Inspiritualism,ectoplasm, also known as simplyecto, is a substance orspiritual energy "exteriorized" by physicalmediums. It was coined in 1894 by psychical researcherCharles Richet.[1] Although the term is widespread in popular culture,[2] there is no scientific evidence that ectoplasm exists[3][4][5][6] and many purported examples were exposed ashoaxes fashioned fromcheesecloth, gauze or other natural substances.[7][8]
The term comes from theAncient Greek words ἐκτόςektos, "outside" and πλάσμαplasma, "anything formed".
InSpiritualism, ectoplasm is said to be formed byphysical mediums when in a trance state. This material is excreted as a gauze-like substance from orifices on the medium's body and spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in the physical and real universe. Some accounts claim that ectoplasm begins clear and almost invisible, but darkens and becomes visible as thepsychic energy becomes stronger. Still other accounts state that in extreme cases ectoplasm will develop a strong odor. According to some mediums, the ectoplasm cannot occur in light conditions as the ectoplasmic substance would disintegrate.[9]
The psychical researcherGustav Geley defined ectoplasm as being "very variable in appearance, being sometimes vaporous, sometimes a plastic paste, sometimes a bundle of fine threads, or a membrane with swellings or fringes, or a fine fabric-like tissue".[10]Arthur Conan Doyle described ectoplasm as "a viscous, gelatinous substance which appeared to differ from every known form of matter in that it could solidify and be used for material purposes".[11]
The physical existence of ectoplasm has not been scientifically demonstrated, and tested samples purported to be ectoplasm have been found to be various non-paranormal substances.[4][12] Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, thephotographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.[13]
The idea of ectoplasm was merged into the notion of an "ectenic force" by some early psychical researchers who were seeking a physical explanation for reports ofpsychokinesis in sessions.[14] Its existence was initially hypothesized by CountAgenor de Gasparin (1810–1871), to explain the phenomena oftable turning and tapping during séances. Ectenic force was named by de Gasparin's colleague M. Thury, a professor of natural history at the Academy of Geneva. Between them, de Gasparin and Thury conducted a number of experiments in ectenic force, and claimed some success. Their work was not independently verified.[15][16]
Other psychical researchers who studied mediumship speculated that within the human body an unidentifiedfluid termed the "psychode", "psychic force" or "ecteneic force" existed and was capable of being released to influence matter.[17][18] This view was held byCamille Flammarion[19] andWilliam Crookes; however, a later psychical researcherHereward Carrington pointed out that the fluid was hypothetical and has never been discovered.[20]
The psychical investigator W. J. Crawford (1881–1920) had claimed that a fluid substance was responsible forlevitation of objects after witnessing the mediumKathleen Goligher. Crawford, after witnessing a number of her séances, claimed to have obtained flashlightphotographs of the substance; he later described the substance as "plasma". He claimed the substance is not visible to the naked eye but can be felt by the body.[21]
The physicist and psychical researcherEdmund Edward Fournier d'Albe later investigated the medium Kathleen Goligher at many sittings and arrived at the opposite conclusions to Crawford; according to D'Albe, noparanormal phenomena such as levitation had occurred with Goligher and stated he had found evidence of fraud. D'Albe claimed the substance in the photographs of Crawford was ordinarymuslin.[22][23] During a séance D'Albe had observed white muslin between Goligher's feet.[24]
Ectoplasm on many occasions has been proven to be fraudulent. Many mediums had used methods of swallowing and regurgitating cheesecloth, textile products smoothed withpotato starch and in other cases the ectoplasm was made from paper, cloth andegg white orbutter muslin.[25][26][27][28]
TheSociety for Psychical Research investigations intomediumship exposed many fraudulent mediums which contributed to the decline of interest in physical mediumship.[29] In 1907,Hereward Carrington exposed the tricks of fraudulent mediums such as those used in slate-writing,table-turning, trumpet mediumship, materializations, sealed-letter reading andspirit photography.[30]
In the early 20th century the psychical researcherAlbert von Schrenck-Notzing investigated mediumEva Carrière and claimed her ectoplasm "materializations" were not from spirits but the result of "ideoplasty" in which the medium could form images onto ectoplasm from her mind.[31] Schrenck-Notzing published the bookPhenomena of Materialisation (1923) which included photographs of the ectoplasm. Critics pointed out the photographs of the ectoplasm revealed marks of magazine cut-outs, pins and a piece of string.[32] Schrenck-Notzing admitted that on several occasions Carrière deceptively smuggled pins into the séance room.[32] MagicianCarlos María de Heredia replicated Carrière's ectoplasm using a comb, gauze and a handkerchief.[32]
