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Transplanting Memories is a 'science' documentary made by Dunedin based company Natural History New Zealand (NHNZ). They are (or at least were), renown for their documentaries, especially as their name suggests, on natural history. The basis of Transplanting Memories was that humans who undergo organ transplants can also receive the donor's memories, habits, sexual preferences, desires, personality traits etc. due to something called 'cellular memory'.

So is there any validity to the claims made in this documentary? Does science and medical research support this conclusion? Is there evidence that 'cellular memory' even exists?

Did NHNZ produce a critical, well researched, unbiased documentary or was it merely a scam, a frivolous piece of crap aimed at a gullible and superstitious audience solely to make money?

Conclusion: It's a scam.

Introduction

Letter to the Editor
There is nothing quite like a closed mind
Show me the balance
What they don't tell you
He said... She said...
Tabloid television and Fox — The Most Biased Name in News
But what if it's true?

Conclusion

Readers' Comments

After viewing Transplanting Memories in April 2005 I wrote a letter of complaint to the Otago Daily Times (ODT) describing it as 'pure drivel dressed up as science'.
One month later the ODT published my letter which they entitled "Documentary 'drivel dressed up as science", along with a reply from Michael Stedman, managing director, of 'Natural History New Zealand'. (Photo above.)

This is how NHNZ promotes this documentary on the Internet and at film festivals:

NHNZ Online Store - Transplanting Memories

As medical science reaches new frontiers, more and more people are undergoing life-saving transplant operations. But is it possible that as well as receiving a new heart, lung or liver, the recipients also acquire their donor's likes, dislikes, memories, emotional traits and sexual preferences? Growing evidence suggests they can.

Transplanting Memories is a powerful human story that investigates amazing cases of people who have inherited personal characteristics and memories from their organ donor immediately after transplant surgery. It features donor families who've discovered more than a body part from their loved ones may be living on inside another body. It also looks at the work of scientists who challenge us to reconsider our assumptions about where memories are stored, whether they can be transferred from one individual to another and even survive our bodily death.

Duration approx 55 minutes.

NZ$29.95

In this essay I will answer Mr Stedman's accusations regarding my integrity and clearly explain why his company's documentary Transplanting Memories really is 'drivel dressed up as science'. I will show that companies like NHNZ and its parent 'Fox Television Studios' can not be relied on to put science, facts, truth etc ahead of profit, entertainment, audience share etc. I will also show that Mr Stedman's reply in no way counters my criticism of the documentary.

Letter to the Editor

Below is my letter to the Otago Daily Times followed by Mr Stedman's reply:

Documentary 'drivel dressed up as science'

WHILE working in Wanaka recently I managed to catch the screening of Transplanting Memories by Dunedin based company Natural History New Zealand. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I used to be proud of the world class documentaries produced by this company, but this was pure drivel dressed up as science. The programme claimed that humans who undergo organ transplants can also receive the donor's memories, habits, desires, personality traits etc. due to something called cellular memory, and NHNZ falsely states in its advertising blurb that only "a handful of scientists are sceptical" of this claim. Jeff Punch, a transplant surgeon from the University of Michigan, has stated: "Medically speaking, there is no evidence that these reports are anything more than fantasy". So why does a company tarnish its reputation by making such biased rubbish? Seemingly, even when it comes to documentaries, we only want to be entertained, and we're more interested in mystical explanations than scientific ones. This seems to be borne out by comments made by NHNZ staff in interviews. Andrew Waterworth, an executive producer specialising in science programming for NHNZ said: "People, first and foremost, want to be entertained. They, for the most part, don't have the brain space to take up information out of sheer curiosity". Michael Stedman, NHNZ's managing director, has said: "We recognised some years ago that we were part of the entertainment industry, not the education industry". The fact that NHNZ is now wholly owned by Fox Television Studios, a company not known for its integrity, probably says it all.

