Where to begin! What a year! Where has it all gone?
In an industry where format wars cripple the possibility of getting better sound, and convenient data reduced products multiply, it is reassuring that P.W.B. appear to have had their most creative year yet. One can never quite tell how much of what has been released in a year is new invention or simply development further of tried and tested principles. What ever, the growth has been formidable. We have had Freeze Effect Foil and Ties, Inside Labels and Foil, a new Fabric Tie, and to crown it all the extraordinary Morphic Green Cream. (I'll skip the Super wipe, as it's a freebie, even though it is no less extraordinary)
Whilst grateful for these fabulous things to enhance our listening and viewing pleasures, the new Cream does raise some issues that are worthy of some reflection.
It is now over 15 years since the P.W.B. scandal erupted into the pages of Hi-Fi Answers. May has kindly agreed to repeat some history here, which may not be known to many. It is an extraordinary tale, and there are many commendable and discreditable figures littered through it. At the time Peter generously donated many and various 'free tips' to the public. Now many of these are almost lost in time now, and one could argue that an unscrupulous person might take, build a product around the idea, and market it. Now you may feel this is a little far-fetched, but I recently discovered Russ Andrews was now selling a shorting phono-plug to put into any vacant sockets on equipment. Of course the thinking is that it helps reduce RF (the current obsession) and any hint of Morphic resonance would be lost on them. Now I don't know if anyone owns one of these plugs, or has checked to see if a reef-knot is in there, but it goes to show how ruthless man is in appropriating the ideas of others. I will not get into the exploits of such as Max Townshend, and his frozen products now, but I think you will get my drift.
Why mention this now – well it's related to the new Morphic Green Cream, and why Peter and May have struggled with the release of it. For any of you who have tried this sludge, it is astonishing to witness how the tiniest smudge of the stuff on an object can make such a huge difference to perceived sound and vision. I currently have playing in the background an untreated disc – too lazy to put a Foil on it, and just wanted to hear the quality of the playing/conducting! It sounds fabulous, with a fresh, clean quality that reminds one of a great performance (if one can get the washing powder metaphors from ones mind!) Thus treat your environment with the Green Cream and the offensive becomes rather more appealing. But this Beauty from the Beast did not come from massive work. Whilst the jar is perhaps on the pricier side, I have used but a tiny fraction of it, and have truly mesmerising sound. I haven't tried inside a piece of equipment yet, but my limited application is awesome.
I expect many of the readers of this Newsletter are scrupulous, highly intelligent types (!), but say a jar of this Cream fell into the hands of any equipment manufacturer. A jar could keep them going for a very long time, and would certainly get them through some positive reviews, and no-one would be able to trace where the good sound came from. Most would of course attribute all to some engineering principle (when can we move on from the 19th Century?), but who would know if traces of Green Cream pervaded.
This is perhaps more serious than paranoid, although it is an inevitable compliment that anyone should conceive of such a plan. But credit should be given where credit is due. And like official secrets one really wonders whether the bully boy tactics that stop Peter's ideas reaching a wider audience should be exposed. Ken Hyam does however draw our attention to how difficult it is to discuss seriously with anyone the experience of good sound, and I myself have pondered why it is the case that so many seem happy with so little. The brittle, compressed noise of so much data compression is hard to fathom as a music format, and the greedy dragons that block Peter seem also intent on us never hearing good quality digital sound from any source. I sometimes fall back on some of the psychoanalytic ideas on aesthetics at these moments and remember that true art is disturbing and moving in equal measure. Are people too overloaded to even 'listen' to music; the stripped down ranting that most adolescents feel is good music might lend support to this; it is simply a vehicle for the evacuation of unbearable states of mind.
This may all be rather too sober for the festive season, and perhaps we should lean more to Kevin's drawing of the Belt Comet. Is it coming around again, bringing real opportunity in its wake? Michael Leach also lends his mind to past and future, although his web link is not for the feint-hearted! But it is something of an anniversary this time, and despite staggering progress in some fields, there remains much to be done in the public arena. Rather than drawing on more obvious scientific parallels (e.g. the Curies) Peter's work has often been likened to that of Joseph Lister, and his work on bacteria/aseptic principles. This curious analogy might help us understand something of an imperative at this year's close, as Lister's work saved lives: do we recognise that Peter's work has a similar benefit for the mind or, dare I say, the soul?
So, much thought is needed if we are ever to get the P.W.B. principles – licensed appropriately, of course – installed into all aspects of our world, and some accompanying energy. This is often revealed in the pieces contained within these pages, and I think special mention should be made of Geoff's elegant piece on that core idea: Morphic Resonance.
As ever, the clock ticks, and we are running short of paper. It is just for me to mention two things. Firstly, a Merry Xmas, and deepest thanks to Peter, May and Graham, without whom we would be listening to tuneless noise, and to all readers of this. Secondly, just to note that I am listening as I type to a data compressed digital copy of a ghastly digital recording. In my Green Cream home it sounds so fabulous that I can hardly bear to continue. It sure ain't to do with numbers.
Have a good one, and best wishes to everyone for 2003.
Richard Graham
Address for correspondence
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We're back to the embarrassment of riches again, and almost unfortunately, we are in the position of having to readjust to even greater improvements. So be it; but it really has been such an extraordinary year that one really needs to catch breath.
Still, perhaps it's really a case of fasten your seat belts, for we're in for an exciting ride, yet again!
Morphic Green Cream
Those of you that peruse the discussion forum postings will know that recently I was rather shaken with an 'upgrade' to the Aluminium and Copper Inside Labels. It is always hard to quantify a difference, and yet one sometimes seems to experience a change of a different order from that expected. What I think I detected was a surprising 'cleanness', a quality that left everything seeming peeled or freshly minted. I asked if the previous Inside Labels could be brought up to spec., but got only a guarded, mumbled response. I thought nothing more, grateful for the improvement that was afforded.
Then in relation to this very document, May informs me that a new product is sitting on the door mat at home. To be frank, I was ambivalent, as I feel there will be too little time to digest the new experience, let alone communicate it. Further, May hints that it is a landmark product. So off I trundle, and what do I find?
Well, to be brutally honest, a small – and I mean small – jar of pea green sludge, or possibly some ectoplasm. The instructions give us an account that only tiny amounts are necessary to achieve a significant change – I am suspicious. Surely if I had more of this Green Cream I would be better placed to report upon its qualities? Anyway, I read on, and learn that like the inside products, this Green Cream is there to assist our sense organs, by giving reference to primitive 'reference points', and thus wasting less of their time trying to resolve the impossible.
I won't describe the theory in detail here, partly because it builds upon the previous descriptions of Inside Foil etc. and the importance of the 'smoking vents' at the dawn of life on this planet. It is hard to either agree or disagree with the formulations, although they echo certain primitive fantasies – perhaps those of heaven and hell? What is easier to comment upon is effect. As we all know, many people fall at the fence of trying to establish the plausibility of Peter's theoretical formulations, and then don't try the products. This is exasperating, because the ideas hold more when in the context of the experience of the products. Fundamentally, it would appear that our evolutionary heritage still holds an enormous power over us – not such a difficult idea when one examines the stupidity of many International conflicts.
