Evening star., 1923-11-04
BY DIR. OsKAR FISCHER,
Professor of Psychiatry and Neurol-
Ogy, German University of Prague.

Ogy, German University OF Prague.
I have worked with Rafael Scher-
mann for about two years, conduct
ing more than 200. experiments and
tests. When first met Schermann
L was a skeptic. I wanted to meet
him partly because of the fun hoped
to get out of 1t. partly because
was bent on unmasking a fraud
After a few hours investigation
changed my mind. I realized that
not only was Schermann absolutely
genuine. but also that 1 was con-
fronted with a psychic phenomenon
unmatched and unheard of, with one
that came we'll within the accepted
meaning of the term miraculous This
realization resulted in two years. re-
search of most extraordinarily in
tsresting nature.
As scientist I cannot, of course
admit that there Is anything in
pernatural in the ordinary sense of
the word. But there can be no doubt
that his performance transcends the
natural" again in the accepted sense
PLANTATION. This. for a scientist. can
only mean that the range of the nat
ural' and rational" must be ex-
tended. / do not hesitate to say that
the case OF Sche rmann necessitates a
radical revision of what is considered
scientifically possible in the field of
psychic phenomena.
The first question I put to myself
was this: How far Is Schermann's
performanee based on sensual per-
ception? My tests converged in the
answer that his performance involves
praeter- sensual, or ultra-sensual, per-
ception.
Results Remarkable.
One shows Schermann a piece of
paper with a few lines written on 1t.
it makes no difference. schermann
does not examine it as the ordinary
Eraphologist would - he merely
glances' at it for one or two seconds.
On the strength Of this glance he
will tell you what the writer looks
like, what diseases he had as child
what color his wife's hair is and how
many children he has. He can tell
you where, under what condition the
lines were written. Once he said
was written by a chronic drunkard
in prison." So it was. Again, by Way
of experiment, l wrote a few lines
while sitting in the bathtub. Scher-
mann said:
This was written In a bathtub."
These things are not in the hand
writing. This is not graphology. or
the art of Interpreting handwriting.
once he said. looking at a few ir-
relevant lines from letter:
This was written by a man who
achieved social and professional sue
cess by exploiting the beauty of his
wife"
1t was true. But the handwriting
could not possibly show it,
Graphology in the ordinary sense
can tel US, on the basis of examining
script, whether the writer Is a strong
willed or weak man. whether a big,
heavy man or small, slim person.
whether he Is vain or careless of ap-
pearances-a man accustomed to sue
cess or one living In the shadow Of
failure-it moves in the framework of
contrasting generaities like these,
approximating the specific In a hap
hazard yet cautious way.
schermann. by glancing at a script.
cannot only give a specific charac-
terization of the writer-he can imi-
tate his characteristic gesture-how
he eats, twirls his moustache, wipes
his brow. blows his nose, walks. He
ran diagnose diseases the very names
of which he does not understand. On
the whole, he frequently makes ac-
curate statements the full purport of
which is not clear to him. for he Is
not an educated man.
The next question that presented
itself to me was this: Is Schermann's
gift a particularly acute form Of te-
Iepathy? Now telepathy, in the ac-
cepted sense. Involves the transfer
ence, without sensual communication,
of known contents from one person to
another The emphasis Is on tho
known. But Schermann will look at
a script and say:
Beyond Telepathy.
'This was written by g. lady who
has a very bad scar on her shoulder
and always wears furs to conceal It,"
Now when I showed him the script
I did not know anything about this
I made inquiries afterward and found
that what Schermann had said was
true. In other words, his perform
ance In this case-and there are many
similar ones-is outside the domain OF
telepathy. He cou d not read thoughts,
which I did not think.
Or, Schermann will say, glancing at
a script: This man will commit sui
cide." Az a matter Of fact, the man
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