Loren Pankratz, Ph.D. has written and lectured on a wide variety of skeptical topics such as dancing manias, spiritualism, Greek oracles, ghosts, plagues, historical enigmas, mesmerism, moral panics, con-games self-deception, faith healing, self-surgery, miracles, ethical blunders, quackery, and renaissance science. Formerly a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health Science University, Pankratz specialized in the assessment and management of unusual medical and psychiatric syndromes, especially those related to deception in the medical setting, After retirement he maintained a forensic practice, testifying across the country on topics like insurance fraud, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and recovered memory complaints. He is the author of Patients Who Deceive, and has a personal library covering the broad history of deception that provided the foundation for this book.
"Remarkable... an outstanding examination of an important part of
the ragged path that Western civilization has followed across the
centuries in its efforts to understand the world in which we live.
Pankratz brings psychological knowledge and experience as well as
devotion to the history of both science and deception, backed up by
his unparalleled personal library, providing readers with a unique
vantage point."-James E. Alcock, PhD. Professor of Psychology, York
University and author of Belief: What it Means to Believe and Why
Our Convictions are So Compelling
"A tour de force of engaging storytelling, skeptical inquiry about
extraordinary claims, and masterful explications of evidence.... an
important work of multidisciplinary scholarship." - Skeptical
Inquirer
"In this era replete with unquestioned beliefs, Mysteries and
Secrets Revealed could not be timelier. Loren Pankratz provides
fascinating accounts of individuals who ask uncomfortable questions
about easy-to-acquire-but-difficult-to-discard beliefs and then
engage in thoughtful searching for answers to those questions.
Appropriately conceived. Well researched. Deftly written."- Dr.
Charles M. Wynn Sr., Professor Emeritus, Eastern Connecticut State
University and co-author of The Human Side of Science
"Pankratz delves deeply into history to dig up fascinating examples
of deception through the ages, from the Oracle at Delphi to modern
mind readers. Each account is an unputdownable detective story as
he explains how critical thinkers approached questionable claims
and devised ingenious methods to test charlatans, tricksters, and
frauds, to distinguish between reality and falsehood, and to throw
light on the psychological mechanisms that allowed the deceptions
to succeed. A gripping story and an education in how not to be
fooled."-Harriet Hall, M.D., Contributing editor to Skeptic
magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, and the Science-Based Medicine Blog,
as well as the author of Women Aren't Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs
of a Female Flight Surgeon.
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