So, with small jar in hand, I decide to test something and for simplicity choose a CD. The first one I chose was not a particularly inspiring choice, as it is a recording from the early 1980s, with little top, and a rather thick midrange. Still, if the cream was good, it should still be enough to show the importance of the new product. I listen to the track, and remove the disc to apply a tiny amount of the Green Cream to the disc surface, careful not to cover any Foils. I start the disc again, and am pleasantly surprised. The volume appears to have been turned up a notch, and a layer of blanket torn from the speakers. So far so good.
Now I don't know when it started to happen, but as I went on to try different treatments in different spots, the sound started to improve in the most alarming way. I really felt that it was like a rocket taking off, and don't know whether my slightly subdued initial response was related to a need to 'learn' this new effect or to tiredness.
There are so many places the Green Cream can be placed that I slowly worked through a number of them. The tail/nut of the Clip, the end of the tweezers (the blue ink at the end opposite the 'teeth'; apply with the 'teeth'/jaw open), photographs, glass, wood, tweeter domes, on Inside Foil and Labels, cables, copper pipes, remote controls, phones, watches, AC Power Correctors etc. The important thing to note is that you should not put it onto other Foils, Ties or Labels; only Inside Products are able to take this new Cream. And really, the tiniest amount imaginable works.
And how it works. As we enter this Festive time again, I dig out a number of recordings that fit the season. A favourite chez nous is Trevor Pinnock's 'Messiah' on DG. This gives Handel's music quite a dramatic pulse that really fires the spirits on cold and damp days. As it was almost a year since it was last aired, I was intrigued to find out how it might sound, especially as it's late 1980s recording and transfer now seem a little dated. Our favourite aria, sung by Michel Chance exploded into the room, with thrilling sounds sweeping all away. What staggered me was not only the clean sound – with delicate harpsichord audible throughout – or the increase in volume, but the extraordinary increase in ambient detail. One could really hear the sheer depth of the acoustic, and that unnerving feeling that a window in time had opened up, returned.
Gergiev's rather frenetic 'Nutcracker' also staggered with it's increase in detail – that Russian brass truly rasped – and energy, but there was more to come. In England, it is 'Costume Drama' time of year too, and the BBC's production of Daniel Deronda gave eerily three-dimensional pictures on the TV, and totally rich colours. Indeed, the sheer beauty of the picture almost detracted from the quality of the acting!
I could go on, as disc after disc, film after film (anything in Dolby Digital or ProLogic dissolved the walls) startled and amazed. And the important thing to note is that I have only applied a very small amount, to a fraction of the places where it could be applied.
There is a further accompaniment to the astonishing Green Cream – Gold Foil Squares, which contain a pattern imprinted over a picture of the universe. There is a similar theory to this, as to the 'smoking vents', and again I will not repeat it here. For the effect of these little Gold Squares, with Green Cream applied, when stuck onto your equipment will amaze yet more. But this is the extra bonus, and obviously one can apply the cream to places – such as a mirror – where no Foil could be placed.
It is very hard to conclude yet what the limitations of the Green Cream will be. It is certainly rather pricey, and the amount you get definitely challenges ones beliefs in 'value for money'. Yet the effect for me is the most dazzling and astonishing to date, and how I wish I could write more clearly how I perceive the improvement; the 'cleanness'!
I suspect for those that try it, there will be much to write about where to apply the stuff to best effect – I haven't had the chance to try the cream inside any equipment; capacitors are reported to be a good site, as are transformers (Aluminium and Copper again). I also haven't been able to try it on the Inside Labels yet. But I worry not; the Discussion Forum may give us the space to write about these matters, and if my jar were stolen from me now, I would be happy with the sound I have achieved. What is a little scary is what it will be like when I go further, into different rooms.
So as TS Elliott wrote 'Do I dare disturb the universe?': definitely! – and it's the best disturbance yet.
Many long standing users will know that in the past, the problem of carpets, curtains and cushions (as well as duvets, but I will ignore anything not beginning with the letter C) was dealt with by attaching a ring tie that was looped through a safety pin. The round loop of metal at the end of the pin provides an ideal spot to loop a Tie through, and the safety pin can be attached to all manner of soft furnishings. Of course some of you may have wooden floors, and some Green Cream may now transform your life, but for those of us still attached to fluffy stuff under the feet, there has definitely been something of a gap. When one thinks of how much of the stuff may exist in a room, and that apart from a smidgen of Electret Cream and a Clip treatment, it was relatively untreated, one starts to get a sense of the size of the issue.
In my rather usual style, I begged Peter for some sort of modern Fabric Tie, that as in keeping with current products, and low and behold he produced one.
We've had Black and Blue Ties before for this function, but this one is White(ish), and, as stated above, it arrives attached to a safety pin. There are innumerable places that it can be fitted, and to start, I applied it to the carpet, by just pushing the pin into the carpet pile. May later suggested that it be placed on the underside of the sofa cushion that one sits on, but I think I still have a preference for treating carpets first. This may relate to the fact that carpet is more likely to have some wool in it, or rubber foam(?), or be just larger than the cushion. Anyway, for a very small sum, the Tie/pin gave a very pleasing lift to the sound, and deals with e rather neglected area of fabrics. It is also good when placed on the underside of a seat cushion, especially when sat upon it.
Unlike previous Fabric Ties this one is not to be attached to clothing, like some of the past and legendary Garment Pins, but that is no loss. The problem with Garment Pins was always trying to remember to move them when one changed jackets etc. Photo treatments are more successful here, unless one is Michael Jackson, and prone to substantial changes in appearance.
So a useful adjunct to the current battery of treatments, and very easily fitted.
Richard Graham
Having just recently got to grips with the joys of using new Inside foil, what should drop through the letterbox but yet another new P.W.B. Product. A little jar containing a small sample of cream along with two samples of a new type of foil. After reading the enclosed explanation booklet, I used some of the cream, specifically within the battery compartments of all remote controls in the house. I also treated the infra red security devices within the building, a little pinch went on the chrome centre of my speakers and a dab to the inside the mobile phone as well as to the fixed phone. Playing a CD after even this amount of treatment proved to be as big a revelation as any I've ever experienced using P.W.B. Products. Believe me, if you think you've reached some kind of musical peak (as I was about to write about following my experiences using Inside Foil) this cream will blow your thoughts out of the water!
Old woolly sounding vinyl that previous Belt treatments made to sound clean as a whistle, now sound as clean as a whistle, full stop. Shades of grey can be seen as white until compared to true white, only then will the contrast become apparent.
For some time now, every disc I possess, vinyl and CD, have been a joy to listen to. My use of the new Inside Foil seemed to be the cream on the cake. Incidentally, apart from the suggested areas, I've used this foil in large spaces such as wardrobes (especially those with mirrors), within drawers, the closed off area containing the water heater and within airing cupboards etc. It seems to work equally well as when used within remote controls and electronic equipment. I feel that the potential of this foil is huge.
But, getting back to the new Cream. At present I'm reluctant to try some on a CD or vinyl as I am pretty sure I'll open a very, very big Pandora's box! I shall restrain myself until I can afford a full jar. There is a small quantity left to play with, along with the two little gold labels which I've not even got around to experimenting with yet. I have to go way back to my very first P.W.B. "Wow moment" to compare how I feel about this Cream. It's far more impressive really, considering I thought I was nearing the top of the P.W.B. experience tree.
