8 Pioneering Victorian Scientists Who Explored the Mystery of Ghosts

In the 1800s, the fascination with ghosts soared, and séances became immensely popular. The trend skyrocketed when the renowned Fox sisters from Hydesville, New York, claimed in 1848 that they could communicate with spirits through table rapping. This sparked a wave of interest, with more mediums stepping forward to display ectoplasm, convey messages from the deceased, and even levitate objects mysteriously.

The idea of a spiritual realm sparked the rise of spiritualism, captivating both the United States and the United Kingdom during the mid- to late-19th century. This movement caught the attention of intellectuals, some of whom delved into psychical research, while others, ever the skeptics, aimed to debunk the sensational tales. Here are eight scientists from the 19th century who investigated ghosts.

1. Michael Faraday

In the 1850s, table-turning emerged as a popular method for attempting to communicate with spirits. The simple table became the favored medium for such sessions. Scientist Michael Faraday, renowned for his groundbreaking work on electrolysis and electromagnetic induction, became intrigued by the scientific explanation of table-turning in 1853, eager to determine whether the phenomenon could be attributed to electrical or magnetic forces.

After conducting experiments to observe participants' muscle movements during a séance, Faraday shared his findings in the Times on June 30, 1853. He concluded that table-turning wasn’t a spiritual event, but rather a physical one—participants were unknowingly causing the table to move. Though he did not fully understand the subconscious force behind it, Faraday had inadvertently discovered the ideomotor effect.

2. William Benjamin Carpenter

Physiologist William Carpenter proposed that the ideomotor effect could explain how unconscious physical actions might account for the perceived movement of spiritualist tools like dowsing rods, pendulums, and Ouija boards. (He coined the term ideomotor in a 1852 paper.) Carpenter suggested that instead of Ouija boards enabling spirits to communicate with the living, the messages “received” were actually the result of subconscious movements by the participants. His theory became influential in psychical research as it provided a rational, scientific explanation for various supernatural phenomena.

3. Alfred Russel Wallace

Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, separate from Charles Darwin. The two exchanged letters on the topic before Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, taking the lead. Wallace never received the recognition that Darwin did, and his significant contributions to science were overshadowed by what many contemporaries viewed as his controversial fascination with spiritualism.

Wallace advanced the theory of evolution by proposing that it suggested the existence of a supernatural realm. He argued that while animals evolved through natural selection, humans must be distinct due to their unique abilities—such as speaking, making music, and performing complex mathematics. Despite facing mockery, Wallace remained a passionate advocate for spiritualist inquiry. He wrote numerous articles defending the belief in the continued existence of the human spirit after death and championed the authenticity of spirit photographs.

4. Pierre and Marie Curie

Nobel Prize-winning physicists Pierre and Marie Curie earned fame for their discoveries of the radioactive elements radium and polonium. Their research into these unseen forces of nature sparked their curiosity in other unexplained phenomena. In 1905, they, along with some colleagues, participated in several séances with the renowned spiritual medium Eusapia Palladino. During these sessions, the medium produced numerous strange occurrences, such as eerie sounds, levitating tables, and flying objects. The group of investigators struggled to dismiss these events, and Pierre, in particular, felt certain that “the phenomena we observed seemed inexplicable as mere trickery.”

Marie did not openly support spiritualism, but after Pierre tragically passed away in a carriage accident at the age of 46, she began writing to him in her diary. Her unsent letters suggest that, on some level, she believed in the possibility of communicating with loved ones who had passed into the afterlife.

5. William James

William James, the brother of novelist Henry and writer Alice James, is credited with establishing the foundations of American psychology. He was also a founding member of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1885. The ASPR was an effort to bring scientific rigor to the study of the paranormal, including telepathy, mediumship, and ghosts. James wrote eagerly to his cousin Kitty Prince, saying that “ghosts, second sight, spiritualism, & all sorts of hobgoblins are going to be ‘investigated’ by the most high-toned & ‘cultured’ members of the community.”

James acknowledged that many mediums were fraudulent but refused to discard the entire field based on this. He put his trust in one medium in particular, Leona Piper of Boston, after she seemed to deliver a message from his recently deceased infant son.

6. John Ferriar

In the early 19th century, physician and public health reformer John Ferriar sought to determine whether ghosts were truly supernatural or if they had a more mundane explanation. He published his findings in 1813 under the title “An Essay Towards a Theory of Apparitions.”

He wrote, “The forms of the dead, or absent persons, have been seen, and their voices heard, by witnesses whose testimony is entitled to belief.” Ferriar contemplated how rational individuals could perceive ghosts, and concluded that apparitions were likely the result of “waking dreams composed of the shreds and patches of past sensations.” He suggested that these visions could be the product of highly stimulated minds projecting mental images, casting ghosts as psychological phenomena rather than supernatural occurrences.

7. Eleanor Sidgwick

Eleanor “Nora” Sidgwick was a mathematician, suffragist, and the principal of Newnham College at the University of Cambridge. She became a central figure in the Society for Psychical Research and eventually served as its president. Much like the American Society for Psychical Research co-founded by William James, the SPR was one of the leading organizations investigating supernatural occurrences. It attracted members from diverse fields, including renowned individuals such as Arthur Conan Doyle, chemist William Crookes, and physicist Oliver Lodge.

Sidgwick devoted significant effort to research for the SPR, exploring topics like telepathy, mediumship, and levitation. While she remained largely skeptical, she did acknowledge telepathy as a genuine but infrequent phenomenon. In 1891, Alfred Russel Wallace, another SPR member, proposed that the society investigate spirit photography due to his belief in the authenticity of many portraits that supposedly depicted ghosts. Sidgwick took on the challenge and published a paper titled “On Spirit Photographs,” which effectively exposed the methods used to create the ghostly images.

8. William Fletcher Barrett

William F. Barrett was a distinguished physicist and Fellow of the Royal Society, though he is most remembered today for his contributions to paranormal research. Barrett played a pivotal role in the development of psychical research, co-founding both the Society for Psychical Research in the UK and the American Society for Psychical Research.

Barrett's primary interest lay in spiritualism, poltergeists, and deathbed visions of the deceased, as he believed these phenomena might point to the possibility of life after death. He theorized that measurable phenomena such as sound waves and radiation could offer insight into how spirits might endure. However, Barrett's open-minded stance put him at odds with many of his fellow scientists and SPR members, who were more skeptical and focused on maintaining scientific objectivity. After facing criticism for overlooking simple tricks employed by certain mediums, Barrett shifted his focus away from ghost investigations.