The Serpent and the Rainbow

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The Serpent and the Rainbow is a book written by ethnobotanist Wade Davis in 1985.[1] The book is responsible for popularizing the idea that Haitian Voodoo priests can use drugs derived from pufferfish venom to simulate death in victims, causing them to be buried, dug up, and enslaved as brain-damaged zombies. Thus it joins the distinguished genre of novels about corpses being buried for three days and then rising to walk again, such as Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The opinions of scientists on this matter range from plausibility to outright crankery. The obvious ethical issues involved with testing the hypothesis have made it something of a moot point.

One strong argument against this hypothesis, however, is the fact that analysis of the powder revealed pufferfish venom in quantities far too small to have an effect. Davis originally proposed that it was the neurotoxin in the venom that gave the powder its effect, meaning that at least that part isn't true.

It was very loosely adapted into a 1988 movie starring Bill Pullman and directed by Wes Craven.[2]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis: ISBN 0684839296
  2. imdb on the film
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