It's been a Magical year for me as a P.W.B. product user. I think there has been more progress in the last twelve months than the previous ten years, such is the amount of enjoyment I now get from a few hours listening to music.
That new cream is truly wonderful.
Best Regards,
Kevin Kehoe
UK
No! It's a tissue with a black ink dot in the centre of it. And no, this is not some modern art statement; it's the basis for the 'Super wipe'.
For those that still have a capacity to be shocked, there is little more shocking than this technique, introduced by P.W.B. this Autumn, and a great favourite with users who discovered it via the Discussion Forum. Fundamentally, this is a way of significantly enhancing the effects of the Morphic Liquid and the Electret Cream.
To achieve the 'Super wipe' you need a tissue and a black (permanent) felt-tip pen, and in an ideal situation, this should be the P.W.B. Black Pen. You take the tissue, and place at its centre, a Black Dot 4-5 mm across. I usually fold the tissue to get a fairly accurate centre position, but when the dot is in place, you can have the tissue folded whichever way you like when using it. To really enhance it further, the closed jaws of the Clip can be rested against the Black Dot (when the ink is dry of course) and the Clip then activated with the Tweezers.
I have used a variety of tissues, but more recently found a tough but soft Kitchen Towel ('Bounty' in the UK) very good and rather more durable. It is important to keep the tissue white, and made of wood pulp (cotton won't do for various reasons), but apart from that there is much flexibility.
After the tissue is activated, one then wipes any surface that has been either sprayed with Morphic Liquid, or has had Electret Cream applied.
I have found the effect with Morphic Liquid very positive. The effect on a CD is good, but on a mirror! It is very hard to describe what happens, but in a sense it is rather like a feeling that the glass disappears, and the vivid reflection looks more like reality than a reflection. Glass and crystal shimmer, and if you get to treat anything like a chandelier, the feeling of 'diamonds in the air' is awesome.
I have had people talk about Morphic Liquid as if it is a magical cleaning fluid, and the 'Super wipe' is worth a great deal if only because it works at that level. Of course it improves the perceived sound and vision from your equipment too, and not by a small amount, but it enhances your home in very great ways.
Truly, this is a super wipe.
Good spraying to you all!
Richard Graham
This article's more or less a synthesis of stuff taken from R. Sheldrake's book, The Presence of the Past (The Habits of Nature), especially characteristics of "morphic fields" and how the existence of morphic fields might be "proven." In particular, the peculiar high-speed maneuver performed by a school of fish to escape a predator is discussed.
A natural phenomenon is observed to occur when a school of fish senses a predator in their midst - the school reacts to the presence of the predator by performing a "flash expansion" - an extremely rapid outward expansion of the entire school which leaves the predator in a void of fish less ocean. This "flight-from-danger" behavior is exhibited by many species of fish and occurs whether the school is large or small. The flash expansion is one of the phenomena identified by Sheldrake that's possibly better explained by "morphic resonance" and "morphic fields" than by conventional explanations such as "reflex action" or "instinct" or "genetically inherited" behavior. So here is more detail of this phenomenon and possible implications for morphic resonance.
The "flash expansion" of the school occurs when a predator fish suddenly comes into the midst of the school. Schools have been observed to contain hundreds, even thousands of fish, sometimes more than a million. The flash expansion is the explosive outward movement of the entire school such that, in a very short period of time (1/50 second, including "reaction time"), all the fish have maneuvered away from the predator by a considerable distance, leaving the predator "high and dry" (so to speak). Even though all fish in the school must swim off in all directions away from the predator rapidly and simultaneously, they are observed to never bump into each other in the clamor to escape, never to interfere with the flash expansion, which looks akin to a bomb exploding - even when there are a million fish in the school. Not only does each fish have to react nearly instantaneously to the threat of the predator, it appears it actually "knows in advance" where it will swim to remain "in synch" with the rest of the school and where it will wind up. Each fish always plays out its role in the precise choreography of the flash expansion in a highly coordinated manner; no matter where it might find itself in the school at the time of the expansion - in one case, Mr. Fish might be in the front of the school, another time in the center. Mr. Fish always "knows" where he is with respect to all members of the school and where he and the rest of the school are headed.
The school is capable of changing directions many times in a brief period of time - always without collisions. Also, fish that are "leaders" when the school is headed in one direction suddenly become "followers" when the direction of the school abruptly changes; these roles can reverse many times in a relatively short period of time as the predator continues his pursuit. So, one might conclude that if some kind of "controlling field" is operating, it is more powerful than "leadership type forces" in the group. A similar phenomenon - a kind of "simultaneous collective thinking" - has been observed with flocks of birds and other animals (herds, etc.)
It appears that the fish, at least during the flash expansion, although they have the capability to interact using conventional senses (touch, smell, hearing) - act AS IF a "controlling field" - a type of "morphic field" - is at work; this controlling (morphic) field is similar to what Jung referred to as "Universal Consciousness," but not really. The morphic fields operate outside (normal) consciousness. The morphic fields, according to Sheldrake, are built up over time - sometimes eons - for each species, and contain the memory information, including behavior and instincts of the entire species over the time it has been in existence, including any evolutionary "upgrades or downgrades" that might have occurred. Sheldrake conjectures that mating rituals, homing instincts, and other complex behavior are contained in morphic fields as opposed to somewhere in the organism itself such as the genes or the brain. The brain of the animal presumably accesses the morphic field(s) much like a TV tuner pulls in a channel of a particular frequency - the information is always out there and accessible and simply needs to be "tuned in."
The more of a species that presently exist (and have existed in the past), the more powerful the morphic fields will be for that species. Behavior perhaps mistakenly thought to be "contained in the genes" might actually be contained in "morphic fields." A species might have more than one morphic field associated with it - there could be a morphic field for the "memory of experience/behavior" of the species and another morphic field for the control of group behaviors. Assuming morphic fields for each species have been present since the introduction of the species, new born members automatically/unconsciously "tap into" their "species-specific morphic fields" at birth.
If morphic fields don't attenuate over time or over great distances (unlike electromagnetic fields), as Sheldrake suggests, species on one side of the Earth (as individuals and as groups) behave exactly like the same species on the opposite side of the Earth, or anywhere on Earth. What are now separate continents were once joined, so some species became separated geographically at some point in time, continuing to evolve similarly, though perhaps not exactly, on both continents. If the morphic resonance theory is indeed true, and morphic fields do not attenuate even over great distances, then a species of animal here on Earth found living on a distant planet somewhere in the universe would be observed to behave exactly as it does on Earth. And in the oceans on this distant planet schools of fish would perform the flash expansion exactly as they do in Earth's oceans.
Geoff Kait
USA
The following is a statement: to the non-readers of this Newsletter.
Increasingly I find that it is virtually impossible to get through to people about the P.W.B. phenomenon. Most people don't seem to have any inkling even about Hi-Fi and those who do are not conscious of any kind of problem. The most common perspective is – CDs are very good, so are DVDs. The sound is great, so is the vision. The more they paid for their equipment the more satisfied they seem. The current interest in computer-based, digital sound seems to have brainwashed the populace into thinking they are hearing something better than the old analogue technology therefore they should be happy. Even if the readers of specialist magazines have heard of P.W.B., they too seem to be more mechanistic about what they listen to than ever. So what is the aim of my statement?
