List of discredited substances

Short description: none

This is a list of substances or materials generally considered discredited.

A substance can be discredited in one of three ways:

1. It was widely believed to exist at one time but no longer is. Such substances are often part of an obsolete scientific theory.
2. It was once believed to have drastically different properties from those accepted now. It was widely claimed and believed to possess significant properties that are no longer attributed to it.
3. It is currently believed to exist as part of a theory that has not met the theoretical and experimental requirements of mainstream science. In particular, such a theory must be predictive.

## Contents

* 1 Substances whose existence is discredited
* 2 Substances whose properties are discredited
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## Substances whose existence is discredited

Substance  | Theorized by  | From when  | Alleged definition  | Discredited by

|
|
|
|

Aether (classical element) |  | Ancient times | The medium filling the universe above the terrestrial sphere enabling transmission of light and gravity | The Michelson–Morley experiment
Alicorn |  | Ancient times | The horn of the unicorn, has mystical healing properties | Never found
Alkahest | Paracelsus | 1493–1541 | A universal solvent, which can dissolve every other substance, including gold | Never found (note that aqua regia can dissolve gold, but not everything)
Andrewsite | Thomas Andrews | 1871–1990 | Green mineral named for Thomas Andrews [1] | Confirmation in 1990 that the substance is composed of other minerals[1]
Caloric | Antoine Lavoisier | 1783 | Weightless fluid, the substance of heat | Heat came to be interpreted as the energy of the motion of atoms
Coronium | Charles Augustus Young and William Harkness | 1869 | Chemical element in the solar corona | In the 1930s, Walter Grotrian and Bengt Edlén discovered that the spectral line in question was due to highly ionized iron
Élan vital | Henri Bergson | 1907 | Substance or force bearing the property of life | Molecular biology
Elixir of life | Mythology | Ancient times | Substance believed by alchemists to confer immortality | Never found
Erototoxins | Judith Reisman | after 1955 | Addictive chemicals produced in the brain by pornography | Addictive opioids (i.e. endorphins) in the brain are related to pleasure in general, not specific to pornography[2]
Luminiferous aether |  | 18th century | Medium for the propagation of light | Michelson–Morley experiment
Miasma |  | Ancient times | Foul smell believed to carry diseases | Modern biology, in particular the discovery of actual infectious agents
Nebulium | William Huggins | 1864 | An element in the Cat's Eye Nebula | In 1927, Ira Sprague Bowen showed that the observed spectral lines are emitted by doubly ionized oxygen
N-rays | Prosper-René Blondlot | 1903 | A form of radiation emitted by most substances | A simple null experiment, where Blondlot thought he could see the effects of N-rays even when an essential component had been removed from the experimental apparatus
Odic force | Carl Reichenbach | 1845 | Force bearing the property of life | Lack of experimental evidence and any predictive theory; never accepted by science
Orgone energy | Wilhelm Reich | 1930s | Energy bearing the property of life | Lack of experimental evidence and any predictive theory; never accepted by science
Panacea | Alchemists | Ancient times | Substance curing all illness | Modern biology and medicine
Philosopher's stone | Alchemists | Ancient times | Legendary substance that could transmute lead into precious metals | Transmutation requires nuclear processes. The first synthesis of gold was conducted by Japanese physicist Hantaro Nagaoka in 1924, who synthesized gold by bombarding mercury with neutrons.
Phlogiston | Johann Joachim Becher | 1667 | Weightless substance present in combustible materials and released when they are burned | Modern chemistry, specifically the discovery that combustion is the combination of various substances with oxidizers, most commonly oxygen
Polywater |  | late 1960s | A polymerised form of water | More careful experiments with rigorously cleaned glassware showed that it was just contaminated water
Ptomaines |  |  | Alkaloids found in decaying matter thought to cause food poisoning | Discovery of bacteria (Germ theory of disease)
Red mercury | Hoax | 1979 | Controversial substance supposedly of use to terrorists | Its actual nature, if any, is unclear. The notion may have been invented for use by Soviet and Russian sting operations targeting nuclear materials trafficking. It is also possible that the phrase may have originated as a codeword in Soviet nuclear weapons development, much as the word "copper" was once used to obfuscate "plutonium" during the Manhattan Project.

