Ian Stevenson was a serious university doctor. He worked at the University of Virginia for 40 years.
He spent all that time studying a strange topic. He interviewed thousands of children who said they remembered past lives.
The children gave specific names, places, and ways they died. In many cases, they also had unusual birthmarks.
Stevenson documented these cases. He found birthmarks that matched wounds from the remembered past life.
A child might have a round mark where a bullet hit the other person. He published his findings in a scientific journal.
He argued it was evidence of reincarnation. His work made him famous.
It also made him very controversial. Other scientists said he ignored simpler explanations.
They said families in certain cultures could coach children. Memories could get mixed up.
A mark could be a coincidence. Stevenson never changed his mind.
He built one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. He left behind a mystery that science still cannot fully explain.
Sources: Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia / Journal of Scientific Exploration
Photo: Wikimedia Commons