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A CATALOG OF UFO-RELATED
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
John F. Schuessler
ABSTRACT
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A CATALOG OF UFO-RELATED
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
John F. Schuessler
ABSTRACT
Speaking at the MUFON UFO Symposium held in Kansas City, Missouri in 1973, Dr. J. Allen Hynek said: "A paradoxical situation exists in the whole UFO problem area: we have too many sightings, not too few; yet we are far from a solution. We are, frankly, embarrassed by our riches."
Later in the same paper, Dr. Hynek said: "We do have a great richness in material to study. Let us turn our present embarrassment of these riches to good use. We can do this by not wallowing around in a welter of cases of all sorts, unable to do justice to any, but by being very selective in choosing just what cases or aspects of the problem to study. It does no good merely to read about and talk about the whole spectrum of UFO cases." He went on to recommend that UFO researchers specialize in some aspect of the field or some unique cases to develop an impressive amount of material and to have that material published for others to use.
Some excellent examples of the specialized approach to the UFO problem now exist. Stanton Friedman, Don Berliner, Kevin Randle, and Donald Schmitt have
researched and written extensively about the 1947 UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico. Dr. Jack Kasher tackled the touchy problem of analyzing the videotape taken by the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery on flight STS-48 in September 1991. Linda Howe and Tom Adams are known worldwide for their work on cattle mutilations. Dr. David Jacobs, Dr. John Mack, Budd Hopkins, Yvonne Smith and others are deeply involved in abduction research. Len Stringfield dedicated much of his life to crash-retrieval research. These researchers and hundreds of others have dedicated themselves to specific areas of UFO research. All of this case specialization is paying off by finally providing some concrete results.
Another valuable area of specialization lies in the development of specialized databases, documenting certain characteristics of the UFO phenomenon for use by other researchers in their work. Some examples follow.
Researcher Ted Phillips assembled a database of more than 4,000 landing trace cases, incidents where plants and soil traces attested to the fact that unusual, but physically real machines of some sort damaged the landing site. Some eyewitnesses to these events described the machines as other worldly -nothing like those built on Earth.
Britain's Gordon Creighton cataloged 170 cases relating to the effects of UFOs on animals, birds and smaller creatures. While animals do not have the capacity to imagine UFOs or to misidentify UFOs, they do have the natural mechanisms necessary to sense the physical effects caused by UFOs.
Dr. Richard Haines has documented more than 3,000 cases made by aircraft pilots worldwide and dedicated a book to pilot sightings over Korea during the Korean war.
Dr. Mark Rodeghier of the Center for UFO Studies compiled a catalog of 441 UFO reports involving vehicle interference. His work is an examination, chiefly through statistical means, of the subclass of UFO events where in the car, truck, or other motor vehicle in which the witness was either riding or in near proximity to, was seemingly affected by the presence of a UFO. A similar study of 58 Australian vehicle interference cases was conducted by Keith Basterfield and Paul Jackson.
In 1969 Gordon Lore and Major Donald Keyhoe produced a special report for NICAP on the strange effects from UFOs, documenting 95 incidents of animal reactions, vehicle interferences, or medical effects on humans. It was a valuable piece of work in defining the nature of the UFO problem.
As a result of my investigation of the Cash-Landrum incident of December 29, 1980, I gathered information on a large number of UFO-related human physiological effects cases. Rather than lose the results of that inquiry, I have documented a summary of those cases in this catalog. A more comprehensive version is now in the planning stages.
Until recently, the collection of information related to human physiological effects in UFO cases was of secondary interest to investigators. The primary focus of investigations was on information about when and where the event occurred and a description of the UFO itself. This was generally true except in cases where extreme medical effects were evident.
For many years the medical practitioners having a UFO interest desired to work only as an "invisible college;" therefore, they were not accessible to UFO investigators in general. As a result, the only time a significant amount of medical data was collected was when the injury left the witness incapacitated, demanding medical treatment and the investigator was aware of it.
Usually the witnesses requiring medical treatment were treated in a text-book fashion for their malady (i.e. eye injuries, burned skin, skin lesions, etc.) by their family doctor or local hospital staff. These practitioneers usually were unaware that the patient was harmed during a UFO encounter and would not have believed it they had been told.
It was common for victims of UFO encounters to suffer alone. The press seldom took these cases seriously and the public giggle-factor made the risk of speaking out more difficult than most people could stomach.
To make matters worse, a protocol for UFO investigators to follow was not well defined or generally available. A lack of cooperation between the various UFO organizations left the data stranded in private files everywhere, inaccessible to other researchers. As a result, most cases involving physiological effects were insufficiently investigated and poorly monitored following the basic investigation.
