Diagnosis from a Single Drop of Blood
By Kevin J. Todeschi
A recent article from The Wall Street Journal titled “Elizabeth Holmes: The Breakthrough of Instant Diagnosis” sounded eerily familiar. In the article, dated September 8, 2013, Joseph Rago interviewed Elizabeth Holmes, a 29-year-old chemical and electrical engineer and entrepreneur, about the company, Theranos, that she founded in 2003. Theranos is developing an entrepreneurial invention that could revolutionize medicine and diagnose any illness by processing more than 1,000 laboratory tests on a single drop of blood. Ms. Holmes's long-term goal is to provide cost effective, highly accurate, and simple diagnostic services to every American home.
More than 85 years ago, Edgar Cayce went into a trance-state to help a 46-year-old woman suffering from pelvic tumors and ovarian cysts. During the course of the woman’s psychic reading, Cayce foresaw the use of blood as a diagnostic tool, and even the possibility of diagnosing any illness from a single drop of blood:
“For, as is seen, there is no condition existent in a body that the reflection of same may not be traced in the blood supply, for not only does the blood stream carry the rebuilding forces to the body, it also takes the used forces and eliminates same through their proper channels in the various portions of the system… Hence there is ever seen in the blood stream the reflections or evidences of that condition being carried on in the physical body. The day may yet arrive when one may take a drop of blood and diagnose the condition of any physical body...” (Reading 283-2)
Since 1901, the information in the Cayce readings has been explored by individuals from every imaginable background and discipline. Throughout the last 100 or so years, the vast scope of information that was offered by Cayce has come to the attention of educators, historians, theologians, medical professionals, and scientists. No doubt, part of the attraction has been that regardless of the field of study, Cayce has continually proven to be years ahead of his time.
Although it may have seemed like science fiction in 1927 when the reading was given, this possibility has become scientific fact for many illnesses today. Blood tests are commonly used to diagnose diseases including cancer, AIDS, diabetes, anemia, and coronary heart disease. Tests can evaluate the function of organs including the kidneys, liver, thyroid, and heart, and even screen for risk factors for heart disease. With developments in technology especially those offered by Theranos, we now appear to be moving even closer to possibility of diagnosis of any illness from a drop of blood as predicted by Edgar Cayce.
