DOUBT

Magazine Overview

Title: DOUBT
Subtitle: THE FORTEAN SOCIETY MAGAZINE
Volume: II
Issue: Whole Number 33
Date: 1931 A.D. (Fortean Year 1 FS)
Publisher: The Fortean Society
Editor: Tiffany Thayer
Price: 35c. (2/- in Great Britain)

This issue of DOUBT, the magazine of the Fortean Society, presents a collection of unusual news items, skeptical observations, and calls to action, reflecting the society's interest in phenomena that challenge conventional scientific and societal explanations.

Cover Art and Themes

The cover features a satirical illustration by "CASTING" that critiques the relationship between religion, science, and theology, with a prominent depiction of Immanuel Velikovsky's controversial book, "Worlds in Collision." The title "doubt" itself encapsulates the magazine's overarching theme of questioning established beliefs and authorities.

Featured Articles and News Items

First Prize

This section highlights a collection of "rare quality" data submitted by MFS Staats of Detroit. Among the items is a reference to the "Piccard strain," possibly alluding to the scientific work of Auguste Piccard. Other anecdotes include a child's death attributed to an anti-tetanus injection, and a claim by Doctors Boris Sokoloff and Walter H. Eddy that vitamin P from citrus peels could protect against atomic bomb radiation. The article satirically links this claim to the government's handling of post-war food distribution and the promotion of "vitamins" as a cure-all.

MFS Bristol's Contributions

MFS Bristol is recognized for submitting a "pretty set of three" items, including an anecdote about an Australian bank examiner who encountered a deserted bank with staff playing poker, and a bartender who responded to a burglar alarm with beers.

Parliamentary and Legislative Oddities

• Several news items touch upon governmental and legislative peculiarities:
• In the British House of Commons, Leonard Ropner, M.P., questioned the origin of florins labeled "Made in U. S. A." sent to a Bermuda bank.
• The Legislature of Washington state abolished a state park that had never existed.
• Paul Snow is noted for repeatedly impersonating a Senator from Maine to address state legislatures, while also residing in a mental institution.
• In Maine, the Register of Probate, J. Horace McClure, requested a salary reduction, believing he was overpaid.

Economic and Social Observations

• The price of butter in New York City is contrasted with a shipment of 1,300,000 pounds of butter bought by the Italian liner Saturnia at a much lower price.
• A priest in St. Albans, Herts., uses ventriloquism with a dummy named "Johnny the Golliwog" to teach Sunday school, with a humorous imagined dialogue provided.

Scientific and Medical Skepticism

• A Smithsonian report suggests dinosaurs suffered from arthritis.
• Dr. Thomas F. Sellers of the Georgia State Health Department expresses skepticism about the safety of anti-rabies vaccines, attributing deaths to "allergic reactions" rather than the vaccine itself.
• The Los Angeles County Medical Association's drive for immunizations against various diseases is sarcastically predicted to lead to a high polio rate.
• The article questions the manufacturers' role in prolonging the Korean War through serum production.
• The American Medical Liberty League and the Responsible Enterprise Association are listed as sources for information linking medical procedures to polio and paralysis.
• The magazine promotes "PREVENTION," a new health magazine focused on soil health.

Fortean Society Activities and Membership

You Can Stop Looking: The American Astronomers Society announced that all planets have been found, defining the solar system's boundaries.

Amazing Indifference: This section addresses "UNFINISHED BUSINESS" and seeks to identify individuals who have shown interest in the Fortean Society but have not joined. It lists numerous individuals and their contributions or interests, encouraging members to contact them.

Special Drayson Find: A rare book by Drayson, "Untrodden Ground in Astronomy and Geology," is offered for sale.

Russell's Best: This section notes that much of Russell's "Forteana" originates in the USA but is not published in American magazines, suggesting a censorship or lack of interest.