I would like to put into the simplest words possible what I think the P.W.B. effect is – on a CD or in this case a vinyl record - and why I would recommend people to avail themselves of it. So here goes. I start by interviewing the non-reader and then I tell him how it is on a treated Dylan record, you probably know, "Nashville Skyline."
When you listen to a CD what exactly do you look for? Are you looking for the real world volume and scale of real music?
Non-reader: no, not really – I usually have the Hi-Fi on while I am tidying up or getting ready to go out. If I really like some new CD, I tape it and listen to it in the car.
Do you find that turning up the volume improves the sound?
Non-reader: Yes I sometimes turn the knob all the way, But mostly I keep the sound down so as not to disturb people. Also, if I am reading or watching TV at the same time it doesn't intrude so much,
But do you not actually listen to music?
N.R.: Yes – I find my new amp. (and sub-woofer) make everything more realistic and sometimes I just sit and listen to the music but the main point is the volume and the base. It's so much better now, it's as good as the sound in the CD shop.
The shop? You mean HMV? Or Virgin? Obviously, we are not talking the same language.
N.R. Yes we are. I know all about Hi-Fi – my friend has got a system from Sevenoaks. It is really the business. I know what you mean – it's just I can't be bothered with all that.
I'll try to explain it more. I was listening to Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash sing 'Girl of the North Country' The more I listened, the more I realised that their two voices were perfectly matched to the song. They could almost be in competition with each other, but instead they complement – each voice complements the other perfectly. The song is all about borderlines and echoes Scarborough Fair on which it is based. But it has a new haunting Mid –Western quality – the line 'She was once a true love of mine' sounds great with the two voices. Perhaps after all she could have loved both of them.
Also - The coat to keep her warm from the howling wind – that really ought, according to the rhyme, to be howling storm. This would be a quote from Blake's Sick Rose – a poem all about jealousy. Dylan changes it at the last minute (You can hear him pause on the bootleg version) Thus the two voices are two lovers perhaps of the same girl in fact ex-lovers – each could be jealous of the other but instead they sing in unison – "For she was once a true love of mine." And then I started to notice they were singing, "If you're travelling in the North Country Fair" Note to but in…..
N.R. Oh. O.K. But what's that got to do with Hi-Fi?
Nothing – It's got to do with Bob Dylan and listening to the song.
N.R. Hmm.. And those foils and pens and things you were going on about – perhaps they work after all – seems they must do if you can hear all that.
Well, yeah.
Kenneth Hyam
UK
It is now over 16 years that I've been using P.W.B. devices, and I feel most blessed. It has been great fun.
I've noticed that my greatest delight comes after a considerable session – like going through all my CDs and writing a message with the X Pen, on a part of each case not previously done. Or maybe a purge on all electrical appliances in some way.
I've also noticed that the delights are much the same each time; it's as though I am hearing the music in a clearer, more spacious environment.
Is what I'm hearing an incremental improvement all of the time, or is it that the bombardment on our senses is incrementally increasing, and P.W.B. affords me some welcome light relief for a while – and sometimes when I put a lot of effort in, I'm even ahead of the game for a while?
This is how it seems to me.
It has been said that Truth is stranger than Fiction, and I suspect that the status quo operates on almost pure fiction. Hopefully all that is most likely to change quite soon.
I am not computerised, but know that some ideas on this can be found on www.planetx2003.com.
I remain 95% sure that this scenario will most likely occur. If it does, we might meet up somewhere South of the Equator!
Michael Leach
UK
I only want you to know I recently bought a used Marantz 16B Power Amplifier (manufactured in 1969), and the main reason for the purchase was just a sentimental collection since my father had one of those when I was a child, so I did not mean to use it on my main audio system.
As soon as I got the amp, I tested it with a Denon DCD-1290 CD Player, Luxman 5C50 preamplifier (no tone control at all) and a pair of Dunlavy SM1 speakers, the sound, as I expected was O.K
Then I took the amplifier and applied the Cream Electret process just to see what happened... the only thing I can tell you is that I was truly amazed!!!! I could not believe such small treatment could create such a sonic difference!!! Depth increased dramatically, voices and strings came alive, sound stage and detail opened to a point I could even hear breathing resonance and sounds I had not heard before (specially on Diana Krall s Live in Paris CD (previously treated with P.W.B. Rainbow foil, of course).
I was so happy and amazed, that I just wanted to convey this experience to you since most of the previous "experiments" I've done with your products have been performed on more sophisticated (and newer) audio components; but the impact your products produce on "vintage" equipment is also remarkable
I repeat I can not understand the principles your products work on, but the only sure thing is they Do work on almost any kind of audio component!
End of story: I was so greatly impressed with the warmth, depth and openness of that sound that I have not removed that amplifier from my main system since that moment. I hope my experience is interesting for you.
Alfredo Espino G.
Mexico.
Thank you for your attention to these lines, and kind regards to you and Dr. Graham.
There has been something not quite right about the sound in my room recently. I suspect an increase of cosmic pollution in my house as I have been very much neglecting my P.W.B. cleaning duties. Mostly the sound of my CD player has been very dry, with a sound that is rather uninteresting in every way. I have also been suspecting the valves that my CD player uses in the output section. It finally came to the point where I would have to do something about it.
These valves have had no P.W.B. treatments except for when they were thrown in the freezer with the rest of the player. Switching valves made a slight difference. The new ones being a little bit more detailed but not enough to throw the old valves out as they were a little more warm and smooth sounding which is nice. So then came my experiment. Step by step.
1. wipe with Cream Electret. Must be polished thoroughly for step 2 !( I think pre amp valves don't get hot enough to cause any problems doing this! )
2. write all messages possible with the x pen.( This can be only be done on pre amp valves as power valves end up burning all the ink off. ) The result is nice indeed. The rain poured and the dryness went away. An obvious difference. At least to a lunatic audio freak.
But wait there is more. What about these spare valves I have. I have found that foils applied directly to working valves shrink and fall off with all that heat around. Could I apply foils to these spare valves and significantly improve the sound even more. The answer is yes.
I did many experiments with this. Inspired by the Real Foil morphic resonance experimental kit. The basic results are that when the spare valves matched the working valves, with x pen treatment, or no treatment, this is when the greatest improvement in sound was achieved by foiling the spare valves.
An example. With an untreated valve in the CD player. I found that foiling an untreated spare valve gave a more balanced pleasant sound than foiling a treated spare valve. It is not that the foiled treated valve gave bad results, it did improve the sound more in some ways. But overall with an untreated working valve the sound seemed better balanced foiling an untreated spare. This is what I have found sometimes using P.W.B. treatments in that sometimes a balance needs to be achieved. It can happen that using too much treatment in one area can make a noticeable improvement but somehow it isn't quite right. This can be fixed by either removing the treatment altogether or by adding more treatments in other areas to regain the balance. In this case it would be to x pen the working valve to match the spare x penned and foiled valve.
