We may conjecture that they will probably react in much the same way as they did to the Phantasms of the Living, namely, by dismissing the work as a collection of spontaneous cases which are investigated after they occur and hence are prone to well-known weaknesses of testimony. Probably a more serious problem to address is the strong cultural differences among the cases. The reported incidence of birthmarks or birth defects varies greatly between cultures, and these differences may be an expression of popular beliefs. It seems that in the cultures from which these cases are drawn, popular beliefs encourage associations between unusual birthmarks and persons who died from wounds or had unusual scars or malformations. These weaknesses are discussed by Stevenson.
Beliefs certainly influence expectations and ways of interpreting phenomena.
In some cultures dreams are also frequently interpreted as a foreboding of the identity of the personality of a baby to be born. This belief poses a problem and a potential pitfall for the investigator, especially if he or she comes to the scene years after a case has become established in the extended family or the neighborhood of the subject. Stevenson's massive and detailed records of cases, which he categorizes and analyzes at length in various ways, should open up a new era of debate about how or if physical attributes at birth can be linked to persons who have died. It has gradually become accepted that our psychological state can influence our health. Stevenson's birthmark work is bound to be challenged, for it is serious work of great consequence.