If we define ‘Thomas prejudice' as the habit of trusting only your own sensory capacities, prof. Filippo Bottazzi was imbued by it when rumors of the wondrous psychokinetic (PK) performances of Eusapia Palladino reached his ear at the turn of last century. Aiming to find out himself, he convinced distinguished professors of the Royal University of Naples to join him in a series of sessions held with Eusapia at the Institute of Physiology he directed. The outstanding data obtained in eight (...) such sessions was masterfully described in a book Bottazzi published one century ago (1909). The main interest of these observations regards the instrumental recording of PK movements Eusapia learned to perform. Most notably, she succeded in simultaneously pressing two electric keys, one with the natural arm, the other with her anomalous limb. These and related observations convinced Bottazzi that PK events required Eusapia to extend and operate an anomalous limb endowed with sensory and motor features comparable to those of her natural arms. Such limb was controlled by the same brain/mind that modulated her natural arms. (shrink)

Books by William J. Crawford: The Reality of Psychic Phenomena: Raps, Levitations, Etc. Hints and Observations for Those Investigating the Phenomena of Spiritualism Experiments in Psychical Science: Levitation, Contact, and the Direct Voice The Psychic Structures at the Goligher Circle In 1914, Dr. William J. Crawford, a lecturer in mechanical engineering at Queen's University of Belfast, Ireland, began investigating the mediumship of 16-year-old Kathleen Goligher. The phenomena surrounding the young girl included communicating raps, automatic writing, trance voice, floating objects, and (...) table levitations. In all, Crawford had 87 sittings over some two-and-a-half years with the Goligher Circle. His first, third, and fourth books, as listed above, deal solely with the Goligher phenomena, while the second-listed book is very general and includes observations with other mediums. Born in New Zealand, Crawford (1881-1920) received his D.Sc. from the University of Glasgow and authored several books in his primary field, including Elementary Graphic Statics and Calculations on the Entropy-Temperature Chart, before undertaking his research of psychic phenomena. (shrink)