Miracles at Lourdes

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The Case for miracles at Lourdes

Visions and Miracles

The 14-year old Bernadette saw 18 Marian apparitions or Hallucinations, the first while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. She later reported that on the 9th vision she was told to drink from the spring that flowed under the rock. Although there was no known spring there, and the ground was hard and dry, Bernadette assumed the lady meant that the spring was underground. She did as she was told and dug into the dirt, and a small puddle appeared. The spring began to flow a day or so later. This is the spring with claimed healing properties. In the 145 years since then, about 70 cures have been verified by the Lourdes Bureau as "inexplicable", but only after what the Church claims are "extremely rigorous scientific and medical examinations" failed to find any other explanations. Bernadette was asked to build a chapel among other things.

During her sixteenth vision, the second of two "miracles of the candle" occurred. Bernadette was holding a lighted candle; during the vision it burned down, and the flame was in direct contact with her skin for over 15 minutes but she showed no sign of experiencing any pain. This was witnessed by many people present, including a doctor who timed and later documented it. According to his report, there was no sign that her skin was in any way affected, so he monitored Bernadette closely but did not intervene. After the vision ended, the doctor examined her hand but found no evidence of any burning, and she was completely unaware of what had been happening. The doctor then briefly applied a lighted candle to her hand and she reacted immediately.

Healings

Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is the place of mass pilgrimages from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties, and the Catholic Church has officially recognized 67 miraculous healings.

The preservation of a Dead Body

Bernadette Soubirous was first exhumed on September 2 1909, in the presence of representatives appointed by the postulators of the cause, two doctors, and a sister of the community. Although the crucifix in her hand and the rosary had both oxidized, her body was found to be "incorrupt" � preserved from decomposition, perhaps by supernatural means. This was one of the miracles cited for support of her canonization. Her body was washed and reclothed before burial in a new double casket.

The corpse was exhumed a second time on April 3 1919. The body was found to be still preserved. There was slight discoloration of the face which has been explained as being due to the washing process of the first exhumation.

In 1925, relics were taken from her body and a wax mask was applied to the face and the remains were then placed in a gold and glass reliquary in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the motherhouse in Nevers.


Image:Bernadette.gif
Roman Catholics consider Bernadette Soubirous a Saint and believe she was involved in miracles.

The Case against alleged miracles at Lourdes

Possible natural explanations for Visions and the Candle

Hallucinations can happen for natural reasons. One possibility would be that hallucinogenic fungi were mistaken for edible field mushrooms. Mouldy grain can also contain hallucinogenic material. The poor family could not necessarily have afforded the best grain.

Another possibility would be that Bernadette was overworked and tired, possibly suffering from Sleep deprivation. If the girls rested she may have become drowsy. If the girls did not rest she may have been so tired that she was close to falling asleep on her feet. In that state same people can experience hypnagogic hallucinations and hypnopompic hallucinations. These are considered normal phenomena. Hypnagogic hallucinations can occur as one is falling asleep and hypnopompic hallucinations occur when one is waking up. See Hypnagogia for more information.

Notably the spring appeared, �a few days later�. An alternative explanation is that some people went to a place roughly where the vision occurred a few days later. They did not know the exact place. A spring that had previously been overlooked suddenly became important.

The alleged "miracle of the candle" is unclear. It is unclear if the observers were sufficiently close to observe if the candle was continuously in contact with Bernadette�s skin. It is also unclear if they were impartial observers or wanted to support the Roman Catholic Church.

Alleged Healings

Miracle cures at Lourdes are allegedly a Roman Catholic hoax. Roman Catholics are not required to believe in the alleged miracles but even well educated Roman Catholics do. If the water has miraculous powers people could transport it to other countries and use it in Catholic hospitals. Blindness, cancer, paralysis and tuberculosis are most frequently reported as cured. Countless patients suffer from these conditions outside Lourdes and are denied the supposedly miraculous wateraccording a to Ed Babinski. [1] Lourdes water is available on the Internet at 15.00 ? or $ 18.15 for 10 cl and other prices. Cures are not guaranteed. [2] 55,000 invalids come daily to Lourdes. Very few are reported to be cured. Most patients leave as sick as they were on arrival. There is no discernable pattern showing the purpose of any hypothetical entity working miracles. Any such entity could prove its existence by, for example raising the dead or replacing amputated limbs. In Mediaeval times when there were few doubters people claimed such dramatic miracles.Rationalists may fail to understand why an entity which wants to heal and can heal would help so few of the sick pilgrims. Therefore rationalists may assume no such entity exists. [3]

The proportion of patients allegedly cured has fallen over time. Before 1914 one in a hundred was allegedly cured. Between 1914 and 1928 there was one cure in seven hundred. Between 1928 and 1947 there was one cure in one thousand-six hundred. Between 1947 and 1990 there were only fifty-six recognized cures. There were 1.3 per year on average. There were 57 year before 1914. As medical knowledge increases the area where medical science cannot explain events diminishes. Despite this there are a few cases which present day medical science perhaps cannot explain according to the BMJ.[4]

According to Keith Parsons cures are more probably psychosomatic or due to highly unusual coincidences of psychological and physiological causes. Alleged miracles involve slow recoveries and questionable illnesses where proving supernatural elements is hopeless. Mediaeval survivals and revivals are typically like that. [5]

Roman Catholic Priests and Roman Catholic doctors report alleged miracles. Skeptics may wonder why no impartial outside observers are involved. There is always the possibility that important information is concealed. No reputable medical organisation endorses the so-called miracles. The BMJ has reported some but probably relied in Roman Catholic publications. Those with great faith are unlikely to recover. Bernadette Soubirous, allegedly remained chronically sick till she died. [6]

Natural explanations for the preservation of a Dead Body

Corpses, which appear not to decay may have been preserved artificially or embalmed. This can apply to the corpse of Bernadette Soubhirous or other corpses.

Burial in lime-impregnated alkali soil can also preserve a corpse through Saponification of fat and soft tissue. Burial in anoxic acid, wet conditions can tan a dead body as with the famous bog bodies.

If a corpse is repeatedly dug up, examined and conserved this can also lead to apparent miraculous preservation. Wax masks may be used to conceal the poor condition of a corpse. [7]

References


References

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