# What about the Neurophone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673 "2014-10-27T18:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673/1 "2014-10-27T18:32:38Z")
Dear Cecil, Can you find out if this is for real? Since it was invented in 1958, and they sell them online, and Snopes has nothing, I would like to know. Google scholar has 202 articles on it, but since Wikipedia has neither an article on it, or info on if it is for real or not, I must ask you now. Searched first, found a [2004 thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=247475), that didn’t really answer the question, (but it did allow me to learn about [the 1920’s death ray meme](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=202225)) Thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673/2 "2014-10-29T18:39:59Z")
Well, since you don’t deign to tell us what it is, I Googled **neurophone**. I found[this Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Flanagan). Apparently it is a device that transmits “sound via the nervous system to the brain”. I have two such devices, one on either side of my head. The guy seems to be a blatant snake-oil salesman. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673/3 "2014-10-29T18:53:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Despite the fact that few contemporary scientists are familiar with the principles of the neurophone, and despite the high cost of research, a number of evaluations are ongoing. In addition to tests like the beat frequency test and the preliminary work on dolphins, a number of unscientific trials have yielded promising results. > > “In Alaska, we did a lecture series and let people try the neurophone afterwards,” says Begich. “300 people tried it and it worked on everyone. Some were partially deaf, but everyone experienced enhanced sound.” > > According to Anchorage neurologist Dr. Tom Gordon, “The scientifically fair thing to do is to look at a double-blind, randomized study,” to eliminate the possibility of placebo effects. Yet, self-reports can be a powerful indication that many consumers at least like the device. If Earthpulse sells them with a money back guarantee, and most customers are satisfied, who cares if it’s ‘scientifically proven’ to work? The group is in the process of designing a “scientific survey instrument” to gauge customer satisfaction and to hone the group’s marketing strategies. > [http://www.cridder.com/morgue/press/news/neurophone.html](http://www.cridder.com/morgue/press/news/neurophone.html) Something like this, I mean, a goddamn device that lets the deaf hear, you would think the truth about it would be clear. ---
**Author:** ![jane\_dorma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jane\_dorma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_dorma)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673/4 "2018-02-02T05:19:44Z")
I read an article about this invention today and wanted to see if Pat Flanagan was legit. Here is an article about the device and him in Life magazine 14, September 1962. The article is legit, don’t know about the effectiveness of his product. > **[LIFE](https://books.google.com.au/books?id=z00EAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=life%2Bmagazine%2B53&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipjd6GoIbZAhXHFpQKHXLDB0cQ6AEIMzAD#v=onepage&q&f=false)** > > LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s... ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-neurophone/702673/5 "2018-02-02T19:24:00Z")
Ah, nice. Thanks for the link, **jane dorma**. [This one](https://books.google.com/books?id=z00EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP69&pg=PA69) may be a little more direct to get to page 69. I didn’t catch this thread back in '14. I read about the Neurophone in the introduction of an old issue of _Analog_ years ago but could never find any other references to it. It seemed strange that such a remarkable device would remain obscure. I eventually concluded that the article was a science fiction piece masquerading as nonfiction. After reading the Wikipedia entry that \*\*njtt \*\*linked, and seeing that it’s likely the Neurophone was a New Age quack invention, I guess I wasn’t too far from the truth.