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Sylvie explains how to avoid style blunders by following trends, taking chances...  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Dr. William Horatio Bates died in 1931 but his wild theories are still with us. Among other things, he wrongly believed that eye exercises could correct vision problems and people could get along without eyeglasses.
His controversial theories are found in his book that was reissued in 1940 as “Better Eyesight without Glasses.” It remains in print to this day. Although some of Bates’ blunders were removed from subsequent editions, much of what the book espouses is nonsensical and has long been discredited by doctors.
“’Throw away your glasses!’ became the rallying cry of an international movement in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Thousands of people sincerely believed the Bates exercises had cured them. Unfortunately, medical tests did not bear this out,” said Alan M. MacRobert in “Not Necessarily the New Age.”
One of Bates’ most prominent followers was the British novelist Aldous Huxley. Huxley claimed his sight was restored by Mrs. Margaret Dorst Corbett who operated two schools that taught the Bates System. He even wrote a book titled “The Art of Seeing” which praised the method. But Huxley later proved to be an embarrassment.
At a Hollywood banquet in which he was the guest speaker, Huxley initially surprised the 1,200 guests that evening when he began reading his speech. Many of them knew Huxley had scarred corneas since childhood that accounted for his failing eyesight. How did he manage to read his speech without eyeglasses? Was it proof that the Bates System worked?
As Huxley went on, however, it became apparent that he wasn’t reading at all: he had memorized his speech. At a certain point, he missed a line and glanced at the paper he held. Then, the truth came out.
“To refresh his memory, he brought the paper closer to his eyes. When it was only an inch or so away he still couldn’t read it and he had to fish for a magnifying glass in his pocket. It was an agonizing moment,” recounted Bennett Cerf in the April 12, 1952 issue of “Saturday Review.”
In 1956, the flaws in the Bates System were exposed once more by Manhattan optometrist Dr. Philip Pollack in “The Truth about Eye Exercises.” Alas, Pollack’s book was soon forgotten but the Bates System lives on.
“It is difficult to understand the widespread popularity of the Bates System unless one considers that its followers make up what is essentially a cult. Its practitioners are faith healers who appeal to the gullible, the neurotic, the highly emotional and the psychosomatic. ‘Perfect sight without glasses’ is an empty promise,” concluded Drs. Russell S. Worrall and Jacob Nevyas in “The Health Robbers.”
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Article Tags: Immunity, Immunitril, Huxley's Blunder Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/huxleys-blunder-496216.html About the Author:
Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.
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| Posted: 24-07-2008 | Comments: 