The last experiment gave me the biggest surprise though. I wanted to know how much an effect on the environment is achieved by simply foiling these spare valves. So I put on an old but nice sounding Jimmi Hedrix tape into my old but nice sounding tape deck. The results were that I could definitely hear the sound improve after applying foils to the spare valves. Then I realised the CD player was still turned on. So off went the CD player and I tried again. This time the difference was barely audible. I was amazed. With the spare valves fully foiled, I spent the next 10 minute long song turning on and off the CD player and hearing the tape sound improve and go back to muffle. I ended up listening to the rest of the tape with the CD player turned on.
Although the foils on the spare valves improved the sound, it still was not quite as strong as applying them directly to the working valves. I now also have a real foil and a freeze effect foil stuck on the top of the working valves with a thin sliver of Blu-Tack. The foils are remaining intact. Previously I placed a foil underneath between the pins. this is where the foils suffer the shrinky effect.
A worthwhile treatment...
Paul Topic
Australia
I always read with interest articles relating to P.W.B. history. I remember quite clearly receiving my free gift of black foils with my monthly Hi-Fi magazine many years ago. I stuck black foils to power plugs, listening room door, tone arm etc. and rejoiced at the improvement.
I empathise with Peter's predicament of how to promote his work within the Hi-Fi industry. The idea to modify Jimmy Hughes speakers with the treated super tweeter must have been exciting. Then the disappointment when the experiment went wrong because Jimmy focused his attention on the wrong issues.
So we are left with the question of how can Peter penetrate the market further? My answer would be the reason why I got interested in Hi-Fi in the first place. I was introduced to the shows and have been attending ever since. I compare them to the motor shows where the manufacturers can display their product lines and introduce new products. The public get to hear all ranges of equipment including high end gear that some of us will never own. You can hear, see and sometimes touch which is an experience never substituted by the press.
Peter could hire a room at one of these shows and go head to head with the manufacturers. There is always a vote for best sound of show. Wouldn't that cause some head scratching if Peters mediocre but heavily modified system outperformed the big boys systems that can run into six figure sums!
I have even witnessed equipment hidden behind material to prevent clouding people's judgement. This idea is often adopted by accessory manufacturers who want the customers to focus on their cables, stands etc. and not the equipment in use. At opportune moments an overview of some of the treatments deployed could be explained to the eager audience and the identity of the equipment revealed!
Steve Paines
UK
Thank you Steve for your article contribution and for your friendly concerns. You will see more on this subject later in this Newsletter within my 'trawl through the P.W.B. Archives.
May Belt.
I have just been reading an account by Paul Messenger of the September 2002 Hi-Fi Show, held at a few of the hotels at Heathrow Airport, London, England. Part of his account reads:
"And despite the potential to show off seriously expensive gear, in practice there are considerable problems in getting good sound in a hotel room. So, for example, Meridian opted for a silent display and other firms restricted themselves to small loudspeakers".
It is hard to actually imagine that audio equipment designers and manufacturers, making products which are so much to do with listening should be holding static displays - presumably expecting people to look at the equipment silently, or to talk about the passive equipment, or to have explained to them how good the equipment would sound if only it could be played !!"
* * * * * * * *
I just cannot believe that people are still continuing to blame hotel room acoustics for poor sound.
It is now over 20 years since Peter was demonstrating his actively driven "State of the Art" speaker system at an audio fair. It was then that he realised that it was not hotel room acoustics that were to blame for the changes happening in the sound - that there was 'something else' going on which had to be investigated.
In the September 1987 London Hi-Fi Show Peter 'treated' the demonstration room of Hi-Fi Answers and at the following October Hi-Fi Show in Bolton, (Lancashire) Peter was asked to 'treat' both the Hi-Fi Answers demonstration room and the New Hi-Fi Sound demonstration room - leaving all concerned delighted and claiming that they had the best sounding rooms at the show. This was written about in the Hi-Fi magazines at the time and has been more fully covered by me in postings on our P.W.B. User/Chat group and copied in the printed Digest selection.
However, I repeat the description of what happened again.
Keith Howard of Hi-Fi Answers and Jonathan Kettle and Andy Benham of Hi-Fi Sound were due to give public demonstrations at the Bolton Hi-Fi Show in October 1987. Now, the Bolton complex is a dreadful place in which to house an audio fair (from a good sound point of view). The complex has it's own electricity substation on site !!
Peter had been asked by Keith Howard to 'Belt' the Hi-Fi Answers demonstration room in the Bolton complex. Jonathan Kettle and Andy Benham of New Hi-Fi Sound were to give the first public demonstration of DAT versus CD in the UK Jonathan and Andy had taken with them to Bolton a varied selection of equipment from which they hoped to select a combination capable of giving a good sounding demonstration. Prior to the opening day of the audio show, Jonathan and Andy worked late into the evening, struggling with one combination after another, trying to produce an acceptably good sound - without any success, leaving them with :-
"an unlistenable jumbled mess"
as described by Jonathan Kettle.
"after trying everything we could think of, we decided not to bother with the Hi-Fi Show and go to the bar for three days instead".
as described by Andy Benham, and
"They came armed with numerous amps and speakers, and had begun the depressing task of trying to find a combination that would work acceptably. By the time they came into our room to witness Peter Belt at work, they were almost suicidal".
as described by Keith Howard.
On the first morning of the show, Peter arrived to 'Belt' the Hi-Fi Answers room. The then Editor of New Hi-Fi Sound, Neville Farmer, sat in on the demonstration given by Peter. When Neville heard what a success Peter had achieved, he asked if Peter would 'Belt' the New Hi-Fi Sound demonstration room. This Peter did with considerable success.
"Transforming the sound to an involving and musically satisfying one"
as described by Jonathan Kettle.
"Belt spent a couple of hours in our room and totally transformed the sound. Visitors to the show complimented us on the sound quality"
as described by Andy Benham. and
"Two hours later, they were all smiles"
as described by Keith Howard.
* * * * * * * * * * *
If the sound in the Hi-Fi Sound demonstration room was so improved, what explanation can the people involved offer ? They cannot explain the effect of Peter treating the chairs, treating the carpet, treating the curtains, treating the windows, treating the telephone, treating the cold water pipe in the bathroom, treating the audio equipment stored passively in the bathroom etc.. using conventional electrical or acoustic theories, so what explanation can they give.? They may not like some of the explanations that Peter puts forward but someone, somewhere, at sometime is going to have to come up with another explanation if they do not like Peter's !
It is this 'treating' of so many things which cannot possibly, by any stretch of the imagination, be either having an effect on the audio signal nor having any effect on the acoustic air pressure waves which seriously challenges the 'professionals in audio'. They just cannot understand how any such 'treatments' can affect the 'sound' !! But, surely, this lack of understanding is because they are not prepared to carry out any of the experiments we describe.
I was reminded of a conversation I had with Jimmy Hughes whilst I was visiting a Hi-Fi Show in 1998. Many people will be aware that Jimmy was one of the earliest advocates of Peter's techniques and devices.
Jimmy started our conversation by saying that he was of the opinion that the reaction (overreaction !!) to Peter's findings was so much of a parallel to the reaction to Joseph Lister 100 years ago when Joseph Lister's concept that the germs were 'in the air' and his technique of applying antiseptic gauzes to an open wound were attacked and ridiculed by the medical profession and the medical journals. I told Jimmy that I agreed with him and, in fact, I was writing the Peter Belt story as a parallel to the Joseph Lister story. (At the end of this Newsletter, I will give a brief background to the Joseph Lister story).
