The Amazing Case of António Villas Boas
By．GORDON CREIGHTON
I told him that I could give him a copy of the original any time he wanted, but that, at that moment, I could only try to reproduce the writing, which I had memorised. He asked me to do it, and left with the copy which was later sent to you. I never imagined that he wanted it for publication, because he never came back to ask for the copy I had promised him. As you see, he made a mistake, because my memory is not so good, so that the specimen you have reproduced is somehow different from the original inscription sent to Joao Martins by Antonio. This original is reproduced below.’ (Figure 13.)
APPENDIX A
This description of the first moments after the appearance of the craft above the tractor is different from the one given by Villas Boas in one of his letters to Joao Martins last November. In that letter, he said that on seeing the ‘object’ stationary above the tractor, and being unable to escape on the tractor owing to its low speed or on foot because of the danger and the handicap presented by the freshly turned soil, he had decided to turn off the engine and wait and see what happened. He had then seen the object land, a short distance from him, on its metal tripod,and had seen its door open, a ladder come down, and two men in strange clothing appear. One of them had begun to descend the ladder, while the other one had signed to Villas Boas inviting him to come nearer and to enter the machine. It was only then that panic had seized him, and he had tried to start up the tractor. Not succeeding in this, the starter being isolated (there is no reference made to his lights), and seeing one of the men already down on the ground and the other man halfway clown the ladder, he had quickly abandoned the tractor via the door on the other side, and had been seized, after a few steps, by the first of his pursuers. From here on, the two versions agree.
This contradiction was the only one that we were able to discover during our interrogation of Villas Boas. We do not demand an explanation for it and merely note it for future evaluation. The existence of this contradiction was one of the reasons for Joao Martins’ unbelief regarding the case.
APPENDIX B
Clinical remarks and medical examination by Dr Olavo Fontes
SUBJECT: Antonio Villas Boas, aged 23, white, single, farmer, residing in Sao Francisco de Sales in the state of Minas Gerais.
History of the illness
As is recorded- in his deposition, he left the machine at 5.30 a.m. on October 16, 1957. He was feeling quite weak, having eaten nothing since 9 o’clock the previous evening and having vomited a good deal while in the machine. He arrived home exhausted and slept almost the whole day through. He awoke at 4.30 p.m., feeling well, and ate a normal dinner. But already that night, as well as-the following night, he was unable to sleep. He was nervous and very excited; he managed several times to get off to sleep, but at once began to dream, of the happenings of the night before, just as if it were occurring all over again. Then he would wake up with a start, shouting, and feeling himself seized once more by his strange captors.
After experiencing this several times, he gave up trying to sleep, and attempted to pass the night in studying. But he could not do that either, for he was completely unable to concentrate on what he was reading; his thoughts were always reverting to the events of the previous night. The dawn found him disturbed, walking up and down and smoking one cigarette after another. He was tired and his body hurt all over. Then he drank a cup of coffee, without eating, as was his wont. Straight away however he felt nauseated. This nausea lasted throughout the whole day. A very severe headache also set in, in his temples, which pounded, and this also remained with him all day. He noticed that he had entirely lost his appetite, and for about two days he was quite unable to eat anything.
He spent the second night also without being able to sleep, in the same state as the night before. During this second night, he began to feel a troublesome burning sensation in his eyes, but the headache had gone, and did not return.
During the second day he remained nauseated and totally without appetite. He did not vomit however at any time, perhaps because he had not forced himself to eat. The burning sensation in the eyes increased and now began to be accompanied by continual watering. However he noticed no congestion of the conjunctivae, nor any other signs of irritation of the eyes. He noticed no diminution in his vision.
On the third night, sleep returned, and he slept normally. But from now onwards, for approximately one month, he was overcome by an excessive sleepiness. Even during the day, he kept on nodding off and falling asleep at any moment, even when talking to other people, and wherever he might-be. It sufficed only for him to remain still for a little while, and he would drop off to sleep. During all this period of somnolescence, the burning in his eyes also continued, as well as the excessive watering. The nausea however disappeared on the third day, when too his appetite returned and he began to eat normally. He noted that the visual symptoms were aggravated in the sunlight, so that he was obliged to avoid much light.
On the eighth day, while working, he got a small bruise on his forearm, with a little local bleeding. Next day, he noticed that the lesion had turned into a small infected wound, with a little head of pus and very itchy. When this wound healed, there remained a purplish patch around it. Between four and ten days later, he had similar wounds appear on his forearms and legs. These however came spontaneously, without any prior traumatism, all of them starting with a small lump with a hole in the middle, very itchy, and each of them lasting from ten to twenty days. He mentions that they all remained ‘purple - all round when they dried up’, the scars being still visible now.
