PSICOMETRIA The psicometria - "a telescope in the past" In the cold winter of the 1921 the members of the Institute of Metapsichica of Paris were met in order to put to the test one veggente. Someone had recapitato a letter, than, passing of hand in hand between the present ones it would have had to end in those of the medium that would have had to signal of the contents. When one of the members, writer Pascal Forthunny had tightened the envelope in the hands had exclaimed: "Difficult to invent something that not cares in some way nobody of we". After that, sluices the eyes, had said: "Ah,; I see a crime, a murder... ". To the end of the turn, the man who had recapitato the missiva had declared: "Getlteman, draft of one letter written from Henry Landru". These were a "Barbablù", at the moment in jail with the accusation to have eliminated the beauty of eleven women. The Forthunny skeptic inavvertitamente uncovered had equipped itself of a psychical ability that the students call psicometria, is worth to say the ability to simply reconstruct the "history" of an object holding it in hand. According to the student who invented this neologism - a doctor American who called Joseph Rodes Buchanan - draft of a dowry that we possess all, only that the greater part of we does not become account to have it to disposition. Buchanan - medicine university professor in the Kentucky - began to suspect of the existence sin from 1841. In that year it had known a preside of name Leonidas Polk, to which it had confessed it of being in a position to recognizing the brass to the tact - also in buio the more absolute - from the moment that in mouth salted it a particular taste. Buchanan, than already was interested of frenologia - that science that it expects to determine the character of a person estimating the aspect of the ace and the conformation of the skull - was strongly remained attracted from Polk and it was ripromesso to deepen of the acquaintance and the study, thinking it "a frenologico" subject a lot interesting. Then it had thought to experiment with the own students. Impacchetta you some champions of various metals in thick paper, had them subordinates to the appraisal of the boys, discovering with full satisfaction that many not faticavano at all to recognize brass, iron, lead and therefore via, simply applying to the hands on the containing packages the metals. The same one happened with substances as it knows them, sugar, pepper, vinegar. According to Buchanan the answer went tried in the presence in the polpastrelli of the hands of a "aura of nerves" that concurred to distinguish the various types of metals, in the same way in which that happens supporting to us over the tip of the language. The idea, moreover, seemed confirmed from the observation that when the subject operated with the sudate hands its sensitiva ability from there drew advantage, based on the principle that, a sudata skin leads and transmits much better than not one sand bank. But the hypothesis had begun to realize when one of its students more equips to you - a sure Charles Inman - not only succeeded to decipher that that was written in one letter sealed with lead, but to even outline the character of the sender. For Buchanan the thing was possible always thanks to the nervous aura that, who had written the letter, left on the writing. Inman, extraordinarily sensitive, succeeded to capture this thin print through its same aura and therefore to syntonize itself on that he seemed inaccessible. In order to make it, Inman short it succeeded well therefore because in possession of a sensitività outside from common, a po' as it happens in the dogs from hunting - whose fiuto it has been developed beyond normality. But once again, the theory had taken scricchiolare when, always Inman, demonstrated to succeed to obtain the same ones performances also with of the photographies - the dagherrotipi, as calls came then - accurately sluices in sealed envelopes. Also in front of this evidence, Buchanan had defended its theory: the photography had been in contact with the subject and with its aura, it was always this therefore that it acted as give through, priming the answer of the sensitivo psicometra. The university professor had to yield when he discovered that also the anonymous images drawn from newspapers carried out the same function. When an geologist of the University of Boston, professor the William Denton, had read the studies originates them on the psicometria - we remember that the word means "measure of the spirit" - lead from Buchanan, of it was remained fascinated and he had decided to experience also he. In house, Denton had an ideal subject, "strongly sensitive" the Anne sister, which demonstrated psicometriche dowries still more extraordinary than those than Inman, and also the moglie gave sign of remarkable abilities. The mrs. was not only able to describe the sender of a letter, but also to outline of the physical figure and the atmosphere in which she lived. From Denton she had completed a first step here ahead. If a sensitivo medium is in a position to capturing the impressions inglobate in a letter, why not to imagine that also a cliff can be impressed from that it happens round to them all, if account is only kept that its process of absorption could last years and years? Therefore, to leave from 1853, it began to test sensiti to you subjecting they geologic champions and archaeological, "discovering, with my great satisfaction, than without to have had some previous contact with the champions and without to never have them not even views, some subjects were able to describe of