Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTORY PAGE
1

Position of the subject—Founding of the Society for Psychical Research—Definition of telepathy—General difficulties of the inquiry—Special sources of error—Fraud—HyperÆsthesia—Muscle-reading—Thought-forms and number-habit.

CHAPTER II.

EXPERIMENTAL TRANSFERENCE OF SIMPLE SENSATIONS IN THE NORMAL STATE 18

Transference of Tastes—Of pain, by Mr. M. Guthrie and others—Of sounds—Of ideas not definitely classed, by Professor Richet, the American Society for Psychical Research, Dr. Ochorowicz—Transference of visual images, by Dr. Blair Thaw, Mr. Guthrie, Professor Oliver Lodge, Herr Max Dessoir, Herr Schmoll, Dr. von Schrenck-Notzing, and others.

CHAPTER III.

EXPERIMENTAL TRANSFERENCE OF SIMPLE SENSATIONS WITH HYPNOTISED PERCIPIENTS 58

Transference of tastes, by Dr. Azam—Of pain, by Edmund Gurney—Of visual images, by Dr. LiÉbeault, Professor and Mrs. Henry Sidgwick, Dr. Gibotteau, Dr. Blair Thaw.

CHAPTER IV.

EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF MOVEMENTS AND OTHER EFFECTS 82

Inhibition of action by silent willing, by Edmund Gurney, Professor Barrett, and others—Origination of action by silent willing, by Dr. Blair Thaw, M. J. H. P., and others—Planchette-writing, by Rev. P. H. Newnham, Mr. R. H. Buttemer—Table-tilting, by the Author, by Professor Richet—Production of local anÆsthesia, by Edmund Gurney, Mrs. H. Sidgwick.

CHAPTER V.

EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF TELEPATHIC EFFECTS AT A DISTANCE 105

Induction of sleep, by Dr. Gibert and Professor Janet, Professor Richet, Dr. Dufay—Of hysteria and other effects, by Dr. Tolosa-Latour, M. J. H. P.—Transference of ideas of sound, by Miss X., M. J. Ch. Roux—Of visual images, by Miss Campbell, M. LÉon Hennique, Mr. Kirk, Dr. Gibotteau.

CHAPTER VI.

GENERAL CRITICISM OF THE EVIDENCE FOR SPONTANEOUS THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE 143

On chance coincidence—Misrepresentation—Errors of observation—Errors of inference—Errors of narration—Errors of memory—"Pseudo-presentiment"—Precautions against error—"Where are the letters?"—The spontaneous cases as a true natural group.

CHAPTER VII.

TRANSFERENCE OF IDEAS AND EMOTIONS 161

Transference of pain, Mr. Arthur Severn—Of smell, Miss X.—Of ideas, Miss X., Mrs. Barber—Of visual images, Mr. Haynes, Professor Richet, Dr. DuprÉ—Of emotion, Mr. F. H. Krebs, Dr. N., Miss Y.—Of motor impulses, Archdeacon Bruce, Professor Venturi.

CHAPTER VIII.

COINCIDENT DREAMS 185

Discussion of the evidence for telepathy derivable from dreams—Chance-coincidence—Simultaneous dreams, the Misses Bidder—Transference of sensation in dreams, Professor Royce, Mrs. Harrison—Dreams conveying news of death, etc., Mr. J. T., Mr. R. V. Boyle, Captain Campbell, Mr. E. W. Hamilton, Mr. Edward A. Goodall—Clairvoyant dream, Mrs. E. J.

CHAPTER IX.

ON HALLUCINATION IN GENERAL 207

Common misconceptions—Hypnotic hallucinations, experiments by MM. Binet and FÉrÉ, Mr. Myers—Point de repÈre—Post-hypnotic hallucinations, Professor LiÉgeois, Edmund Gurney—Spontaneous hallucinations, Professor Sidgwick's census—Table showing classification of spontaneous hallucinations—Origin of hallucinations, sometimes telepathic—Proof of this, calculation of chance-coincidence, allowance for defects of memory—Conclusion.

CHAPTER X.

INDUCED TELEPATHIC HALLUCINATIONS 226

Possible misconceptions—Accounts of experiments, by Rev. Clarence Godfrey, Herr Wesermann, Mr. H. P. Sparks, and A. H. W. Cleave, Mrs B——, Dr. von Schrenck-Notzing, Dr. Wiltse, Mr. Kirk.

CHAPTER XI.

SPONTANEOUS TELEPATHIC HALLUCINATIONS 247

Auditory hallucinations, Miss Clark, Mr. William Tudor—Visual hallucinations—Incompletely developed, Countess Eugenie Kapnist, Miss L. Caldecott, Dr. Carat—Completely developed, Miss Berta Hurly, Mrs. McAlpine, Miss Mabel Gore Booth—Hallucinations affecting two senses, Rev. Matthew Frost, M. A——.

CHAPTER XII.

COLLECTIVE HALLUCINATIONS 268

Illusions, epidemic hallucinations, illusions of memory—Explanations of collective hallucination—Auditory hallucinations, Mr. C. H. Cary, Miss Newbold—Visual hallucinations, Mrs. Greiffenberg, Mrs. Milman and Miss Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. C——, Mr. Falkinburg, Dr. W. O. S., Rev. C. H. Jupp—Collective hallucinations with percipients apart, Sister Martha and Madame Houdaille, Sir Lawrence Jones and Mr. Herbert Jones.

CHAPTER XIII.

SOME LESS COMMON TYPES OF TELEPATHIC HALLUCINATION 297

Reciprocal cases, Rev. C. L. Evans and Miss —— —A misinterpreted message, Miss C. L. Hawkins-Dempster—Heteroplastic hallucination, Mrs. G——, Frances Reddell, Mr. John Husbands, Mr. J—— —"Haunted houses," Mrs. Knott and others, Surgeon-Major W. and others.

CHAPTER XIV.

ON CLAIRVOYANCE IN TRANCE 326

Definition of clairvoyance—Accounts of phenomena observed with Mrs. Piper, by Professor Lodge, Professor W. James, and others—Accounts of experiments by Mr. A. W. Dobbie, Dr. Wiltse, Mr. W. Boyd, Dr. F——, Dr. Backman.

CHAPTER XV.

ON CLAIRVOYANCE IN THE NORMAL STATE 351

Observations of M. Keulemans—Crystal-visions, Miss X., Dr. Backman, Miss A. and Sir Joseph Barnby—Spontaneous clairvoyance, Mrs. Paquet, Mr. F. A. Marks, Mrs. L. Z.—Clairvoyance in dream, Mrs. Freese—Clairvoyant perceptivity in an experiment, Dr. Gibotteau.

CHAPTER XVI.

THEORIES AND CONCLUSIONS 371

ResumÉ, the proof apparent—The proof presumptive—The alleged influence of magnets and metals—The alleged marvels of spiritualism—Usage of the word telepathy—On various theories of telepathy—Difficulties of a physical explanation—Value of theory as a guide to investigation—Is telepathy a rudimentary or a vestigial faculty?—Our ignorance stands in the way of a conclusive answer—Imperative need for more facts.

Clyx.com