At no time did he notice any cutaneous eruption or any burning sensation, and he likewise denies having seen any haemorrhagic spots on his skin (petechiae) or bruises on any lesser wounds (haemorrhagic patches); if there were any such, they had passed unnoticed by him, He mentions however that on the fifteenth day two yellowish patches appeared on his face, one on each side of the nose, and more or less symmetrical. They were ‘sort of semi-pallidspots, as though there was little blood there’, which disappeared spontaneously after some ten to twenty days.
At the present time he still has two small unhealed wounds on his arms, besides the scars of the various other wounds that kept on appearing sporadically during the last few months. None of the other symptoms described have reappeared up to the present time. He feels well at present and. considers himself to be in good health.
He denies having had fever, diarrhea, hemorrhagic symptoms, or jaundice, either during the acute phase of his illness or subsequently. On the other hand, he noticed no area of depilation on his body or face, nor did he observe any excessive loss of hair, at any time, between October and now. During the period of sleepiness he displayed no apparent diminution in his capacity for physical labour. He likewise observed no diminution in his libido or potency, or any change in the sharpness of his eyesight. He noticed no anaemia, and he had no ulcerated lesions in the mouth.
Previous Illnesses
He mentions only eruptive illnesses proper to childhood (measles, chickenpox), with no complications. No chronic venereal disease. Has suffered for some years past from ‘chronic colitis’, which is giving him no trouble at the moment.
Physical examination
The subject is of male sex, white, smooth black hair, dark eyes, apparently suffering from no acute or chronic illness. Biotype: long-limbed aesthenic. Facies: atypical. Is of medium height (1 metre 64 centimetres in shoes), lean but strong, with well developed musculature. Is well nourished, presenting no signs of vitamin deficiency. No physical deformities or anomalies in physical development. Body hair of normal appearance and distribution for his sex. Conjunctival mucosae slightly discoloured. Teeth in good state of preservation. Superficial ganglia impalpable.
Dermatological examination
The following changes are to be noted:
(1) Two small hyperchromic patches, one on each side of the chin were observed, of small size and more or less round in shape, one of them is of the diameter of a Brazilian 10-centavo piece and the other one a little larger and more irregular in appearance; the skin on these regions looks smoother and thinner, as though it had been renewed recently, or as if it were somewhat atrophied. There is no element permitting one to make any evaluation as to the nature and the age of these two marks: it can only be said that they are scars of some superficial lesion with associated subcutaneous haemorrhage, which have been in existence at least a month and at the most twelve months. These marks are seemingly not permanent and will probably disappear after a few months. No other similar patch or mark was noted.
(2) Several scars from recent (a few months at the most) cutaneous lesions on the backs of the hands, on the forearms, and on the legs. All present the same appearance, which recalls that of small cicatrized boils or wounds, with areas of desquamation around them, showing that they are relatively recent. There are still two which have not yet healed, one on each arm, and their appearance is that of small reddish nodules or lumps, harder than thesurrounding skin and standing out from it, painful whenpressed, and having a small central orifice discharging a yellowish serous fluid. The skin around these wounds is changed and irritated, indicating that the lesions are prurient, since there are marks made by the patient’s fingernails when scratching them. The most interesting aspect of all these cutaneous lesions and scars is the presence of a violet-coloured hyperchromic area around all of them—a feature with which we are totally unacquainted. We do not know whether or not these areas may possess any special significance. Our experience in Dermatology is insufficient for us to be able to interpret them correctly, since that is not our speciality. We consequently confine ourselves to a description of the changes, which have also been photographed.
Examination of the nervous system
Good orientation in time and space. Feelings and affections within the normal limits. Spontaneous and stimulated attention both normal. Tests of perception, thought-association, and reasoning powers indicate apparently normal mental mechanisms. Long-term and short-term memory in good shape. Excellent visual memory, with facility for reproducing in drawings or sketches the details he has described verbally. Absence of any sign or any indirect evidence of perturbation of the mental faculties.
NOTE: These results, while accurate, need to be completed— if possible—by a more specialised psychiatric examination, performed by a specialist. Examination of motility, reflexes, and surface sensitivity: revealed nothing abnormal. Examination of other organs and systems: revealed nothing abnormal.
Signed: OLAVO FONTES, M.D.,
- Rio de Janeiro, February 22, 1958.
Postscript
It is with the deepest regret that we record herein that Dr Olavo T. Fontes died on May 9, 1968.