Michael Stedman, managing director, Natural History New Zealand, replies:

"There is nothing quite like a closed mind. The discoverers of a round earth, gravity, the heliocentric solar system, evolution and electricity were categorised as either heretics or lunatics.
"Your correspondent assists in this long tradition by dismissing the debate on cellular memory as 'pure drivel', a position that is hardly the basis for reasoned debate. While he quotes Jeff Punch MD, a transplant surgeon, in support of his 'drivel' proposition, the research of Dr Gary Schwartz, professor of psychology, medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and surgery at the University of Arizona, and who appeared in the documentary, may aid him in achieving a rather more balanced view and maintaining an open mind. This is especially so since the quote from Mr Punch is taken from an online Q & A published in 1996, while Dr Schwartz's work is considerably more current.
"Your correspondent misrepresents both the content and the intent of the documentary, made for the Discovery Health Channel. While it certainly deals with cellular memory, which like much of science sits between the known and the unknown, it searches for scientific answers, not mystical ones. Your correspondent may not like the answers but that does not entitle him to misrepresent and denigrate either NHNZ or the scientists featured in the film.
"Cellular memory is a controversial theory with both advocates and critics within the fields of science and medicine. What is disturbing is your correspondent's complete dismissal simply because he doesn't agree; science, after all, is about learning and learning is often at the edge of belief.
"In support of his opposition to the documentary, he attacks NHNZ by quoting out of context, misquoting and rounding off with a complete dismissal because we are owned by Fox. The attempt to discredit by quoting out of context is a technique often used by those who lack substance and are intent on mischief. Truth and understanding are often the casualty. The quote attributed to one of our most senior and internationally respected executive producers is an example of such mischief.
"In many of the talks I give, I remind people that we are part of the entertainment industry and with that come special challenges in telling science stories. The documentary makers have to be acutely aware of the target audience, create a programme that has pace, tells an interesting story and is accessible, while at the same time dealing with subjects that are often complex and very detailed. No programme is entitled to an audience - we must earn their interest. From the reaction from both the audience and the scientific community, for the greater part we succeed. In short, we are presenting science stories in an entertainment context. To forget that is to court failure.
"Under Fox, NHNZ has flourished in a way it certainly didn't under TVNZ. In fact, I have no doubt NHNZ would not have survived under TVNZ. In 2003, NHNZ was awarded the highest international award for our work in science media. Companies are invited to make a presentation to an international jury of both scientists and broadcasters and are judged on their philosophy and their body of work, including the integrity of its scientific content. Only one company each year can win the Prix Jules Verne: it is not awarded for drivel."

There is nothing quite like a closed mind

First let me answer Mr Stedman's disparaging comments regarding my integrity and my approach to the 'science' contained in NHNZ's documentary Transplanting Memories.

I'm 'closed minded' according to Mr Stedman since I dismiss the theory of cellular memory. I could ask Mr Stedman if he dismisses those who believe in leprechauns, and if he answered 'yes', doesn't that make Mr Stedman closed minded as well? Actually no. We all reject many, many things that we believe there is no good evidence for. Thus I rejected cellular memory because I believe that not only is there no good evidence for it, there is also much evidence against it. That's not being closed minded, that's being rational.

As to the concept: "People ridiculed Copernicus, Darwin etc and they turned out to be right. They're ridiculing me, so that means I must be right too". However history shows that most people that are ridiculed for having false ideas, turned out to really have false ideas. Where would society be if we blindly accepted everything every lunatic said? People must learn to ask: "Show me the evidence", and evaluate new claims with reason, not by how much their proponents are ridiculed or ostracised.

I didn't dismiss the debate on cellular memory, I dismissed cellular memory and NHNZ's biased presentation of it. There is a difference. Indeed, by writing my letter I was hoping that it would generate debate on the subject, informed and reasoned debate that was missing from the documentary.

As a maker of science programmes, Mr Stedman finds it 'disturbing' that I disagree with a scientific theory, stating science is about learning. Science is more than that though, because when you learn something you must have a way of determining whether that something is actually true. You devise a theory, test it and reject it if it's wrong. Science thrives on its theories being challenged, rather than being blindly accepted. One shouldn't be disturbed that the scientific method is working.

His simple statement that 'cellular memory is a controversial theory with both advocates and critics', is like saying the 'Flat Earth' theory has both advocates and critics. It suggests that both sides of the argument are equal, which they are not, and is disingenuous. Equally his statement 'cellular memory, which like much of science sits between the known and the unknown' again implies that cellular memory is on a par with what the public think of as mainstream science. It is this careful selection of phrases and evidence that helps make these quasi-documentaries biased. Deliberately or otherwise, a false impression has been planted.

