Retorts

Water, Water Everywhere

What a happy conjunction! Two items in the October issue on the same subject -- water. One, by Philippa Wiggins, on its real properties; the other, by the homeopath Dr G. Childs, on its imaginary properties.

Professor Wiggins's long studies of this most peculiar yet ubiquitous stuff qualify her well to try to unravel for us its role in living systems.

In chiding us for not accepting a few experiments, the results of which point to a statistical "maybe", Dr Childs ignores what he is asking us to abandon. Countless observations of all kinds over the centuries, as well as ordinary common sense, have shown that substances diluted to extinction have no effect.

The claims of homeopathy are incompatible with a rational view of the world.

Bernard Howard, Christchurch