Jimmy then went on to say that on reflecting on his early involvement with Peter's techniques, he wished now that Peter, at the very beginning, had been able to introduce his techniques to the world of audio in a different way. Jimmy wished that Peter had manufactured an item of audio equipment, had fully treated that item of equipment with all his techniques, had established that his techniques could produce an excellent sounding piece of equipment and then, on the back of that reputation, to later introduce the other techniques of 'treating' all manner of things in the environment - things which in no way could be associated with the actual audio equipment but which, when treated, could create a considerable improvement in the 'sound'.
Now, on the face of it, this is a sensible and logical way of looking at the situation. But, what Jimmy did not realise was that that is not how Peter and I work and live.
To illustrate what I mean I will return to the Joseph Lister story.
Knowing what Joseph Lister knew, knowing what knowledge he had, I do not think that Joseph Lister would, on seeing a patient with a nasty open wound on his arm, just tell that patient that it was necessary to place an antiseptic gauze on the open wound to prevent the germs getting into the open wound - and leave it at that - say nothing else - IF Joseph Lister had also noticed that the patient also had an open boil on his neck and a nasty graze on his knee. I am certain that Joseph Lister, with the knowledge that he had, would also HAVE TO tell the patient that he should also have an antiseptic gauze on his open boil and one on the nasty graze on his knee in order to prevent the 'air' getting to those open wounds. I feel that Joseph Lister would not have been able to keep silent.
The same thing applies to Peter and I.
There is no way that Peter or I could just sell someone an item of equipment, saying that it would give them good sound, if, at the same time, we had the knowledge that in order for the customer to hear what the equipment was actually capable of, then the customer should also 'treat' the room lights, the room light switches, the central heating radiators, other items of audio equipment, other items of electrical apparatus, gas pipes, water pipes, clocks, mirrors, chairs, carpets, computers, TVs, video recorders, and then in the kitchen, all electrical apparatus, water heaters, toasters, washing machines, refrigerators, electricity meters, electric kettles, electric food mixers, and so on. With such knowledge, we would just not be able to keep silent just as Joseph Lister would not have been able to keep silent.
So many of our customers now have that knowledge - and there is no way that they can now return to blaming 'room acoustics' for their problems. So, why, 20 years after Peter's discoveries are the audio industry still blaming 'room acoustics ? Didn't they read the original articles ? Haven't they found out such things for themselves ? If not, why not ? Or, are they in such a mind set that they refuse to believe it, therefore are not prepared to do any experimenting for themselves ?
I will now come to the subject of 'keeping silent'.
We get many friendly, well meaning but conflicting pieces of advice. One suggestion we often get is similar to that expressed by Steve Paines - elsewhere in this Newsletter. Another major piece of advice we often get is :-
"Don't rock the boat. Don't challenge people's belief structure or you will only get attacked and ridiculed. If you challenge people's belief structure they will only go on the defensive. Try to introduce your ideas and techniques in an unchallenging way."
But, our very concepts and techniques do challenge people's existing belief structures. How long do we keep silent in order to protect the fragile egos, the mind sets and belief structures of some of the so called 'professionals in audio' ?
Take, for example, the subject of freezing objects and obtaining a significant improvement in the sound. Many of our customers have known of the 'freezing' technique using a domestic deep freezer for nearly 15 years. The audio industry should, at least, have been aware of the freezing technique for the past 11 years - ever since Robert Harley's significant article on Cryogenic Freezing which was published in the American audio magazine "Stereophile" in October 1990.
The discussions now taking place on the various Internet audio chat groups on the improvements obtained by 'freezing' cables (amongst various other audio equipment) should have been taking place 10 years ago !!
Our customers have also known, for over 15 years, of Peter's recommendation that if you put the object through the freezing process a second time, you will gain yet further improvements.
Just last week, on an Internet audio forum, during a discussion about cryogenically frozen cables, I saw a reference to 'double cryo' treatments giving yet further improvements - presumably meaning that the object had been put through the cryogenic freezing process a second time !!
In January 1993, Jimmy Hughes wrote an article describing how he had followed Peter's instructions and frozen a Compact Disc and obtained good improvements in his sound. But, Jimmy was also aware that you could obtain improvements by also 'freezing' cables and many other things. I do not know if Jimmy ever tried freezing cables and other things but if he did and in fact had been able to obtain further improvements in his sound, he has kept silent about such things !!
However, I do personally know that Jimmy came up against considerable reluctance from the magazine to even publish his original article on 'freezing' a compact disc !!
Our new product, the Morphic Green Cream, has brought all this to a head. Peter and I have been debating for the last few months if we should even introduce it, because just it's appearance and what one does with it challenges the very belief structure of electronic and acoustic engineers, challenges the belief structure of audio equipment reviewers, challenges the belief structure of audio journalists, challenges the belief structure of Hi-Fi magazine editors, challenges the belief structure of audio equipment manufacturers and designers and so on.
My response to Steve Paines article in this Newsletter is that his reasoning is logical and sensible. But, what Steve does not realise is that Peter has actually done quite a number of demonstrations to the public, to audio journalists, to audio equipment manufacturers, to audio equipment distributors, to audio equipment retailers. Keith Howard, then editor of Hi-Fi Answers conducted public demonstrations of Peter's techniques at a London Hi-Fi Show in September 1987, also public demonstrations at a Hi-Fi Show in Bolton, in October 1987. Paul Benson has demonstrated Peter's techniques to Hi-Fi retailers, to Hi-Fi equipment manufacturers, to audio journalists, to certain editors of Hi-Fi magazines (see my "Further background on the 'shorting plugs' debate" in another part of the Newsletter), as has Jimmy Hughes and as did the late Peter Turner.
And, again, whilst reading through some archive material, I came across a copy of a letter which a director of one of the leading British Hi-Fi retailers had sent to a group of other significant British Hi-Fi retailers. This letter was sent in 1989 and I will quote from the first paragraph of this letter.
"Peter Belt has demonstrated to me a breakthrough in his techniques. He is currently working on a Pioneer CD player (next Yamaha ?) and has also shown that a very inexpensive (£100) amplifier from the Far East can be treated to outperform most highly regarded British equipment; this could represent a very real threat to our livelihoods in the retail hi-fi business and merits our attention.
Even if you think I'm off my head, you are invited to attend a seminar which Peter has offered to hold to demonstrate his latest techniques. I think we can't afford to ignore these developments."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
But, ignore those developments the members of the audio industry have all been able to do !! Because so many of the people involved have chosen to keep silent !! Or, have been forced to keep silent out of fear of being 'ostracised' from the audio community!!
Also, could an audio magazine publish an article by an audio journalist describing how he had applied a tiny amount of our new Green Cream to a tiny area of an inexpensive cartridge and created an excellent sounding cartridge when, in the same issue, there was a review of two £2,000 cartridges ? I think not. I think the magazine will keep silent.
Could the editor of an audio magazine publish an article by an audio journalist describing how he had applied a tiny amount of our new Green Cream to a small area of an inexpensive interconnect/AC power cable/loudspeaker wire and created an excellent sounding interconnect when, in the same issue, the very editor himself is reviewing a $2,000 AC power cable and a $6,800 10 ft pair of loudspeaker cables ? I think not. I think the magazine will keep silent.