Mr Stedman implies that I have dismissed cellular memory through ignorance, no doubt a product of my closed mind, and that to achieve a more balanced view I should research Dr Schwartz's work. This seems to suggest that if I really understood his theory, I would be perfectly content that almost the whole program was dedicated to his theory. Again, perhaps it hasn't occurred to Mr Stedman that I might have dismissed cellular memory because I have examined its claims and found them wanting?

Show me the balance

My central concern was that the documentary presented a biased, unbalanced view of cellular memory, and yet Mr Stedman's comments failed to address this issue. Nowhere in his reply did Mr Stedman make any attempt to show that mainstream science and medicine are taking cellular memory seriously, nor did he attempt to defend the scientific or skeptical balance in the documentary. Mr Stedman provided no reference to those in the documentary that were critical of cellular memory and who would have provided balance, or to the proportion of time they were allocated compared to the cellular memory proponents. Mr Stedman gave us no reassurance that balance is important in NHNZ documentaries. In answer to my complaint that the documentary was biased, that is, full of information supporting cellular memory and little else, his reply simply recommended further study of cellular memory. And Mr Stedman is completely dismissive of the professional opinion of critic and transplant surgeon Jeff Punch, seemingly because it's outdated (A strange approach when Mr Stedman lectures me on dismissing views that I don't like). Strange also that when it comes to transplant surgery, the practical experiences of a transplant surgeon can be negated by the fringe theories of someone who makes no claims of performing transplants.

A balanced documentary is not about who is right and who is wrong, but whether each side is given equal opportunity to present their view and equal opportunity to respond to the others' claims. This open, informed and reasoned debate that Mr Stedman claims I am dismissing, was denied viewers of Transplanting Memories. The media is a powerful tool, and false ideas can be easily planted in people's minds by these 'quasi-documentaries', which are nothing more than propaganda.

Mr Stedman is correct on one assumption. Most people should not leave a screening of Transplanting Memories thinking cellular memory is drivel, because, honestly, the documentary simply doesn't give you enough information to objectively reach that conclusion. However if you look further at the evidence supporting cellular memory (or rather the lack of it), the wider ramifications of the theory, and the beliefs and claims of its proponents, it's difficult to take it seriously. If you go further and look at the criticism and evidence against cellular memory, as well as the evidence that supports mainstream theories, cellular memory theory does indeed take on the appearance of drivel.

Unfortunately almost none of this extra information and evidence was provided to the documentary audience. They were not able to make an informed and reasoned decision based on all the evidence. The bulk of the information was in the form of subjective and emotive case studies from a mere fraction of the transplants that have occurred worldwide. All of the participants were interviewed after the donor families and recipients had already exchanged information, thus contamination cannot be ruled out. One of Dr Schwartz's case studies even involved psychic powers, with the donor foreseeing his own death, heart donation and the name of the recipient, yet this was still claimed as evidence for cellular memory. The main claim of the documentary was that organ transplant recipients receive memories of the donors, yet here the opposite occurred, with the donor doing the receiving. Dr Schwartz, a scientist, sees no problem in mixing this event in with evidence for cellular memory.

Almost any theory, no matter how weird, can be made to appear plausible if you are selective in what you tell your audience. Take the 'Flat Earth' theory. Common sense tells us it's true, until you compare it with the evidence. The Fox TV special 'Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land On The Moon?' is a perfect example of how a biased and uncritical documentary can change public belief for the worse. Many intelligent people now believe the moon landing was a hoax, based solely on information in this documentary. Much of what was claimed sounded reasonable and scientific, and since little time was given to critics to clearly debunk these claims viewers were left with the impression that NASA had something to hide. TV programmers obviously consider the claims made in this documentary so important that it has been broadcast at least 4 times on NZ primetime TV. Other Fox television specials seen here were 'Signs from God: Science Tests Faith', 'Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?' and 'Opening the Lost Tombs: Live from Egypt', which was introduced in the US as an item during Fox News as: "Reports that Aliens May Have Built the Pyramids of Egypt!" These are clear examples on how to disseminate misinformation, and are especially devious when they screen them live during the "News". Somebody once suggested that TV programs masquerading as documentaries should carry a continuous disclaimer such as "This program is providing you with a one-sided treatment of a controversial issue". Unfortunately they do not.

