Phantom limbs

There’s an interesting account going around the more Fortean circles I abide in about a Swiss woman who developed a phantom third limb. I found the story interesting as a curiosity, but later started mulling over it’s more fringe science potential. Rupert Sheldrake, who’s theories I’ve referenced before, puts forth the idea that things grow/change/become because of their morphogenetic fields. Which, put way too simply, remember the shape of their previous iteration and guide the growth of the new. IE: a seed has a field which directs its growth into a tree(Read Sheldrake, I can’t do the theory justice as a simple aside). So, the human morphogentic field consists of 2 arms, 2 legs, torso, etc… the idea of phantom limb relates to the basic field idea of humanity, less than the physical manifestation of humanity. I wonder what Sheldrake would say if he read the article about the phantom third limb? Does this disprove the theory, prove it, or is it non-related in that it’s the brain’s perception of field that is effected?
Anyway, read the article, and Mr. Sheldrake if you so desire.

Share Button