May Belt
U.K
Yes, vacant sockets on equipment are a problem. Yes, when treated, the sound can sometimes be improved. But, the explanation (that the problem is caused by RF interference) is not correct. To show that the explanation usually put forward is not correct, all you have to do is to carry out a few experiments. But, from my experience, the audio industry shows tremendous reluctance to carry out these experiments.
If you yourself have experienced an improvement in the sound by 'treating' a vacant socket or sockets, remove the device from the equipment you are listening to and which has had a vacant socket 'treated' and place the same device in the vacant socket of a PASSIVE item of equipment and you will experience an identical improvement in the 'sound'. And I mean PASSIVE - not an item of equipment which is connected into the audio system or connected to the AC power supply but not being used - I mean a completely passive item of equipment just sitting on a shelf - not connected to the AC power supply or to the audio system. I have lost count of how many times Peter has demonstrated to audio equipment retailers how he could improve the sound of a CD player by 'treating' the vacant sockets of a PASSIVE amplifier, just sitting on a shelf, or how he could improve the sound of a vinyl record player by 'treating' the vacant sockets of a PASSIVE CD player, just sitting on a shelf !!
I will quote from two articles, published 10 years ago!!. One article was by Paul Benson and the other article was by Malcolm Steward, the editor of Hi Fi Review.
Paul Benson. - Hi Fi Review.
" So once again, I am involved in ideas that are currently seen as equally preposterous (if not more so) than those of a decade ago but which I am sure that in ten years time (maybe twenty this time !) will seem equally as commonplace and commonsensical.
This time, however, I am not the editor of a magazine. I have a mere thousand words per month in which to ram the point home. The philosophy is also not blessed with a rich patron - the man behind this philosophy, Peter Belt, has had to sell his family home of twenty five years occupancy to get this far and is not, as was claimed in a recent letter to this magazine "laughing all the way to the bank". Nor is there a sales force going round doing the dems.
So, because I feel so strongly about all this, the only thing I can do is to do the dems myself. Which is what I've been doing - to the public in their homes and to dealers. And the occasional manufacturer. At the time of writing I have achieved 100 per cent success, leaving all behind me in a state of shock and bewilderment at the staggering improvements to their systems, dem rooms, or products. But, as I have told all parties that these dems are off the record, I don't intend to give you a list of retailers or manufacturers who are now looking more closely.
But what I can give you is some of the greatest hits of some of these dems. One interesting thing is the phenomenon of the single speaker dem room which I hinted at last month. The accepted reason why we take other non-working speakers out of the listening room is that the speakers affect the sound. This is true. Demonstrably true.
But what is false, and demonstrably false, is the accepted reason why we do it. The reason put forward - well, not so much put forward as floated forward - and accepted (totally because nobody could think of any other reason) is that the cone on the passive speaker flaps in sympathy with the sound, and somehow these vibrations upset our perception of the sound. By the way, although this hypothesis extends to cones as small as the cones in telephones and remote controls for TVs, no-one has suggested it goes as far as the cones of ear drums.
The people who accept and propound this theory tend to like to project and proclaim themselves as scientists. However, to scientifically test this theory, the obvious thing to do is to bring a drive unit in, listen and see if the sound goes off. Then if it is the cone that's turning the sound off, rip the cone out and listen again with the cone-less drive unit in the room. If you were to do this simple experiment - which I have been doing for the benefit of speaker manufacturers and dealers for the last couple of months - you find that the sound is turned off just as much, or very nearly just as much, with the cone absent.
So, the logical conclusion is that the cone is not the culprit - or not the main culprit. Why no-one in the last ten years or so (since the phenomenon was first discovered and single speaker dems were introduced) has bothered to do this simple experiment is a testament to the lack of scientific rigour in the so-called scientific Hi-Fi fraternity.
So, what dealers and manufacturers do with these troublesome passive speakers is take them out of the room believing somehow that if the speakers are behind a wall (which as we all know is one hundred percent impervious to sound !) then the cone behind the wall cannot be moving in sympathy with the sound in the room. Thus they don't affect the sound.
So, if I go to one of these dealers, which I do when invited, and go in the corridor or the room next door and put in a simple closed circuit reef knot device across the terminals of just one of the multitude of speakers that are out of the listening room, these dealers know that this cannot possibly affect the sound in their listening room. When they hear that it drastically improves the sound in the listening room, their jaws drop
This single speaker philosophy has never been really followed through of course. For not only does having a passive speaker in the room affect the sound, so does a single drive unit, so does an amplifier. I can do the same dem with amplifiers - in fact I can even do it with components and even a phono socket."
...........(And so Paul's article goes on for many more paragraphs - May)
Malcolm Steward - editor of Hi Fi Review. Describing a visit by Paul Benson to Malcolm Steward's house
............."Further treatments followed....... One of the successful moves was shorting the unused phono sockets on both the player transport and the outboard convertor. These seemed to further refine the combination's sound, making it both more informative, more natural and easier to the ear.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If so many things, such as 'freezing' things which cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be associated with the audio equipment, such as 'treating' vacant phono sockets or vacant speaker terminals in PASSIVE equipment, such as 'creaming' the outer insulation of active (or passive) AC power cables, interconnects, speaker cables, such as marking the edge of CDs and vinyl records with a colour, and so on, can create significant improvements in the 'sound', and conventional electronic or acoustic theories do not allow for such things to happen, then surely conventional theories are incomplete ? - In the same way that, over 100 years ago, the conventional theories in medicine regarding what caused septicemia were woefully incomplete.
Another paragraph from Robert Harley's Stereophile article (an article which I have repeatedly said I regard as one of the most significant articles in the history of audio) is :-
" My fascination with CD tweaks stems not from their intrinsic abilities to improve CD sound as much as it comes from the realization that if any tweak has even the slightest audible effect, conventional digital audio theory is turned upside down. More important, however, the widespread acceptance and belief in CD tweaks may make skeptical engineers listen for themselves, perhaps sparking an investigation into why they work...........
Furthermore, I see CD tweaks as a Rosetta Stone to an audio engineering establishment that dismisses the possibility that freezing a CD, or painting it black, or putting green paint around the edge, or making it from a different material, could affect its sound. Because these treatments are considered the epitome of audiophile lunacy and because they are readily audible, some measurement-orientated scientists may, if they listen for themselves, realize that audiophiles are not always the demented mystics they are often accused of being."
Well, enough of the archive material for the moment. Maybe more next time.......
May Belt,
U.K.
Joseph Lister was a doctor and surgeon in Glasgow in the 1880's, One problem Lister shared with the other doctors and surgeons was that many of his patients developed septicaemia and subsequently died. The belief structure prevailing amongst the medical profession at that time was that the septicaemia was caused by "micro-organisms in the patient's own 'bad blood' erupting spontaneously"., meaning it was purely by chance that a patient would develop septicaemia and that the doctors and surgeons had no influence over it.