The first question moon hoax believers usually throw at me is: "If they really went to the moon, why didn't they ever go back?" When I say: "They did. Man has travelled to the moon nine times and landed six times, with 12 different astronauts walking on the surface", they reply dumbfounded, "They did? Then why didn't the documentary tell us that?" Because it wasn't helpful to the story they wanted you to believe. Often in these biased documentaries it's not what they tell you, it's what they don't tell you that's vitally important.

What they don't tell you

So here's what Transplanting Memories and Mr Stedman didn't tell us about cellular memory and its main proponent Dr Schwartz.

For one, Transplanting Memories reveals very little of Dr Schwartz's theory of cellular memory or Systemic Memory Theory. For that you need to go to his book The Living Energy Universe, where he contends that it's not just organs, but that everything in the Universe is alive, evolving, eternal and has memories. That includes your wristwatch, water, light and the Universe itself. Everything. While the audience might accept that body organs may have memories, how many would have also accepted that your wristwatch can remember things? He believes we get old because we build up too many memories, and that our bodies excrete, not primary to get rid of waste, but to get rid of extra memories. His theory predicts that, even without an organ transplant, we should be swamped with new memories every time we drink water and eat chicken (yet strangely no one experiences them).

Dr Schwartz also believes his cellular memory theory supports and explains paranormal phenomena such as:

• out-of-body experiences
• survival of the soul after death
• after death contact via mediums
• reincarnation
• psychometry
• telepathy
• qi
• homeopathy
• aromatherapy
• herbalism
• energy medicine
• crystal healing
• distant healing
• spirit medicine
• acupuncture
• kinesiology
• akashic records
• kaballa
• karma

While quick to list Dr Schwartz's qualifications and position at the University of Arizona, Mr Stedman fails to highlight his actual positions as Director of the Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science (ie healing related to body energy fields or "auras") and Director of the Human Energy Systems Laboratory, whose prime research has been to test the hypothesis that the human soul survives physical death by using mediums to communicate with the dead. This is told in his latest book 'The Afterlife Experiments: Breakthrough Scientific Evidence of Life after Death'. And where theologians, philosophers and scientists have failed throughout history, Dr Schwartz claims to have scientifically proven the existence of God. His next planned book is 'The G.O.D. Experiments'.

Psychologist Paul Pearsall, who has conducted research with Dr Schwartz, has also written a book on cellular memory called 'The Heart's Code'. His research suggests that the heart thinks, cells remember, and that both of these processes are related to an as yet mysterious, extremely powerful, but very subtle energy with properties unlike any other known force.

"The brain has lost its mind," says Pearsall. "It's so busy that it doesn't really connect with the energy we know to be ancient, spiritual and intuitive. The heart has a coded, subtle knowledge connecting us to everything and everyone around us. That aggregate knowledge is our spirit and soul. The heart is a sentient, thinking, feeling, communicating organ."

In the documentary Transplanting Memories, would the credibility of Dr Schwartz have suffered if he had announced something like this to the audience: Along with cellular memory, I have also scientifically proven that most paranormal phenomena are real, that the Universe and everything in it is alive, and that God exists?

The fact that none of Dr Schwartz's wider claims and beliefs were divulged to the audience seems to suggest that NHNZ wasn't prepared to take that risk.

Discussion of cellular memory is found most often in a paranormal or pseudoscience context, such as the following quotes from two websites:

"This might explain why some humans have vivid memories of past lives, especially when under hypnosis, that were never lived. They are reacting to cellular memory, not reincarnation".

"I've always held the belief that 'some' alleged past life regression... could just be a 'genetic memory' of one of their ancestors, a memory of a great great grandfather for instance".

He said... She said...

Mr Stedman correctly states that misquoting and quoting out of context is a technique often used by those that lack substance and that truth and understanding are often the casualty. This is a wonderful description of what actually occurred in Transplanting Memories. However, Mr Stedman actually accuses me of this crime.

