Mysterious Physiological Effects of Flying Saucers

This article, written by Gordon Creighton, examines reports of physiological effects experienced by witnesses during UFO sightings in Brazil and France. The primary case discussed involves Filomeno Bida de Oliveira, a bank official who, on August 17, 1965, near Montes Claros, Brazil, observed a hovering, oval-shaped craft with an undercarriage resembling skates. Oliveira reported that the craft emitted a sound like a 'failing refrigerator motor' and, following the encounter, experienced tachycardia and involuntary urination, as well as a lingering numbness in his body. Dr. W. Buhler, who investigated the case, interviewed Oliveira and concluded that the physical reactions were likely caused by electrical or ultrasonic effects on the witness's neurovegetative system. The article also references a 1954 case in Onnaing, France, involving Marius Dewilde, who experienced similar incontinence, and a June 1959 case in Mato Grosso, Brazil, where three businessmen observed a 60-metre metallic craft. In the latter instance, the witnesses reported that all insect noise in the jungle ceased abruptly as the craft approached. Creighton further discusses the relevance of these cases to other well-known reports, such as the Barney and Betty Hill case and the Valensole incident, suggesting that these physiological impacts are a recurring, albeit poorly understood, aspect of the phenomenon that warrants further scientific study.