Natasha Demkina

Natalia Demkina (Russian: Наталья Демкина; born 1987), usually known by the diminutive Natasha, is a young woman from Saransk, Russia, who claims to possess a special vision that allows her to look inside human bodies and see organs and tissues, and thereby make medical diagnoses. Since the age of ten, she has performed readings in Russia. In 2004 she appeared on television shows in the United Kingdom and on the Discovery Channel.

Since 2004 Demkina is a full-time student of the Semashko State Stomatological University, Moscow.

Discovery Channel Appearance

In May 2004 she was brought to New York City by the Discovery Channel to appear on a documentary titled The Girl with X-Ray Eyes, and to be tested by researchers under partially controlled conditions. The preliminary test was arranged by Ray Hyman and Richard Wiseman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and Andrew Skolnick of the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health (CSMMH). The test required Demkina to correctly match six specified anatomical anomalies to seven volunteer subjects. The cases in question included six specified anatomical anomalies resulting from surgery and one "normal" control subject.

Because of limitation in time and resources, the preliminary test was designed to look only for a strongly demonstrated ability. The researchers explained that while evidence of a weak or erratic ability may be of theoretical interest, it would be useless for providing medical diagnoses. In addition, the influence of the "Clever Hans effect" cannot be ruled out under the lax conditions of the test . Demkina and the investigators had agreed that she needed to correctly match at least five of the seven conditions to warrant further testing.

In the 4-hour-long test, Demkina correctly matched conditions to four volunteers, including the control subject. The researchers concluded that she had not demonstrated evidence of an ability that would warrant their further study. The design and conclusions of the experiment were subsequently the subjects of considerable dispute between Demkina's supporters and those of the investigators. For example, Brian Josephson charged that Demkina's four matches represented a statistically significant result in favor of her abilities, since the odds against her matching that many at random were 50 to one. Professor Hyman responded that Bayesian inference requires higher levels of statistical significance when testing paranormal claims. The investigators posted a detailed rebuttal of typical objections

In the Discovery Channel program, Demkina offered a number of explanations for why she failed to see the specified conditions in three of the subjects and reported seeing those conditions in three wrong subjects. She said that she should have looked longer and deeper to find the subject who has a metal plate covering a missing section of his skull, even though the outline of the large metal plate could be seen beneath the scalp from up close. She said surgical scars interfered with her ability to see the resected esophagus and removed appendix, though the researchers countered that those surgical scars should have helped her identify the correct subjects. Demkina also claimed that appendixes can grow back after an appendectomy, which is impossible.

External links

• Special Diagnostic Center of Natalya Demkina Official webpage of Natasha Demkina Template:Ru icon
• "Visionary or fortune teller? Why scientists find diagnoses of 'x-ray' girl hard to stomach ", The Guardian, 25 Sept 2004
• "Respected Scientists? The Natasha Demkina Case", Skeptical Investigations, 1 Dec 2005
• The Demkina File at Skeptical Investigations
• The Girl With X-Ray Eyes at Museum of Hoaxes
• The Girl with "X-Ray" Vision at James Randi Educational Foundation Forum
• "Scientists' unethical use of media for propaganda purposes", criticism of CSICOP test by physicist Brian Josephson