Cases of the Reincarnation Type in Northern India With Birthmarks and Birth Defects

Ð In an effort to contribute to the understanding of the origin of birthmarks and birth defects from the perspective of reincarnation, cases of children with memories of previous life and congenital anomalies were investigated in India, mostly in the 1990s. Reports of ten such cases are presented. The principal methods of investigation were interviews with several firsthand informants on the subject’s side of the cases as well as on the side of the deceased person whose life the subject claimed to remember. The birthmarks or birth defects were carefully examined. Their correspondence with the supposedly matching wounds on the concerned deceased person was independently verified, mostly from the medical records. Two subjects had major birth defects. One was born without his right hand and right forearm; another had a severe malformation of the spine (kyphosis) and prominent birthmark on the head. The remaining eight subjects had birthmarks corresponding to gunshot wounds, knife wounds, burns, and injuries in a vehicular accident. The birthmarks and birth defects closely corresponded to the injuries of the concerned deceased persons. The interpretations of chance, maternal impressions, super-psi, possession, and reincarnation were considered to explain the birthmarks and birth defects. The hypothesis of reincarnation seems best to explain all features of cases.