An explanation of the "Eyeball Scraping" trick

Another one of John's tricks is to appear to run a knife over a patient's eye. How this is intended to cure one of AIDS, cancer, back pain, Parkinson's Disease or any other ailment is unclear but what's clear is that there is a perfectly possible way to accomplish this, besides having any psychic or mystical healing powers.

Magician and skeptical investigator James Randi had this to say about it:

"John of God will seat a subject for his "visible surgery" stunt and apparently scrape the eyeball of the patient with the edge of a knife. I believe that this is a variation of the usual trick — illustrated on page 177 of my book, "Flim-Flam!" — in which a knife-blade is inserted under the eyelid of a subject with little or no resulting discomfort. With the Brazilian faker, the "scraping" motion gives it a much more fearsome aspect, but for several good reasons I doubt that any contact takes place with the cornea.

The sclera — the white section of the eye — is relatively insensitive to touch. Try touching that area with a finger or any clean object, and you'll see this is true. The cornea, however, is very sensitive — among the most sensitive areas of the body. Incidentally, it's also the fastest-healing organ, which accords very well with Darwinian standards; being able to see is one of our very best sensory means of defense.

Most persons — and I'm one of them — have a difficult time watching the eye being touched. We tend to empathize with the situation, and I'm sure that some readers are at this moment involuntarily squinting in distaste as they read these words; we're that reactive to eyeball-touching. Few persons will resist looking away when John of God seems to scrape an eyeball, and I note that he's furtively watching the position of the camera as he performs this stunt, blocking the view with his body when a close-up is sought.

There's also the distinct possiblity here that John of God introduces a temporary local anaesthetic — benzocaine would work — onto the eye surface, which would allow contact with the cornea. We don't know, though we could have found out....

In any case, unless an anaesthetic has been introduced, it is impossible for this man to be touching the cornea of a human eye as he appears to do, without causing immediate involuntary flinching from the patient. The JREF will stake its million-dollar prize on that statement. "

www.randi.org/jr/021805a.html

What is psychic surgery?

"Psychic surgery" is a procedure in which the alleged healer appears to insert their hands into a patient's body (at which point blood appears to flow), removes tumors, flesh, kidney stones or objects such as glass and then cleans the patient's skin of blood. The patient's skin appears to have no wound and no scar although certain practitioners make actual incisions.

Psychic surgery has routinely been debunked as a "confidence game", meant to elicit money from the patient. It is simple sleight of hand and can be replicated by any stage magician.

Psychic surgery is widely practised in the Phillipines and is known to have been practised in Brazil since the early 20th century. It also exists in other parts of Asia, South America and was brought by immigrants to Canada and the United States.

Psychic surgery has also drawn many Western tourists to the Phillipines, most notably late comedian Andy Kaufman. Actress Shirley MacLaine and comedian and actor Peter Sellers once counted among psychic surgery's devotees.

Former magician and professional skeptic James Randi demonstrates how psychic surgery is performed in these videos: