[meteorite-list] Double-Blind Experiments Testing Dowsing

[Paul H.]

In "You Naysaying Denialists Are All Wrong, Dowsing Works!"
for the meteorite list, JoshuaTreeMuseum wrote:

"Speaking of experimental scientific method, I would 
like to propose a simple, reproducible experiment 
that can be performed by any genius, near-genius, 
idiot or near-idiot.",

Actually double-blind experiments testing the effectiveness 
of dowsing have been conducted and published. They include:

Banks, G., D. Gill, and V. Ezerins, 2005, Test Report: The 
Detection Capability of the Sniffex Handheld Explosives 
Detector. Naval EOD Technology Division, Naval Seas 
Systems Command, Department of Defense, Indian 
Head, Maryland.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26050076/Navy-Report-From-Pro-Public-A
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/23365128/Test-Report-The-Detection-Capability-of-the-Sniffex-Handheld-Explosives-Detector

Enright, J. T. 1995. Water dowsing: The Scheunen 
experiments. Naturwissenschaften. vol. 82, no. 8, pp. 360-369.

Enright, J. T., 1999, Testing Dowsing: The Failure of the 
Munich Experiments. Skeptical Inquirer. vol. 23, no. 1.
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/testing_dowsing_the_failure_of_the_munich_experiments/

McCarney, R., F. Fisher, F. Spink, G. Flint, and R. van Haselen,
2002, Can homeopaths detect homeopathic medicines by 
dowsing? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. vol. 4, pp. 189-191.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279512/

Murray, D, 2002, Double-Blind Field Evaluation of the 
MOLE Programmable Detection System. Entry Control 
and Contraband Detection Department, Sandia National
Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
http://www.justnet.org/Pages/RecordView.aspx?itemid=440
http://www.justnet.org/Lists/JUSTNET%20Resources/Attachments/440/moleeval_apr02.pdf

Murray, D. W., F. W. Spencer, D. D. Spencer, 1998, Double-
Blind Evaluation of the DKL LifeGuard Model 2. Sandia 
Report SAND98-0977. , Sandia National Laboratories, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/1998/980977.pdf

A book that discusses dowsing in great detail is:

Vogt, E. Z., and R. Hyman, 2000. Water Witching USA., 2nd ed.,
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 248 pp.

Related articles and papers are:

Brassington, F. C., 1998, Water divining. Encyclopedia of 
Hydrology and Lakes. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series 
no. 22, pp. 690-695. Kluwer Academic Publishers, New
York.

Carpenter, W. B., 1852, On the influence of suggestion in 
modifying and directing muscular movement, independently 
of volition. Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. 
vol. 1, pp. 147-153.

Carrold, R. T., 1999, Dowsing for Dollars: Fighting High-Tech 
Promises with Low-Tech Critical Thinking Skills. Skeptics
Dictionary. 
http://www.skepdic.com/essays/dowsingfordollars.html

Enright, J. T., 1996, Dowsers Lost in a Barn. Naturwissenschaften. 
vol. 83, no. 6, pp. 275-277.

Perrine, L., 1998, 'Human presence detector' fails controlled 
tests conducted by Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia 
National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
http://www.sandia.gov/media/hudet.htm

Randi, J. dowsing, 1995,  James Randi Educational Foundation.
http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/dowsing.html

Yours,

Paul H.