotel

Members of various baseball teams that have played the Milwaukee Brewers, and have stayed at the legendary Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee say that they think the place might be haunted by the ghost of its former owner, Charles Pfitzer. At least one player for the Dodgers reports that he keeps a baseball bat handy, in case he has to ward off ghosts. Now, how why a bat would be helpful against an incorporeal being I don't quite understand, but anyway.

I've stayed at the Pfister (for a law conference), and I enjoyed it very much. It's a fine hotel, and I must say that I had no paranormal experiences of any kind. I didn't know that it was supposed to be haunted at the time that I stayed there. As Ogden Nash would say, HIBK (Had I But Known!)

An Interesting Law and Science Blog

Check out the Neuroethics and Law Blog, which discusses the relationship between neuroscience and law (and related, really interesting things). Recent posts: Baloney Psychic Detectives; Neuromarketing, Subliminal Messages, and Freedom of Speech (with a mention of Harry Potter); The Prisoner, the First Amendment, and the Brain (with a discussion of false memories). By the bye: I've written on The Prisoner elsewhere.

German Reaction To the Scientology Trial

Here's a report from CNN on the German government's reaction to the French Scientology trial currently underway. Here's a Time magazine article from 2007 on the German battle with the Church.

Church of Scientology Trial

CNN's Jim Bittermann reports on the Church of Scientology trial underway in a French court. The Church is charged with fraud--specifically with coercing two women into giving it thousands of Euros for "unification treatments" and with misusing drugs.

Teen, Mom, Return Home; Judge Will Make Decision On Treatment Tomorrow

Daniel Hauser and his mother have returned to Minnesota and he is set to go before a judge tomorrow, who will make a decision regarding his medical treatment. The pair returned home courtesy of a chartered aircraft yesterday morning, and the judge has revoked the arrest warrant for Mrs. Hauser. Read more about the Internet church that the Hausers follow here.

Two and a Half Men's Jake Gets a Magic Set

If you missed it: On season one, episode nineteen of Two and a Half Men, Rose (Charlie's stalker, played by Melanie Lyndsky) gives young Jake (the half man of the show's title, played by Angus T. Jones) a magic set for his birthday, and Charlie (played by Charlie Sheen, Alan (Jake's dad, played by Jon Cryer), Evelyn, Jake's grandmother and Charlie and Alan's mother (played by Holland Taylor), Judith, Jake's mother (played by Marin Hinkle), and Liz, Judith's sister, who's visiting for the day (guest star Teri Hatcher), take Jake to the Magic Castle for his birthday. The episode's title: I Remember the Cloakroom, I Just Don't Remember You (said by Liz to Charlie). Throughout the episode, Jake resolutely tries to learn a number of tricks as well as the patter ("Sir, or Madam, Have we ever met before?")

Jake puts on a little magic show at the end of the episode with Rose's help (she's dressed as a clown because she attended a clown's wedding earlier in the day). He does quite a nice job, particularly when he makes both of Rose's legs disappear, which surprises and horrifies his grandmother, who walks in on the show while's it's in progress.

Two and a Half Men, seasons 1-5, is available on DVD.

Mother Convicted In Faith Healing Death

In another trial involving faith healing, a Wisconsin jury convicted a mother accused of reckless homicide. Leilani Neumann was convicted in the death of her daughter Madeline. Her lawyer says she will appeal. I blogged this story earlier this year.

Magician, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, K-Mart, Settle Suit Over Lounge Chair

Last November magician, actor, and hand model Patrick Albanese sued Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and K Mart after he moved a Martha Stewart brand lounge chair, and the chair, he says, "collapsed," injuring his right index finger. Though a surgeon reattached the finger, and Mr. Albanese has regained movement in the finger (he writes about his method here), he wanted compensation for the injury. Here's a link to the complaint; the suit was filed in Iowa state court.

As it turns out, the parties settled for an undisclosed amount in April, according to a story in Business Week. Lawyer Guy Cook, who represents Mr. Albanese, says other people claim they also have been injured by the type of furniture in question. Those cases are pending.

Teen, His Mother, Trying To Evade Chemo Treatment Ordered By Court

Here's an update on the Daniel Hauser case. He's the young teen who is refusing chemotherapy for his Hodgkins lymphoma; with his mother, he is now on the run. A judge has issued a bench warrant for her arrest and police now believe the pair may be in California attempting to cross the border into Mexico. Meanwhile, family spokesperson Dan Zwakman says he knows of at least five cases in which the healing of the type the Hausers practice has cured people. He told CNN, "Yes, it's happened many times."

Daniel's court appointed lawyer thinks the boy should undergo traditional treatment. Daniel, who cannot read, is unlikely to be able to refuse treatment based on informed consent, his age, and the stress of his illness. The family's attorney issued a statement that seems to emphasize the rights of the parents. It notes that treating someone who does not want to be treated is difficult and states that "It is a violation of spiritual law to invade the consciousness of another without their consent."

Meanwhile, the judge in the case has turned custody of Daniel over to the county's child protective services.

NB (dated October 19, 2009): People have been commenting on this post (see below) wondering how this teen could refuse treatment and suggesting that he's doing so in the face of his parents' wishes. First, the teen and his parents agree on the refusal of traditional treatment (please read the article--see link above). They favored an alternative treatment, called Nemenhah, for his condition. So, Daniel is not disregarding his parents' wishes. Second, since I posted this piece, Daniel and his mom subsequently returned to Minnesota for his treatment, and he underwent a course of chemo. Reports are that he is doing well.