## Substances whose properties are discredited

This is not to be construed as implying that these items-as they are understood today-are discredited. What is listed are fire, water, metal, etc. as universal principles or fundamentals.

* Classical elements and Chinese elements discredited by atomic theory and nuclear physics.
* Fire (classical element)
* Water (classical element)
* Earth (classical element)
* Air (classical element)
* Wood (classical element)
* Metal (classical element)
* Aether (classical element): Now known not to exist (see above)
* The four bodily humours: Blood, Phlegm, Black Bile, and Yellow Bile. Fluids believed to determine health and character. Discredited by modern biology, including discovery of hormones.
* The tria prima of Paracelsus and later alchemy: Salt, Mercury and Sulphur. Discredited by modern chemistry (the atomic theory and modern understanding of elements and compounds).

## See also

* List of fictional elements, materials, isotopes and subatomic particles
* List of misidentified chemical elements

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Andrewsite: Andrewsite mineral information and data.". http://www.mindat.org/min-226.html.
2. ↑ Nair, Mohan; Friedman, Rob; Maram, Wesley. "I20 Pornography and Sexual Violence: Is There a Connection?", Seattle 2010, Forensic Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, 2002-2011 Proceedings of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, p. 28.

* v
* t
* e

Pseudoscience

Terminology|

* Cargo cult science
* Charlatan
* Crank
* Fringe theory
* Fringe science
* Pseudoarchaeology
* Pseudohistory
* Junk science
* Paranormal
* Pathological science
* Quackery
* Snake oil
* Superseded scientific theory
* True-believer syndrome
* Voodoo Science

Topics
characterized as
pseudoscience|

* 2012 phenomenon
* Acupuncture
* Adrenal fatigue
* Alchemy
* Alternative medicine
* Ancient astronauts
* Anthroposophic medicine
* Applied kinesiology
* Aquatic ape hypothesis
* Astrology
* Bates method
* Biodynamic agriculture
* Bloodletting
* Body memory
* Catastrophism
* Chiropractic
* Chromotherapy
* Conspiracy theory
* 9/11 conspiracy theories
* Chemtrail conspiracy theory
* Climate change denial
* Moon landing conspiracy theories
* Conversion therapy
* Creation science
* Cryonics
* Cryptozoology
* Crystal healing
* Detoxification
* Colon cleansing
* Dianetics
* Doctrine of signatures
* Doktor Koster's Antigaspills
* Dowsing
* Ear candling
* Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
* Electronic voice phenomenon
* Eugenics
* Facilitated communication
* Feng shui
* Flat Earth theory
* Germ theory denialism
* Graphology
* HIV/AIDS denialism
* Hollow Earth theory
* Homeopathy
* Humorism
* Indigo children
* Intelligent design
* Japhetic theory
* Levitation
* Lunar effect
* Lysenkoism
* Magnet therapy
* Mediumship
* Naturopathy
* Nazi archaeology
* Nibiru cataclysm
* Numerology
* Orgone
* Palmistry
* Perpetual motion
* Phrenology
* Polygraph
* Primal therapy
* Pseudoarchaeology
* Pseudohistory
* Genocide denial
* Historical negationism
* Holocaust denial
* Pseudoscientific metrology
* Psychohistory
* Quantum mysticism
* Rapid prompting method
* Recovered-memory therapy
* Reiki
* Scientific racism
* Aryan race
* Melanin theory
* Trepanning
* Ufology
* Vertebral subluxation
* Voice stress analysis
* Water memory
* Cowpathy

Promoters of pseudoscience|

* Andrew Wakefield
* Deepak Chopra
* Gaia, Inc.
* Goop (company)
* Jenny McCarthy
* Mehmet Oz
* William Donald Kelley

Related topics|

* Bourgeois pseudoscience
* Demarcation problem
* Scientific method
* Suppressed research in the Soviet Union
* Traditional medicine

Resources|

* Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
* Cults of Unreason
* Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
* Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science
* Quackwatch
* JREF
* The Psychology of the Occult
* The Ragged Edge of Science
* The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
* Skeptical Inquirer
* The Skeptic's Dictionary

List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

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