The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-20
CAN THIS BE so?
Is It Possible to Accurately Weigh
the Soul of Man?
CLAIMS IT WAS DONE

LIZ. or HaVerhlll, Mass.
Tells of Experiments. He Say,
Loss of Weight of Body Was Re
corded, and the Scales Showed al
Ounce Gone in One Case Right
After Death.
That the human soul has a defn-
lite weight, which can be determined
when it passes from the body is the
belief of DR.. Duncan Macdougali, q
reputable physician of Haverhill
Mass. He is the head Of a research
society which for six years has been
experimenting in this field. With
him he says. have been associated
four other physicians.
DR.. Macdougall's obejct al to
learn if the departure of the soul
from the body was attended by any
manifestation that could be record.
ed by any physical means. The chief
means to which resort was made was
the determination Of the weight OF
q body before and after death.
The method followed was TO place
a dying patient in bed upon n OF
theplatforms If a pair Of scales made
expressly for the experiments, anC
then to balance this weight by plac-
ing an equal weight in the opposite
platform. These scales were con.
~structed d~elicately enough to be sen.
sitive to a weight Of less than one
tenth of an ounce.
In every case after death the plat
form opposite the one in which Ia!
the subject Of the test fell suddenl!
so DR.. Macdougall says. The figures
on the dial index indicated the aim.
inishment of weight. Dr.. Macdou'
gall told of the results of his eXrer'
iments as follows:
-Four other physicians under my
direction made the first test upon /;
patient dying of tuberculosis. Thi:
man was n of the ordinary type o.
the usual American temperament
neither particularly high strung no:
OF marked phlegmatic disposition:
We placed him a few hours preceed'
ing death, upon a scale platform
which / had constructed and which
was accurately balanced. Four hou.!
later with FIVE doctors In ATTENDANCE,
he died.
1.-THE instant life ceased the oprcs'
tie scale pan fell with a ~suddenness
that was astonishing; as If some
thing had been suddenly lifted fron:
the body. Immediately all the usua.
deductions were made for physice
loss of weight, and it was discovered
that there was still a full ounce OF
weight u~naccounted for.
81 submitted another subject ar
ficted with the same disease L
nearing death to the same expe'l.
ment. He was a nan of much tie
same temperament as the proceeding
patient and of about the same phi:
Steal type. The same res III
happened at the passing Of his lie
The instant the heart ceased to i":;
there was a sudden and almost -
eanny diminishment, in weight.
"As experiments. zach physician iii
attendance made figures Of his o*n
concerning the loss, and, at a c"a-
~suItation, these figures were comphr'
ed, The unaccountable loss contin-
ued to be shown.
"But this was less remarkable
than what took place In the thlTc
case. the subject was that OF a man
of larger physical build, with a pro-
nounced sluggish temperament
when life ceased, as the body lay
intbed upon the scales, for a full MN
ute there appeared to be no change
In weight. he physicians waiting IN
the room looked into each others
faces silently, shaking their heais
In the conviction that our test h"d
failed. ...,o
"Then suddenly the same thing
hammered that had occurred IN tle
other cases. There was a sudden
diminution in the weight, which vas
Soon found to be the same as tha'
Of the preceding experiments.
81 believe that in this case ina.
os a phlegmatic man slow Of though,
end action. that the soul emalne
snsnended in the body after DEAN
during the minute that elapsed De
fore II came to the consciousness o
its freedom. here Is no otner wa!
~ accounting for it, and 1t Is VIVA
night be expected to happen IN
man of the subjects Temperament
"Three other cases were trlea, u
cluding that Of a woman ana II
each It was established that a "eiSn
~ from one-half to a full ounce &c
n.rted from the body at the monien