Joseph Lister, however, read accounts of Louis Pasteur's experiences in France. Louis Pasteur was a well known and respected French chemist who made his own wine. However, he found that when he left the bottles of wine open to the air to allow the fermentation bubbles to escape - his wine kept going 'off'. So, he designed a device to place over the top of the bottles which allowed the fermentation bubbles to escape but did not allow the environmental air to get in - such a device is still used today in wine making. After fitting such a device, Louis Pasteur found that his wine was O.K.. From that experience he deduced that 'there must be something in the air' that had been 'getting at his wine'.
Joseph Lister began to think along the concept of 'could whatever was in the air and had been affecting Louis Pasteur's wine be the thing getting into his patients open wounds and causing the septicaemia. - so progressed his "germs in the air" theory.
Joseph Lister began to use a carbolic spray when carrying out operations and began to develop various antiseptic gauzes to place over open wounds in an attempt to exclude the 'air' from the wounds.
All this he tried to introduce whilst the medical profession still worked under the concept of 'spontaneous eruption of the micro-organisms'. Because of this belief, they were still carrying on the practice of going straight from the mortuary to the operating theatre, after carrying out an autopsy, without washing their hands, without washing their instruments, still wearing their dirty , pus stained, blood stained frock coat, with the additional habit of carrying the cat gut for stitches dangling from the buttonhole in the frock coat !!! In fact, the more these frock coats were stained, the more they were worn with tremendous pride.!!
In common with so many people throughout history who make new discoveries or who wish to introduce challenging new concepts, Joseph Lister was subjected to both ridicule and abuse from many of his medical colleagues as well as support and encouragement from others. Although there is not a great deal of information available, I am giving a brief description of some of the reactions to Lister's concepts and to the various techniques he developed. These reactions were the result of Lister trying to introduce the medical profession to antiseptic techniques.
In 1868.
James Coats, Pathologist to the Royal Infirmary,
Glasgow. reported treating a compound fracture of the ankle antiseptically with
complete success
William MacCormac, later to be the President of the Royal College of Surgeons, became one of Lister's staunchest defenders.
Dr. John Rose of Kidderminster Infirmary reported the antiseptic method for treating a compound fracture of the leg as successful.
Dr. Pearson Cresswell, Chief Surgeon to the Dowlais Iron Works published that the use of Carbolic Acid...... has created quite a revolution in the surgical practice..... in every instance with marked success.
The Lancet reports "Mr. Lister's treatment does not find much favour in London. Are the conditions of suppuration different here from those in Glasgow, or is it that the antiseptic treatment is not tried with care?"
James Paget of Bart's Hospital found in the few cases where carbolic acid had been used "it had been useless" but thought it could be because of some error of mode of application.
However, many years later, Sir Henry Butlin, who had been Paget's house surgeon said "Our technique was so indifferently applied that the dressing was constantly slipping down and the bed was bathed in pus until the usual shiver occurred and the patient went the way of all flesh"
St. George's in London reported little or no success.
Guy's, Mr. Bryant thought carbolic acid worked but Mr. Birkett had had little experience of it.
By the end of 1868, the Lancet was reporting favourable testimony/
The Prince of Wales General Hospital, Tottenham, was said to be the first London Hospital to introduce the full antiseptic treatment.
Two surgeons at Kings College, John Wood & William Playfair had used the antiseptic system as early as 1868 and had taken up all Lister's ideas, the carbolic spray and so on, as soon as he described them.
Surgeons at London & Westminster Hospitals reported favourably.
The German Hospital, Dalston, had introduced Lister's methods.
E.R. Bockersteth of the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool, wrote two articles praising the antiseptic method.
1869.
Began with negative reports from Charing Cross &
The Great Northern Hospitals, London.
By the time Lister went to London in 1877, the revolution in surgery had already begun elsewhere. Only a few surgeons in London had taken the trouble to find out and to use successfully the antiseptic techniques.
Mr. Nunneley of the Leeds Hospital stated that he did not accept the germ theory of disease. He had treated his patients without carbolic acid while his colleagues who had used the antiseptic obtained no better results.
But a colleague of Nunneley, a T. Pridgin Teale had ascribed his failure as 'due to imperfection in carrying out Lister's rules'.
James Norton (Lister's colleague in Glasgow) wrote to the Lancet supporting Nunneley.
D. Campbell Black of Glasgow believed that the bulk of the profession in Glasgow supported Nunneley and Norton. He referred to it as "the latest toy in medical science" and "the Carbolic mania".
1869 & 1870.
The Lancet published a large number of
letters and articles devoted to 'Listerism'.
Dr. J. Hughes Bennett, Professor of Physiology asked "Where are the germs ?, Show them to us and we will believe . Has anybody seen these germs ?"
Dr. J.R. Wolfe questioned the "panspematism hypothesis of Mr. Pasteur".
Some doctors often used a silly catch-phrase when they came into a sick room, "Shut the door quickly, or Professor Lister's germs will get in".
1882.
July, the 3rd annual meeting of the America Surgical
Association - the anti-Listerians were in the majority, some publicly rejecting
the germ theory.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Early 'antiseptic' pads were - a piece of calico dipped in a solution of one part carbolic acid in four parts of Linseed oil.
then a mixture of carbolic acid, linseed oil and common whitening - antiseptic putty, spread on tinfoil.
then oiled silk, coated with copal varnish.
In 1868.
He tried a mixture of carbolic acid and shellac,
spread on calico and coated with a solution of gutta-percha.
then he tried a complex combination of paraffin, wax, olive oil and carbolic acid.
then he tried Chloride of Zinc, Boracic acid and salicylic acid.
In 1878.
Charles Darwin suggested Benzoic acid.
In 1881.
Lister became interested in oil of eucalyptus and
also tested oxidized oil of turpentine.
In 1882.
He tried iodoform.
In 1883
He tried gauze containing corrosive sublimate beneath
which he used a rubber protective.
In 1885
He used gauze impregnated by Sal Alembroth, the
double cyanide of mercury and zinc.
then he tried various zinc and mercury compounds, often in combination with the new aniline dyes.
In 1887.
Lister dropped the carbolic spray and experimented
with various dressings to replace carbolic acid. All these experimental
dressings were coloured with different dyes as a King's student put it :-
In a Ditty "There is a worthy Baronet who once took up the cause
Of Antiseptic surgery and Antiseptic Gauze.
First there was a yellow one, then there was a blue,
Then there was a red one, and a white one too.
Next there was a violet one, so we thought he'd go
Right through all the colours of the bright rainbow."
The Violet gauze was the last one to be produced. It was muslin gauze covered with a fine white powder, the double cyanide of zinc and mercury. Lister found that this powder would not stay on the gauze unless it was moistened. He first tried a solution of chloride of mercury, but it proved too irritating to the skin. Then he found a dye called "rosanilin" would fix the powder, so he had a very satisfactory dressing which was coloured a beautiful shade of heliotrope. This cyanide gauze was used as a dressing for many years.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All the participants in the Joseph Lister story are long since dead - now, we can only shake our heads in dismay at so many of them having such a rigid and blinkered attitude.
However, many of the participants in the Peter Belt story are alive and well and still working in the audio industry. Within these participants in the Peter Belt story, I have many contenders to chose from for the roles of such as D. Campbell Black and Dr. J Hughes Bennet and the many doctors who used silly catch-phrases.
May Belt.
U.K.
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