A New Experimental Approach to Weight Change Experiments at the Moment of Death with a Review of Lewis E. Hollander’s Experiments on Sheep

Abstract

A critical review is conducted based on analytical simulations of an experimental study to measure change in weight of sheep upon death published in 2001 by L. E. Hollander in JSE.  The experimental system is modeled as a single-degree-of-freedom vibrating system.  The following conclusions are obtained.  (1) The experimental result obtained with Sheep #7 appears to be natural, as expected by the theoretical model.  (2) Hollander’s conclusion that “there was a transient gain of weight of 780 grams” in the case of Sheep #7 is not an appropriate expression of the experimental result, because the 780 gf pulse includes an overshoot reaction of the system; however, the cause of the force event remains to be explained.  Analytical simulation of a supposed weight measurement experiment involving an out-of-body experience (OBE) subject is carried out using the theoretical model under a supposed weight decrease of the experient.  The simulation showed that the disturbance caused by breathing becomes the primary noise in the system response.  However, some noise reduction techniques can be used to discern the change in the weight of the experient, if there indeed is a weight decrease.  Weight measurement experiments using a trance channeler are suggested because “trance channeling” is objectively more observable than OBE.

Keywords: critical review—analytical simulation of experiment—transient weight gains—death of sheep—analytical model of vibration— overshoot reaction—disturbances due to cardiac and breathing activities—simulation of OBE—supposed weight decrease during OBE—suggested experiments with trance channeler