Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Science and crime

Sir, — The editorial, "Pseudo-science in crime detection," (March 11) was a timely exposure of the over-enthusiasm of the investigating agencies in grabbing any unproven scientific tool to boost their own morale. As a psychiatrist, I have been doing narcoanalysis for four decades but have never got any useful information from a patient. At the most, he talks without restraint, and, in doing so, may express fears that are mostly baseless and exaggerated. Narcoanalysis will only make a person under investigation more fearful rather than help reveal something that can help in crime detection. This is also the reason why hypnosis too fails as an investigating tool. Brain mapping is the latest gimmick with no true scientific value.

Prof. M.A.M. Khan,

Hyderabad

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