Reading his books, one might get the impression that he is 99% fake, maybe 1% true.
Take his book on the Haitian “zombies”-he claimed that a mix of toxins can render a normal person a zombie-yet, when analyzed, the “zombie powder” contained insignificant doses of the toxins.
Most of his stuff reads like fantasy-is this guy another Carlos Castenada (“The teachings of Don Juan”)-who made most of his adventures up?
I studied under some world-class specialists in Afro-Caribbean religion who didn’t think much of him. I don’t think “fake” is fair, but I do think he has made some procedural errors.
There are people who Hatians identify as zombies (e.g. this woman). Davis talked to Haitians about zombies and, in my view, tended to be a bit too credulous. Folk beliefs and folk narratives reflect culturally important ideas, but not always physical reality. Davis assumed physical reality for too much, and then set about seeking a scientific explanation for the supernatural. Naturally, this appeals to his readers, who love shit like this (Atlantis was Santorini, mermaids are really manatees, etc.).
I’d say 25% real, 50% pseudoanthropology, 25% sensationalism.
I’ve read Davis, and stuff about Davis. He doesn’t strike me at all like Castandea*, and I don’t think he was ridiculously credulous. As one critic noted, there’s more to the whole zombie thing than “it’s tetrodotoxin!” – there’s a whole cultural mythos and mindset asociated with this. (For the record, I love “scientific shit” like this, too, but it’s always more than “Atlantis was Santorini”. I’m on record abut this for the case of Medusa. sometimes naturalistic explanations really do exist. Buit, as i say, even in the case of Davis, it’s not just “Tetrodotoxin is Zombie Powder!”)
*In the case of Castaneda, there are plenty of critics, but recommend deMille’s Castaneda’s Journey – if you can find it – which dissects the inconsistencies in castaneda’s dating and experiences. Also the deMille-edited the Don Juan Papers, which brings in pieces by other pieces as well, and is written with a wonderful sense of punning. How can you resist a chapter title like “The Lion, The Witch, and The Horned Toad”?
Thanks…its like his writings about all the cool medicines that the wise old rainforest shamans have…except most of them don’t work.
I recall when he was in Haiti, and he contacted the houngan (voodoun priest) to make the “zombie powder”-it included pieces of the corpse of a dead baby…I mean…come on…he actually expects us to believe this crap?
For all we know, he could have made the whole thing up by reading some 1930’s pulp novel about Haiti.
I had dinner with Davis once, and have attended some of his lectures.
It’s been awhile since I read The Serpent and the Rainbow. While Davis’s work has been questioned by some scientists, it’s been defended by others.
He’s always been more of a popularizer than a scientist. However, he’s well regarded enough to have received awards and honorary degrees from many respected organizations and universities, per his bio at National Geographic, where he is Explorer in Residence.
Cite?
Why do you think it’s unlikely a houngan might have included human remains in a potion?
Which pulp novel mentions pufferfish and Datura as being ingredients in zombie powder?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ralph124c View Post
Thanks…its like his writings about all the cool medicines that the wise old rainforest shamans have…except most of them don’t work.
Cite?
Yes, Shaman Pharmaceuticals was a California firm, founded to commercialize folk remedies from Amazon-area plants went bankrupt-without a single successful drug developed.
Nonsense. Just because the products were difficult to commercialize doesn’t mean the remedies themselves don’t work. Some may not be as effective as drugs that have previously been developed.
I also remember reading of his Haitian adventure…when he calls on the houngan (who is making up the “zombie” powder). The guy is grilling some poisonous toads and lizards (apparently unaware that heat destroys neurotoxins).
Eventually, the zombie powder is produced (containing material from the puffer fish, lizards, toads, dead bay…eye of newt, etc.)-which he takes back to the USA.
When analyzed, the stuff doesn’t work.
Yep, real scientific.