[Some more Republican Party "science".--DC]
The strange case of supernatural water
Florida tested 'Celestial Drop' to see if they warded off
citrus canker
By David Park Musella
Skeptical Inquirer
LiveScience
Nov. 15, 2005
Florida's citrus crop contributes billions of dollars to the
state's economy, so when that industry is threatened,
anything that might help is considered. Back in 2001, when
citrus canker was blighting the crop and threatening to
reduce that vital source of revenue, an interesting -- if
not quite scientific -- alternative was considered.
Katherine Harris, then Florida's secretary of state -- and
now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives -- ordered
a study in which, according to an article by Jim Stratton in
the Orlando Sentinel, "researchers worked with a rabbi and a
cardiologist to test 'Celestial Drops,' promoted as a canker
inhibitor because of its 'improved fractal design,'
'infinite levels of order,' and 'high energy and low entropy.'"
The study determined that the product tested was, basically,
water that had apparently been blessed according to the
principles of Kabbalic mysticism, "chang[ing] its molecular
structure and imbu[ing] it with supernatural healing powers."
Citrus canker is a bacterial disease that affects all citrus
trees. Caused by a bacterium, Xanthomonas axonopodis, citrus
canker can be spread from tree to tree by windborne rain,
the movements of birds and other animals, and human
activity, such as improper disposal of infected trees and
fruit. The bacterium causes brown, crusted lesions with
yellow haloes to appear on the surfaces of leaves and the
skin of fruit, reducing the leaves' photosynthetic capacity
and stunting the growth and preventing the maturation of the
fruit.
The only accepted means of fighting the blight is the
downing of affected trees and proper disposal of their remains.
The Florida state government is frequently bombarded with
new supposed cures and preventatives. Most of them are not
tested by the state with government funds. But in this one
case, at least, it appears that an exception was made: Six
months were spent establi****ng testing protocols and,
finally, testing Celestial Drops. In a letter to the state
government, Wayne Dixon, the head of Florida's Bureau of
Entomology, Nematology and Plant Pathology, re****ted that
the "product is a hoax and not based on any credible known
science." He added, "I wish to maintain our standing in the
scientific community and not allow [the developers of
Celestial Drops] to use our hard-earned credibility" to
promote their product.
David Park Musella is an editorial assistant with Skeptical
Inquirer magazine.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10054116/
--
Dan Clore
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