732 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



itualisra are rich but empirical collections of facts, in which there is 

 a large amount of material, hut very little that can be called philoso- 

 phy or satisfactory science. 



Anthropology is established by investigating the centre of man's 

 existence the seat of his conscious life the brain, in which the spir- 

 itual comes into contact with the physical, and is subject to analogous 

 laws. In this theatre of their joint action both may be studied, and we 

 may find that philosophy for which the world has so long been looking 

 in vain, Avhich shall comprehend the entire scope of human existence. 



As one of these numerous psycho-physiological discoveries which 

 are receiving daily confirmation from pathology, from autopsies, and 

 from Dr. Ferrier's interesting experiments, I would very briefly allude 

 to psycJiometry, a few experiments in which, if rightly conducted, 

 would dissipate the entire fabric of physiological materialism. The 

 discovery of psychometry and the introduction of the word by myself, 

 thirty-four years ago, have made it quite familiar to liberal minds 

 throughout the United States, and to some extent abroad. 



The initial facts which I discovered in 1841, that all who have a 

 high development of sensibility are capable of feeling the influence of 

 any substance held in the hands, even to the extent of perceiving its 

 taste as well as its medicinal eflects, led to far more marvelous de- 

 velopments. The supposition of materialism has always been, that 

 when medicines aflfect the body from contact with the exterior, an 

 appreciable quantity of the substance must have been absorbed into 

 the circulation. Against this theory I guarded by placing the medi- 

 cines in an envelope of paper, which prevented contact with the cuticle, 

 and concealed the nature of the substance from the knowledge of the 

 subject of the experiment. In making such experiments I found that 

 from twenty-five to thirty per cent, of the persons tried could realize 

 distinct medicinal eflfects, corresponding to the nature of the medicine. 

 In one of my collegiate classes of medical students (in 1849, some of 

 whom have since occupied honorable public positions), the effects were 

 distinctly recognized by forty-three, whose statement w^as published at 

 the time. These effects would begin in the hand, ascend the arm to 

 the head, and rapidly diffvise over the whole body. 



If the materialist supposes that the substance passed through the 

 dry paper to the dry hand, through its unbroken cuticle and up the 

 arm, I would ask, How long would it take for twenty grains of tartar- 

 emetic or of quinine to be exhaled through the paper ? I am not aware 

 that such substances when dry are ever materially diminished in 

 weight by being kept in dry paper. 



Omitting other associated facts and philosophy for want of space, 

 I pass on to the consummation, that persons who realize with facility 

 these medical impressions can also realize psychic impressions of the 

 most subtle character, in such a manner as to dissipate all doubt of 

 the reality of this wonderful power. A manuscript from any source 



