Why would I attempt a project about ectoplasm?




While reading a marvelous book by Mary Roach (Spook – see the bibliography for details), I discovered that there has actually been at least one book published in all seriousness about the mechanical functions of the physical manifestations of ectoplasm. Granted, it was published a century ago, but it was written by a trained engineer and purported to show in diagrams and photographs all the structures formed by ectoplasm to effect certain physical events within a séance room.




Fine, you say, but what the heck is the point of this project?




Glad you asked. I have a personal delight in charlatanry and spooky stuff. (I could offer exhaustive evidence of my interests, but I think that would just be going off on too much of a tangent.) Suffice to say that when I read that a professional engineer and university lecturer was convinced of the physics of a substance most people believe to be a hoax, I was fascinated. This project was a delightful opportunity to do some out-of-class reading without feeling too guilty about wasted time.




My basic purpose here is to present the speculation and claims of people who have investigated séance room phenomena in all seriousness, then to offer some alternative explanations based on my understanding of physics, the paranormal, and basic techniques of trickery. I hope you enjoy it!

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