Scientific Claims and Discoveries

• Harlow Shapley discovered a star with a radius eight times the distance between the sun and earth.
• A patent was granted for a pellet that creates a champagne-like beverage when dissolved in water.
• The U.S. Navy plans to blow up the aircraft carrier Independence at sea using a method other than atomic means.

Propaganda and War

Evolution of Scientific War-Propaganda: This section uses a series of cartoon panels from different historical periods (1914, 1944, 1951) to illustrate the evolution of war propaganda, from graphic depictions of atrocities to televised violence and the use of terms like "atomic bomb" and "saucer" to sensationalize events.

• The eruption of Mt. Lamington in New Guinea is described using terms typically associated with atomic bombs.
• The article criticizes the use of terms like "bomb" and "atomic" in news reporting, suggesting it's a result of military-trained journalists and propaganda.
• It questions how individuals can form calm judgments amidst a global effort to create hysteria and fear.

The Fortean Society's Role and Call to Action

The Secretary of the Fortean Society poses the question of whether the society should engage in protesting "Civilian Defense," which is characterized as a political ploy and a means of control. A series of numbered questions are presented to members to gauge their opinions on individual liberty, the current state of freedom, the political nature of such a protest, and their willingness to participate or support the cause, even if it leads to legal battles or arrests.

Member Contributions and Inquiries

• Duke Asks Us: MFS Turner at Duke University is seeking information on unusual animal direction-finding cases.
• For Future Reference: Noteworthy deaths are recorded, including Lewis H. Brown of Johns-Manville Corp. and Capt. Thomas Lincoln Wogan.
• Help Patchen Please: Information is provided about Kenneth Patchen, a poet crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, and the Kenneth Patchen Fund.

Other Noteworthy Items

• A report on the "Oregon Vortex" and "Ape Men" is mentioned.
• The magazine discusses the concept of "purpura," a disease causing purple blotches on the body, and a case where a death was attributed to it.
• A worker used poison gas to close a flour mill temporarily, raising questions about the source of the gas.
• The issue includes a section on "Tax Protestors," mentioning Arthur Sternberg and Walter Gormley, who are withholding taxes.
• Information is provided on "Conchie Info" for Conscientious Objectors.
• A "Fortean Loss" is noted with the death of Porter Sargent, a critic of educational complacency and an active Fortean.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of DOUBT strongly emphasizes skepticism towards official narratives, scientific dogma, and government actions. The editorial stance is one of critical inquiry, encouraging readers to question authority, examine phenomena independently, and resist what is perceived as propaganda and regimentation. The magazine champions "independent thinking" and highlights the importance of individual liberty, positioning the Fortean Society as a body concerned with preserving these values against what it describes as an encroaching "police-state."

This issue of DOUBT, identified by its cover headline "MORE NOTES of CHARLES FORT", is primarily dedicated to presenting a chronological compilation of Charles Fort's extensive manuscript notes. The publication aims to transcribe these notes, which cover a wide range of unexplained phenomena and personal records dating back to 1800 AD. The magazine also includes various short reports on curious events and anomalies, as well as advertisements for related publications.

Key Articles and Reports

MORE NOTES of CHARLES FORT

The core of this issue is the ongoing transcription of Charles Fort's MSS notes. These notes are presented chronologically, starting from the year 1800 AD. The handwriting is described as difficult, often written in symbols and code, requiring significant effort to transcribe. The notes are organized into two series: numbered boxes containing records of non-human phenomena, and lettered boxes containing records of persons. The publication alternates between these series to provide a consecutive record. The notes are sourced from 32 boxes, and this issue continues the process of making them accessible to the public, with back numbers of DOUBT containing previous installments.

Errata and Sequence Corrections

An "ERRATA" section is included to correct the sequence of ten notes that were misplaced in a previous issue (DOUBT #32). These notes, originally intended for page 77, are now inserted to ensure chronological accuracy. This correction affects the dating of subsequent notes, particularly those from April 1860.