Mr Stedman categorically stated that I misquoted him and he implied that he knew where I sourced this "quote" from, yet if that is the case, he knew full well (although the reader didn't), that those were his exact words. I did not misquote him.

At no point did he admit that these exact words were spoken or say something along the lines of: "Yes, Andrew and I did say that, but what we were attempting to convey was this... " Instead Mr Stedman went on the attack, accusing me of being closed minded, dismissive of debate, lacking substance, intent on mischief and out to suppress "truth and understanding". To put it bluntly, of lying.

Mr Stedman suggested I research the views of those I'm criticising (eg Dr Schwartz) before rushing into print, yet he ignored his own advice when it came to denouncing my view. Rather than simply accusing me of being closed minded and up to mischief, he had one month, plenty of time to contact me through the ODT and discover my position. Mr Stedman chose not to.

As regards the quotes, what can we take from executive producer Andrew Waterworth's comment:

"People ..., for the most part, don't have the brain space to take up information out of sheer curiosity"

"You can still find science programming—quite a lot of it, actually—but like the rest of today's factual programming, it is dressed up with entertainment values and camouflaged as mysteries or suspenseful thrillers".

I agree completely that a great way to convey information is to make it entertaining and interesting, but I am disappointed with Mr Stedman's quote in a 2003 World Screen News Inc interview with Mansha Daswani entitled NHNZ's Michael Stedman:

"We recognised some years ago that we were part of the entertainment industry, not the education industry".

I feel that those that elect to make science documentaries must have education as their primary goal. The question then becomes: how do we make it so that people will want to watch it? This is where the use of entertainment comes into the equation, but it must never be allowed to distort the facts. If you can't tell the story without suppressing certain key facts or misleading the audience, then find another angle. For example, you can't succeed with the premise that ghosts don't exist if every program is dominated by scary ghost stories that are left unexplained, just because people find the idea of ghosts entertaining.

To the argument that people won't watch real science programmes, excellent and enormously popular documentaries such as Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Life on Earth (and numerous others) by David Attenborough and Beyond 2000 easily demolish this claim.

Tabloid television and Fox — The Most Biased Name in News

As for the loss of faith by some in Fox's integrity, perhaps Mr Stedman should watch doco-movies The Corporation and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. Then he should check out the following Fox TV programs:

• Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land On The Moon?
• Signs from God: Science Tests Faith
• Opening the Lost Tombs: Live from Egypt
• Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?
• In Search of Bigfoot
• Encounters: The Hidden Truth
• Encounters: The UFO Conspiracy
• Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?
• Sightings
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Powers of the Paranormal: Live on Stage!

US philosopher Paul Kurtz has commented that:

"Media mega-corporations are interested first and foremost in profits; hence, they produce media programs in terms of their marketability. The criterion is what will sell, not what is true. Entertainment outmatches information and education".

"We need to impart to publishers, editors, producers, and writers some sense of their responsibility not to distort the truth and their obligation to raise the level of scientific comprehension and critical thinking".

"The way the media depict these paranormal events does seem to have an impact on what people end up believing when the program is over."

"Alarmed by the steady stream of irresponsible programming spewing forth claims that were patently false, CSICOP established the Council for Media Integrity, calling for some balanced presentation of science. Given massive media misinformation, it is difficult for large sectors of the public to distinguish between science and pseudoscience, particularly since there is a heavy dose of "quasi-documentary" films. TV is a powerful medium; and when it enters the home with high drama and the stamp of authenticity, it is difficult for ordinary persons to distinguish purely imaginative fantasies from reality".

And this from the Gallup Organization, 2001:

"Americans' belief in psychic and paranormal phenomena is up over last decade. Belief in psychic healing and extrasensory perception top the list. The Gallup Poll ...results suggest a significant increase in belief in a number of these experiences over the past decade, including in particular such Halloween-related issues as haunted houses, ghosts and witches. Only one of the experiences tested has seen a drop in belief since 1990: devil possession.
Overall, half or more of Americans believe in two of the issues: psychic or spiritual healing, and extrasensory perception (ESP), and a third or more believe in such things as haunted houses, possession by the devil, ghosts, telepathy, extraterrestrial beings having visited earth, and clairvoyance. Almost half of Americans believe God created humans 10,000 years ago".

