ThoughtGallery.org > Placebos, Nocebos and Voodoo Medicine

Placebos, Nocebos and Voodoo Medicine

Many think of placebo as an inactive substance used in clinical trials or to fool someone, but placebo means far more than that, as the neurobiology of placebos is becoming increasingly understood. The opposite can also be true: harm can also come from the use of inactive substances, known as “nocebos.”

One example of a “nocebo” is what is termed voodoo death, aka “psychogenic death” or “psychosomatic death.” This is a term coined by biological psychologist Walter Cannon to describe the observed phenomenon of individuals who died after believing themselves to be cursed, or being condemned by witch doctors or tribal courts. One such well documented case, recorded by Cannon in 1942, involved a Maori woman who, after learning that a fruit she had eaten had been sourced from a taboo location, died within a day.

Tonight, join Dr. Mark W Green Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine at Mt. Sinai to learn about the fascinating history and science of the placebo, the nocebo, and “voodoo death.”











When: Fri., Jan. 8, 2016 at 7:00 pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum
424 Third Ave. Brooklyn

Price: $12
Buy tickets/get more info now
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Many think of placebo as an inactive substance used in clinical trials or to fool someone, but placebo means far more than that, as the neurobiology of placebos is becoming increasingly understood. The opposite can also be true: harm can also come from the use of inactive substances, known as “nocebos.”

One example of a “nocebo” is what is termed voodoo death, aka “psychogenic death” or “psychosomatic death.” This is a term coined by biological psychologist Walter Cannon to describe the observed phenomenon of individuals who died after believing themselves to be cursed, or being condemned by witch doctors or tribal courts. One such well documented case, recorded by Cannon in 1942, involved a Maori woman who, after learning that a fruit she had eaten had been sourced from a taboo location, died within a day.

Tonight, join Dr. Mark W Green Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine at Mt. Sinai to learn about the fascinating history and science of the placebo, the nocebo, and “voodoo death.”

Buy tickets/get more info now