その4．からの続き：
私は、「原本はいつでも渡せるが、その時は記憶している文章を再現してみるしかない」と言った。
すると彼は、「やってくれ」と言い、後にあなたに送られたコピーを持って帰っていった。
私は、彼が出版を望んでいたとは思っていなかった。私の記憶力があまりよくないので、あなたが複製した見本は、アントニオがジョアン・マルティンスに送ったオリジナルの碑文とはどこか違っているのだ。
このオリジナルは下に複製してある』。(図13.)
付録A
トラクターの上に機体が現れてから最初の瞬間についてのこの記述は、ビラス・ボアスが昨年11月にジョアン・マルティンスに宛てた手紙の中で述べたものとは異なっている。
その手紙の中で、彼は、トラクターの上に静止した「物体」を見たとき、トラクターは低速なので逃げることができず、また、転地したばかりの土は危険でハンディがあるので、歩いて逃げることもできず、エンジンを止めて様子を見ることにしたと述べている。
そして、その物体が金属製の三脚の上に少し離れたところに着陸し、ドアが開き、はしごが下りてきて、奇妙な服を着た二人の男が現れるのを見たのである。
一人は梯子を降り始め、もう一人はビラス・ボアスにサインをして、もっと近くに来て機械の中に入るように誘った。
その時、彼はパニックに陥り、トラクターのエンジンをかけようとした。
そして、もう一人の男が梯子の途中で地面に倒れているのを見て、彼はすぐに反対側のドアからトラクターを放棄し、数歩歩いた後、最初の追っ手によって捕らえられた。
ここからは、2つの説は一致している。
この矛盾は、私たちがビラス・ボアスの尋問で発見できた唯一のものでした。私たちはそれについての説明を求めず、単に将来の評価のためにそれを記録しておくだけである。
この矛盾の存在は、Joao Martinsジョアン・マルティンスがこの事件に関して不信感を抱く理由の一つであった。
付録B
Dr. Olavo Fontesによる臨床的発言と医療検査：
件名 アントニオ・ビジャス・ボアス、23歳、白人、独身、農民、ミナスジェライス州のサン・フランシスコ・デ・サレス在住。
病歴
供述にあるように、彼は1957年10月16日午前5時30分に機械（宇宙船）を出た。
前日の夜9時から何も食べず、機械（宇宙船）に乗っている間にかなり嘔吐したため、かなり弱っていた。
疲れ果てて家に帰り、ほとんど一日中寝ていた。
午後4時半に目が覚め、体調もよく、夕食も普通に食べた。
しかし、その夜も、翌日の夜も、もう眠れない。
緊張と興奮で、何度か眠りについたが、すぐに前の晩の夢を見るようになった。そして、目を覚ますと、大声で叫びながら、またもや見知らぬ男たちに捕らえられているのを感じた。
このようなことが何度か続いたので、もう眠れないと思い、勉強して夜を明かそうとした。
しかし、これも無理だった。読んでいる本に全く集中できず、いつも前の晩のことが頭をよぎるのだ。
夜が明けると、彼はタバコを吸いながら、あちこち歩き回った。夜が明けると、彼はタバコを吸って歩き回り、疲れて体中が痛い。夜しかし、すぐに吐き気をもよおした。しかし、すぐに吐き気をもよおした。
この吐き気は一日中続いた。そして、こめかみのあたりに激しい頭痛が起こり、それが一日中続いた。
食欲は全くなく、2日ほど何も食べられない状態が続いた。
二日目の夜も、前夜と同じように眠れないまま過ごした。この二日目の夜から、眼が熱くなるような煩わしさを感じるようになったが、頭痛は治まり、それっきりであった。
二日目も吐き気があり、食欲もない。
しかし、無理に食べようとしなかったためか、一度も吐かなかった。目の灼熱感は増し、絶えず涙を伴うようになった。
しかし、結膜の充血はなく、眼球の炎症も見られない。視力も低下していない。
3日目の夜には眠気が戻り、普通に眠れた。
しかし、以後約1ヵ月間、過度の睡魔に襲われた。日中も、人と話していても、どこにいても居眠り、居眠りが続く。
日この思春期には、目のかゆみや涙が止まらなかった。この思春期には、目のかゆみや涙が止まらなかった。
しかし、3日目には吐き気もなくなり、食欲も出てきて、普通に食べられるようになった。
また、視覚症状は日光に当たると悪化するため、あまり光を浴びないようにしていた。
8日目、仕事中に前腕に小さな打撲傷を負い、少し局所の出血を伴う。
翌日、その傷は小さな化膿した傷に変わり、膿が少し出ていて、非常に痒いことに気がついた。
この傷は治ったが，周囲に紫色の斑点が残っていた。