The rapidly growing list of MUFON volunteers includes several hundred consultants and research specialists holding doctorates and masters degrees in their educational fields of expertise which are applicable to UFO research. Included in this list are individuals qualified to handle the medical issues; which includes the fields of Anesthesiology, Dentistry, Dental Surgery, Endocrinology, Gynecology, Hematology, Medical Microbiology, Medicine, Orthodontics, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Physiology, Plastic Surgery, Psychiatry, Radiation, and Veterinary Medicine.
In 1991, MUFON formed a Medical Committee and I served as the MUFON administrator for the group. The purpose of the committee was to draw researchers in all of the above fields into an ad hoc group to establish an operating protocol, collect and evaluate case data, deal with the medical evidence, and provide an information exchange for the organization. Diagnosis and treatment are not a part of this Committee's charter.
The MUFON Medical Committee defined a simplified set of instructions for field investigators to use when they are involved in a UFO investigation involving effects on or injuries to the witness. These instructions are contained in Chapter XVII of the MUFON Field Investigator's Manual, Fourth Edition, published February 1995, where they serve as a guide to help investigators secure vital medical information promptly in cases where injuries of any kind may have been caused by a UFO close encounter, including abductions. In every case, the medical help provided to the victim, patient, or client should be foremost in priority in the investigator's mind.
Obtaining Medical Consultant Assistance
Handling of Medical Evidence
Medical Injuries Defined
A listing of the more obvious effects of interest to UFO Medical researchers includes: feeling of heat, field effects (hair stands on end), disorientation, time loss, pain, headache, paralysis, marks on skin, burns (first, second and third degree), lumps, bumps, growths, sores, loss of appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, eye problems, hair loss/gain, tooth damage/decay, psychological problems, and paranormal effects.
There are often hidden effects as well. The witness may not even consider that the hidden effects are related to the incident. Therefore, without leading the witness, the investigator should determine whether or not hidden evidence such as unusual feelings, strange dreams, development of possibly related problems such as cancer or heart trouble develop in the days, weeks, or months following the incident. At times the hidden evidence is so devastating that the witness focuses on the medical problem without ever thinking of the UFO incident again.
Medical effects may result from abduction events as well as close encounter events. The investigator should be alert to medical evidence caused by the abductors, including but not limited to, medical examinations, insertion of needles or other devices into the body, implants, and reactions to the technological devices used by the abductors. In the case of abductions, MUFON headquarters will also alert MUFON Abduction Consultants.
Reporting the Evidence
The investigator may want to add a separate section of the report giving his/her feelings about the extent of the medical problem. Unless the investigator has medical training, however, it is possible that these observations may be biased or totally incorrect.
Visible injuries such as burns, rashes, cuts, bruises, needle marks, discolorations, hair loss, or eye problems should be documented on videotape and film. Still photographs should be taken using a close up lens as well as panoramic views.
If obvious injuries are present, the investigator should recommend prompt medical attention. If the witness has already seen a physician, obtain the name, address and telephone number of the physician. Report that information to the MUFON Medical Consultant. The investigator should not attempt to gain access to private medical records until assisted by a medical expert. The MUFON Medical Consultant assigned to the case will provide information on how to obtain the appropriate medical records and the proper use of release forms. A minimal set of records would include admitting records, all treatments and tests with results, nursing notes, and specialists records.
The medical evidence is an extremely important part of the UFO investigation. For this reason it is necessary to assure this valuable information is not lost or tainted. Immediately upon finding evidence of medical injury, no matter how insignificant it may seem, the field investigator should contact the MUFON headquarters in Seguin, Texas for assistance by the nearest MUFON Medical Consultant.
Proper handling of the witness (victim) is of utmost importance. The field investigator must note the exact condition of the witness, documenting the first and subsequent meetings with audio recording, photographs, and video recording if -possible. If there is any doubt about the extent of the injuries, the witness should be advised to seek medical help immediately. Once the MUFON Medical Consultant is involved, he/she can discuss the case with the on-site medical specialist.
Medical injuries may or may not be readily noticeable. In addition, the injuries may range from minor, which are difficult to detect, to extreme and easy to detect. When defining what constitutes a medical injury, it is important to consider anything that affects the physiological or psychological well-being of the witness.
Every step in the medical investigation should be thoroughly documented. No information is considered inconsequential. The exact description of the injury or condition should be recorded without interruption or interpretation. Often the witness is confused or frightened, making it difficult to understand exactly what has happened. This condition is often worsened by their having to talk to a UFO investigator. Nevertheless, it is important to capture the exact feelings and words of the witness.