Donald West wrote that the ectoplasm of Carrière was fake and was made of cut-out paper faces fromnewspapers andmagazines on which fold marks could sometimes be seen from the photographs. A photograph of Carrière taken from the back of the ectoplasm face revealed it to be made from a magazine cut out with the letters "Le Miro". The two-dimensional face had been clipped from the French magazine Le Miroir.[33] Back issues of the magazine also matched some of Carrière's ectoplasm faces.[34] Cut out faces that she used includedWoodrow Wilson,King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, French presidentRaymond Poincaré and the actress Mona Delza.[35]
After Schrenck-Notzing discovered Carrière had taken her ectoplasm faces from the magazine he defended her by claiming she had read the magazine but her memory had recalled the images and they had materialized into the ectoplasm.[31] Because of this Schrenck-Notzing was described as credulous.[32]Joseph McCabe wrote "In Germany and Austria, Baron von Schrenck-Notzing is the laughing-stock of his medical colleagues."[36]
Danish mediumEiner Nielsen was investigated by a committee from theKristiania University in Norway in 1922 and it was discovered in a séance that his ectoplasm was fake.[37] He was also caught hiding ectoplasm in hisrectum.[38]Mina Crandon was a famous medium known for producing ectoplasm during her séance sittings. She produced a small ectoplasmic hand from her stomach which waved about in the darkness. Her career ended, however, when biologists examined the hand and found it to be made of a piece of carved animal liver.[39]Walter Franklin Prince described the Crandon case as "the most ingenious, persistent, and fantastic complex of fraud in the history of psychic research".[40]
Psychical researchersEric Dingwall andHarry Price republished an anonymous work by a former medium, entitledRevelations of a Spirit Medium (1922), which exposed the tricks of mediumship and the fraudulent methods of producing "spirit hands".[41] Originally all the copies of the book were bought up by spiritualists and destroyed.[42] On the subject of ectoplasm and fraud, John Ryan Haule wrote:
Because ectoplasm was believed susceptible to destruction by light, the possibility that ectoplasm might appear became a reason for making sure that Victorian séances took place in near darkness. Poor lighting conditions also became an opportunity for fraud, particularly as faux ectoplasm was easy to make with a mixture of soap, gelatin and egg white, or perhaps merely well-placed muslin.[43]
Price exposed mediumHelen Duncan's fraudulent techniques by proving, through analysis of a sample of ectoplasm produced by Duncan, that it was cheesecloth that she had swallowed and regurgitated.[44] Duncan had also used dolls' heads and masks as ectoplasm.[45] Mediums would also cut pictures from magazines and stick them to the cheesecloth to pretend they were spirits of the dead.[46] Another researcher,C. D. Broad, wrote that ectoplasm in many cases had proven to be composed of home material such as butter-muslin, and that there was no solid evidence that it had anything to do with spirits.[47]
Photographs taken byThomas Glendenning Hamilton of ectoplasm reveal it to be made of tissue paper and magazine cut-outs of people. The famous photograph taken by Hamilton of medium Mary Ann Marshall (1880–1963) depictstissue paper with a cut out ofArthur Conan Doyle's head from a newspaper.Skeptics have suspected that Hamilton may have been behind thehoax.[48] MediumsRita Goold andAlec Harris dressed up in their séances as ectoplasm spirits and were exposed as frauds.[49] The exposures of fraudulent ectoplasm in séances caused a rapid decline in physical mediumship.[50]
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In the 1937 Cary Grant movie Topper, ectoplasm is the means whereby the ghosts George and Marian Kirby make themselves visible.
In the 1941 playBlithe Spirit, and subsequent movies, ectoplasm is referenced by Madame Arcati in Act 1, scene 2.
Since its release in 1984, the filmGhostbusters has popularized in contemporary fiction the idea of associating ghosts with slimy, often green, ectoplasm.
In the 1996 children's novel written by Eva Ibbotson calledDial-a-Ghost, ghosts are made up of ectoplasm, which is a state of matter/material.
One strange phenomena of spiritualism, once popular, was the production of ectoplasm. This was a white substance that appeared to ooze from various openings of the medium's body. It was usually made of gauze, chiffon, or cheesecloth, often soaked or treated with various substances.