4日から10日の間に、前腕と脚に同じような傷ができた。
しかし、これらは何の前触れもなく自然にできたもので、いずれも中央に穴のあいた小さなしこりで始まり、非常にかゆく、それぞれ10日から20日ほど続いた。その傷跡は今も残っている。
また、皮膚に出血性の斑点（点状出血）や小さい傷のあざ（出血斑）を見たこともなく、もしあったとしても気付かなかったという。
この斑点は「半青斑のようなもので、ほとんど血が通っていないようなもの」であったが、10日から20日ほどで自然に消えてしまった。
現在も腕に二つの治らない傷があり、その他にも、この数ヶ月の間に散発的に現れたいろいろな傷の跡がある。
その他の症状については、現在に至るまで何一つ再発していない。
今のところ体調はよく、自分では健康だと思っている。
急性期およびその後の発熱、下痢、出血、黄疸は否定している。
一方、10月から現在に至るまで、身体や顔に脱毛している箇所はなく、また、過度の脱毛も観察されていない。
眠気の期間中、肉体労働の能力に明らかな衰えは見られなかった。
また、性欲や精力の減退もなく、視力の鋭敏さにも変化は見られなかった。
貧血もなく、口の中の潰瘍病変もなかった。
既往症：
小児期の発疹性疾患（麻疹、水疱瘡）のみで、合併症はないとのこと。
慢性的な性病はない。過去数年間、「慢性大腸炎」に苦しんでいたが、現在は問題ない。
身体検査：
性別は男性、色白、黒髪サラサラ、黒目、急性・慢性疾患はないようだ。
体型：手足の長い美男子。顔貌：非典型的。中背（靴を履いて1メートル64センチ）、痩せ型だが力強く、筋肉組織が発達している。
栄養状態は良好で、ビタミン欠乏症の兆候はない。
身体的奇形や身体発育の異常はない。
体毛は、性別に関係なく正常な外観と分布である。結膜の粘膜はわずかに変色している。歯は良好な保存状態。表在神経節は不鮮明。
皮膚科的検査：
以下のような変化が認められる。
(1)顎の両側に2個の小さな高色素斑が観察されたが、大きさは小さく、形は多少丸く、そのうちの1個はブラジルの10セント硬貨の直径で、もう1個は少し大きく、より不規則に見える。
これらの部分の皮膚は、最近更新されたかのように、あるいは多少萎縮したように滑らかで薄く見える。
この2つの痕の性質と年数について評価できる要素はない。
少なくとも1ヵ月、長くて12ヵ月は経過している、皮下出血を伴う表層病変の瘢痕であるとしか言いようがない。
これらの痕は永久的なものではないようで、おそらく数ヵ月後には消えるだろう。他に類似のパッチやマークは認められなかった。
(2) 手の甲、前腕、脚に最近（長くて数ヶ月）できた皮膚病変の瘢痕がいくつかある。
すべて同じ外観で、小さな瘢痕化した腫れ物か傷のようであり、周囲には落屑の領域があり、比較的最近のものであることを示している。
まだ治癒していないものが両腕に2つずつあり、その外観は赤みがかった小さな結節または塊で、周囲の皮膚より硬く突出しており、押すと痛みがあり、中央に小さな開口部があり、黄色い漿液を吐き出している。
これらの傷の周囲の皮膚は変化して炎症を起こし、患者の爪で引っ掻いた跡があることから、病変が痒みを持っていることがわかる。
これらの皮膚病変や瘢痕の中で最も興味深いのは、すべての病変の周囲に紫色の高色素性領域が存在することで、これはわれわれには全く知られていない特徴である。
この領域が何か特別な意味を持つかどうかはわからない。
皮膚学は専門外なので、これを正しく解釈することはできない。
そのため、写真に撮られた変化を説明するだけにとどめている。
神経系の検査：
時間的、空間的に良好な方向性を持っている。
正常範囲内の感覚と情緒。自発的注意、刺激的注意ともに正常。
知覚、思考連想、推理力のテストでは、精神機構は明らかに正常である。
長期記憶と短期記憶は良好。
視覚的記憶に優れ、口頭で説明した内容を図面やスケッチで再現する能力がある。
精神機能の動揺を示す兆候や間接的な証拠は全くない。
注：これらの結果は正確ではあるが、可能であれば専門医による、より専門的な精神医学的検査を受ける必要がある。
運動、反射、表面感受性の検査：異常なし。その他の臓器・器官の検査：異常なし。
署名 オラボ・フォンデス医学博士
- 1958年2月22日、リオデジャネイロ。
追記
ここに、オラヴォ・T・フォンテス博士が1968年5月9日に亡くなったことを、深くお詫びして記録する。
＠Kz．UFO現象調査会