Roger K Leir. The Aliens and the Scalpel: Scientific Proof of Extraterrestrial Implants in Humans. Granite Publishing, 1998.
Well this book is certainly not scientific proof of extraterrestrial implants, or anything else for that matter. One thing does emerge, and that is that Roger Leir has no idea how to write a scientific book, albeit a popular one. Instead of a detailed carefully explained account of his researchers and objective analysis of the results, we get an tiresome listing of the author’s life story, the minutia of his day (about the only thing left out is the nature and composition of his stools), invented conversations and the like.
This at least gives us an insight into how people get into the state in which they start believing this sort of thing. Leir admits to a feeling of inferiority compared with his more high flying cousins, including Ken Ring of NDE fame, and admit it, being a podiatrist (a foot specialist) is not exactly practising the sexy side of medicine, not your heart-lung transplants, or separating conjoined twins which gets you into the headlines. Leir admits to wondering where is life and career was going. So when a plausible con..oops I’m sorry, dedicated researcher like Derril Simms suggests you are just the guy needed to make the scientific breakthrough of the century, you might be tempted.
The operations recounted here sound shambolic, and included Simms giving ‘hypnoanathesia’ (to be fair Leir and colleagues did give local anaesthetics as well in most cases), a patient crying out becauce the local was inadequate. In one set of operations a whole panoply of star witnesses (the usual suspects of course) was invited, it is not clear how many actually turned up.
It is not at all clear just who did the analyses of the various samples, but none actually turned round and said “hey this stuff comes from outer space”. One guy, a friend of Simms, says one sample was boron nitride, and that this was a ‘high tech compound’ (actually it could be manufactured in any good high school lab). Leir was unimpressed. In some cases it appears that the funders, Robert Bigelow and friends, wouldn’t even tell Leir where the samples were being analysed, let alone who was doing the actual work and what their qualifications were.
Leir is I think fundamentally honest, but naive, and, judging by the silly ancient astronauts and aliens are manipulating our evolution speculation at the of this book, not entirely scientifically literate outside his own speciality, and is being manipulated by others. At times he sees to get a glimmer of insight into his position. He would like his results presented in a proper scientific journal, but Bigelow prefers the obviously more prestigious MUFON journal.
The actual results are printed at the end, and I am not competent to comment on them. Hopefully others with the right technical background will. (Scientists quoted in Abduction Watch were not impressed) -- Reviewed by Peter Rogerson
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