A TEST FOR MEDIUMS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17118, 13 April 1921, Page 10

A TEST FOR MEDIUMS.

,-- ♦— —— . : EMOTIONS REVEALED BY THE GALVANOMETER. Professor A. IX Waller, in a recent lecture at the Royal'lnstitution, proved that an electrical apparatus can T»roai emotional states, and Suggested the jfciisibility of a test for spiritualistic awdiums. " •'■';■■■!■■ . , He began by showing simple reactions to stimulation in what ho described as a normal person'. The patient art in an arm-chair ,with moistened pad* * pressed against the palm und the back of his hand, each pad being wired up to an electrieal apparatus on the table. Another electric circuit was intercoptod by a galvanometer, a delicately-balanocd mirror -which could reflect a anpt of light on a long.scale placed-in view pf the audience,.and by "bridging" the two circuits any change in the electrical resistance of tho patient's band (the currenv remaining constant), was revealed by movement of tne spot of light . Oii the mirror. ' "Now." said the professor, "the emo. tionalsnock of a slight pain, or even the apprehension of it. lowers tho electrical resistance on tho palms of Hie hand or the soles of the feet of a normal human being, with tho result that tho spot of light, after a lag of a second or two, moves to tho loft. I am now §oing to prick the bond of the patient. - ' aying this, he moved towards tho pa-' tient with a pin, and tho spot of light at once moved towards the loft. A'. little later Dr. Waller gave an actual pin prick; the response was definite, bnt not so great as that evoked by tho apprehension of it. "But suppose," said Dhe professor, striking a match, "I try the effect of slightly burning the hand?" Before ho had reached tli« arm-chair tho spot of light had jumpotl off tlhe scale. _ ' , A similar pair of electrodes wero then clamped to the forearm of the patient, and it was shown that in each case the palm responded, but not the forearm. - In the great majority of human being* these responses oro limited to the palm* of tlho hands and the soles of tho feet. In certain shell-shock cases no respoiue at all is given. • * Professor Waller, had discovered by accident, however, that some people, of whom spiritualistic mediums aro a tJJH show a more extended reaction, therf* sponse extending from the palm akinthe forearm, and even up to the shout der. He threw on the screen a numba of photographic records of experiment' ho had made, and showed the markv difference between normal types and* nb> normal, or at least moro nncomutoi types. Dr. Waller, in conclusion, wiid ih\i> he was not yet prepared with any explanatory theory and was only in the early stages of his investigations. H" bad satisfied himself, however, that m almost every cose the reactions wen? not under tho control of the will. The responses wero made to disagreeable auditory as well as to tactile stimnfction, and might serve as a means of detecting pretended deafness and other forms of malingering. It was posaiwe, also, that they might come to serve as a means of distinguishing between genuine and pretended spiritualistic mediums. .