Although the above Gallop Poll was for the US, nearly all my friends, family and acquaintances hold at least one of these paranormal beliefs. We live in a time when we know more about the universe than ever before, yet the beliefs of the majority of the population match that of medieval peasants. Most newspapers, and the ODT is no exception, run astrology columns and quotes from the Bible. As I write this TV3 is advertising our own NZ made show with real-life psychic medium Jeanette Wilson, entitled Dare to Believe. The very name is reminiscent of a childish taunt: "Go on, I dare you to believe", and demonstrates that they want you to judge this show on emotion, not reason.

In addition to TV's quasi-documentaries, our movies and TV programs abound with images of imaginary beings, from aliens and angels, to witches and vampire slayers. Unfortunately entertainment media tends to devalue science and reason, since facts often get in the way of a good story. Sure these stories can be fun and entertaining, and I'm a fan of many of them, but too many people don't realise they're only stories. The politically correct notion that these other views of reality are equally valid is ridiculous. We are becoming a society with futuristic technology and medieval beliefs.

The makers of science documentaries could play an important part in dispelling these myths, but unfortunately some have decided there is more money to be made from numerous programs on mysteries that reach inconclusive verdicts, than on one program debunking them. There is enough mystery and awe in the real universe without having to invent more.

But what if it's true?

Finally, let's look at the scenario that Mr Stedman is correct, and that there really could be some substance to cellular memory. What would the consequences be?

If Mr Stedman really believes it could have some validity, why isn't he insisting on a moratorium on organ transplants? A complete stop until more comprehensive checking can be performed to match donors with recipients and to screen out donors with harmful traits, eg serial killers? Surely the public needs to be informed that a transplant may cause you to adopt the donor's characteristics. If the donor was a homosexual, a vegetarian, a lover of line dancing and country music, a paedophile, a misogynist and/or a racist, some or all of these attributes may be transferred to the recipient, overriding their original attributes. If the donor died in an horrific accident or was murdered, the recipient may relive this event over and over. Would they want any or all of these traits? A driven entrepreneur receiving the heart of a surfer may find his work suffers as all he wants to do now is ride the waves. Personality wise, it turns them into a different person. Marriages, families, friendships and careers could be destroyed. We insisted on a moratorium on genetic engineering because of the fear of altering our bodies by contamination with foreign DNA, so equally we should resist contamination by foreign memories and traits. Why isn't Mr Stedman campaigning to have this documentary more widely viewed if he feels there really could be something to cellular memory and its consequences? Shouldn't transplants, blood donations etc be stopped until proven safe from foreign memories? Our unique personalities are at stake here!

After viewing the documentary and studying Dr Schwartz's work Mr Stedman refuses to publicly dismiss their conclusions, but his silence on the need for organ transplant bans and public awareness suggests that his personal view is somewhat different.

Conclusion

I stand by my initial claims, that the documentary was biased and unbalanced, and that Dr Schwartz's cellular memory theory is drivel. I also believe that too many documentary makers have changed markets, their target audience now those with an interest in the mysterious, the paranormal, pseudoscience and the supernatural. An audience that wants their beliefs explored and supported, but not debunked. Hence one-sided, but entertaining, quasi-documentaries on everything from alien abductions and ghosts, to psychics and Bigfoot.

With their documentary Transplanting Memories Natural History New Zealand has entered this shady world of entertainment over education, profit over integrity.

As managing director of NHNZ Michael Stedman has considerable public standing yet refuses to highlight the 'dangers of organ transplants' his company has exposed, while at the same time publicly praising NHNZ's work, 'including the integrity of its scientific content'. I detect a conflict of beliefs here. Defending NHNZ as a whole is different to defending the conclusions of Transplanting Memories. Has integrity been suppressed for the good of the company's reputation?

Mr Stedman has accused me of being closed minded, of dismissing without reason, yet surely this is no worse than accepting without reason. And this is exactly what these quasi-documentaries encourage.

Perhaps it's fitting after all that these 'science' documentaries vie for the "Prix Jules Verne" award. An award named after a writer considered the founder of modern 'science fiction'.

Authors:   John L. Ateo,   Jason C.
Copyright © 2007, by the 'SILLY BELIEFS' website. All rights reserved.

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