Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-14

| d.. Duncan MaCdouEal Of Haverhill
oppressed surprise and annoyance when
asked concerning the tests, but since a
part Of tho story Mad got out he con-
scented to go somewhat into detail Dr.
/ Nacdougal believes neither IN Spiritual
ism nor mysterious phvchic phenomena,
/ except as they can be dealt with by
science, and he INTRODUCED his statement
with the declaration that his experiments
were made purely with the idea OF es-
| tahllshng scientific facts.
| During my practice among hospital pa
tents and in being present at the bedside
| Of many dying patients my curiosity was
aroused as to whether there might be soma
material change discoverablc by actual
tests which would throw a new licht
upor the mystery of the flight OF life"
he said
when a person dies the current be-
lief is that his spirit or soul continues to
live
My first thought was:-Has continued
consciousness and personal individuality
any existence? Can II exist in space as
nothing? 1t is known as a forcc--as a
personality real and actual. II Is .mpos-
sible not to think OFT as occupying space
1t must be a space occupying body with
that granted the next query was:
Has it weight? Was 1t grav!tatcd mat
ter or some other form Of unknown dcnni-
ton? Forthwith l began my experiments
-Four other physicians urder my drec-
lion made tho first test unon patient
dying with tuberculosis. This man was
one Of the ordinary type Of the usual
American temperament.
I'VE placed him. a few hours proceeding
death, upon n scale plat form. which had
constructed and which was accurately
balanced. Four hours later, with five doc
tors in attendance, ne died.
THE instant life ceased the opposite
scale pan fell with a suddenness that was
Observation-Disclosures Il something had been sud
denly lifted from the body. Immediately
all the usual deductions We're made for
physical loss Of weight, and It was dis
covered that there was still full ounce
OF weight unaccounted for.
"NIy fellow physicians were mystifed
and only half convinced. I myself had
grave doubts that our calculations were
correct.
AS result o, this doubt, submitted
another subject afflicted with the same
disease and nearing death, to the Same
experiment. The result WAS the same.
The instant the neaTt ccaScu W Oeut
there was tho sudden and almost un-
canny dimlni-llment in weight"
AS experimenters, each physician in
attendance made figures of his own con-
corning tho loss, and at n consultation.
these figures were shown.
THE question then arose as to what
the loss meant, II was a loss Of sub
stance which could DO obtained In known
figures which was also such a singular
appreciable loss as to place It beyond all
doubt that It might be due to clerical
error In calculation.
The two separate differences obtained
correspond, each being OF about an
ounce
The third subject was that OF a man
~ large physical build, with a pro-
nounccd sluggish temperament
when life ceased for n full minute
there appeared TO he no change in
wetght Then suddenly the same thing
happened that had occurred in the other
cases There was sudden diminish
,nent in weight. which was found to be
the same MS that Of tho preceding ex-
periments.
II believe that In this case that OF
phlegmatio man slow OF thought and &C.
ton, that soul remained suspended IN
the body after death. during the minute
that elapsed before It came to the con-
scdousness Of It's freedom. There Is no
other way Of accounting for 1t and 1t is
what might be expected to happen in a
man OF the subjects temperament