Specific Reports and Anecdotes

The magazine features a collection of brief reports on unusual occurrences:

• Barnegat Lightship Knot: An inexplicable overhand knot was found tied in the anchor chain of the Barnegat lightship, with the anchor on the bottom and the ship on top.
• Therese Neumann and Mrs. McIsaac: Therese Neumann did not bleed on Good Friday, while Mrs. Donald McIsaac of Uptegrove, Ontario, began bleeding on Fridays before October of the previous year. Rumors of the Vatican moving to Quebec are also mentioned.
• 'Baby Mammoth' Picture: Time magazine is noted for printing a picture of a purported 'baby mammoth' from July 4, 1949, claiming it lived in Alaska between 15,000 and 400,000 years ago.
• Fish in Pond: Small fish were observed in a rain water pond in Robla, California.
• Pompeii Watchmen: Two night watchmen were found dead in the ruins of Pompeii, apparently suffocated by their coal fire.
• Spirit Picture: Awake! reported the discovery that a purported spirit picture of a baby on a bathroom wall in Lily Dale, N.Y., was impressed from a cleansing tissue container.
• Witch Saved: A witch in Benevento, Italy, was saved from burning to death after citizens set fire to her petrol-soaked clothing.
• Cahows Found: Five Cahows, sea birds believed extinct since 1620, have been found in Bermuda.
• Sprouted Seed: A seed, allegedly 50,000 years old, sprouted but was killed by a fungus infection.
• Factory Faintings: Women in a factory in Oxford, Michigan, experienced faintings described as 'etherized flies', leading to hospitalizations, while men were unaffected.
• Crab in Mortar: A sea crab was allegedly found in the mortar of a wall built in 1915 in Hermosa Beach, California.
• Chinese Language Reform: Accto missionaries reported that the 'Mandarin dialect' of Chinese has been set to Roman characters and is being taught in schools, which is well-received by the people.
• Mysterious Light: Stories of a mysterious light on a road near Suffolk, Virginia, dating back 75 years, are recounted. The light appears as a one-eyed car that gets brighter and then disappears.

THE BREEZE AGAIN

This section compiles notes related to unusual impregnation theories. MFS Clayton cites data, and the editor references DOUBT #17 and #24, which discussed theories about exposure to the 'east wind' and impregnation by the 'west wind' from a TIME magazine clipping. A historical account from Scott's 'Lady of the Lake' (1830) is quoted, describing a woman who, while warming herself by a fire of dead men's bones, was covered by ashes from a wind and became pregnant.

HORSE LAUGH

This section satirizes the publication of Albert Einstein's 'brain waves' graph in Life and the Atlanta Journal. The graph is described as indistinguishable from that of a common person, questioning the significance of the findings, especially as they are funded by the U.S. Public Health Service and involve a doctor from Peru.

WHO'S STOPPING YOU, DOC?

W. Parker Anslow, Jr., Associate Prof. of Physiology at N.Y.U. Bellevue Med. Center, is quoted advocating for a drastic lifestyle change, including ceasing to eat meat and wear fur, and ultimately suggesting "commit suicide."

MR. PEACE AND QUAKES

This segment details correspondence with A. v. Vrede, who translates his name to 'Mr. Peace'. He had previously written to scientific institutions about his 'Evolution Theory' for predicting earthquakes. He sent a pre-calculation for a quake on July 2 and provided a general statement of his theory. Members interested in a 'condensed mathematical analysis' are directed to send postage stamps to an address in Eindhoven, Holland. The section also notes the 170th anniversary of the 'discovery' of Uranus by Sir William Herschel.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the meticulous cataloging of unexplained phenomena, historical anomalies, and curious events, consistent with the Fortean tradition. The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting these phenomena for the reader's consideration, often with a skeptical or humorous undertone, as seen in the 'Horse Laugh' section. There is a clear interest in challenging conventional scientific explanations and highlighting the unexplained aspects of the natural world. The publication also serves as a platform for reader contributions and discussions on these topics.