the history, as if this were last in front of they on a great screen, in one seen panoramic it completes". A day had given to Anne a piece of washes coming from vulcanica from the Hawaii islands and the girl to the moment had described "the fire ocean that exited from a precipice, provoking giganteschi bubbling and sketches". A lot meaningfully, the woman also had described the presence of some ships. Carrying out a careful search, Denton had come to know that just in the course of that eruption, happened in 1840, in the sea of Hawaii fleet was present one American. A fragment of bone inglobato in a limestone piece had instead provoked to the fascinating description of a preistorico animal, one ancient beach with of the dinosauri. A coccio of Indiana ceramics it had induced the vision of tribe of pellerossa. A meteoritica chip, the image of the infinite space, with stars described like the largest neighbors and. A coming from cliff piece from cascades of the Niagara had primed the vision of a torrent in flood; while a stalactite fragment had recalled one cove with pinnacoli of cliff. For sure being that the subjects of the experiments did not draw cues of fantasiosa inspiration seeing the champions on which they had to be expressed, Denton impacchettava them so as to to render them absolutely indecipherable. An other important observation consisted in the fact that when, even to also at a distance than months, it introduced to the observation a champion already tested, the answer was always the same one, it is worth to say coincided already with that one given time before, even if to voltle the description it was light various. In the course of one of the many experiments, Denton had shown to the moglie the fragment of one ticket of coming from mosaic from one roman villa belonged to Guide. The woman had centered endured the objective, describing the villa, but also rows of soldiers who seemed to be to the orders of the owner of the house, a man corpulento from the shining aspect, that the air of being had all a commander. To that Denton detection she had not been able to hide its disappointment, also because she hands on herself that Guide was small and tiny. The experiment, therefore, was not of all the successful one. Then, some time after, while Denton was writing its fundamental book on the psicometria, had come to know that the villa in issue was also belonged to Silla dictator, a personage who was suitable opportunely to the perfection to the description made some from the moglie. An other impressive reading had been that one primed from a coming from vulcanica cliff piece from the diggings of Pompei. Mrs. Denton did not have the minimal idea of that she dealt herself, and had not been able not to see the champion. Endured Sin from but had had the clean vision of a vulcanica eruption and in particular just of that one of the Vesuvio that had destroyed Pompei. Also Sherman, the son of Denton, had the same vision, enriched with many archaeological details - like, as an example, one ship with "a swan like polena" - then revealed historically acceptable. After many successes, Denton was eccitatissimo: Buchanan and it had uncovered one new human faculty, a species of "telescope in the past", that it could have concurred with the modern man to penetrate in the past being recreated the great scenes of the history. Because, being to its theory, all that that happens in the world from would be always conserved in a species of "cinegiornale" (obviously Denton could not use this word) projected to appeals to, every time that is desired. But, al.di.là.dell' undeniable certainty that the faculty of the psicometria was undoubtedly outside argument, Denton not rendered account of how much, in the same way, this faculty could also sviare and trick. Its third book dedicated to the argument, already cited “L' spirit of the cose”, published in 1888, it contains the description of "visions" of some planets that seem, to say little, eccentric. On Venere, as an example, giganteschi trees and fungi grow or the monstrous animals that the fantasy of Hieronymus Bosch could not have imagined. Mars perennially possesses a summery temperature (in truth instead seems that do not make very warm) and you are popolato from human beings with four fingers, blue eyes and yellow hats. Also on Giove beings from the blue eyes and long hats collected in trecce that they come down until the flanks, able fluctuating light in the air like of the balloons live. Evidently, Sherman, the son of Denton to which the greater part of these descriptions must, must have then developed that one that Jung calls "active imagination", not succeeding more to distinguish between that this imagination suggested and the images to it that they came to it from the authentic estrinsecazione of its psicometriche dowries. That that than more every other thing impresses in favorable way the modern reader who approaches the witnesses of Denton (the spirit of the things) and Buchanan (the mysteries of the psicometria, a po' too much optimistically perhaps sottotitolato Birth of one new was) is in their undeniable scientific cut, print that impressed also their contemporaries remarkablly. For they misfortune but, the historical moment in which they they experienced sulla psicometria coincided with that one della birth and del maximum fulgore dello spiritismo, diffusosi like a lightning bolt in America and Europe. Been born officially with the case of the Fox sisters, around ending of years Forty of the 1800's, nel.giro.di ventennio a spiritismo had conquered million proseliti. Science was found spiazzata completely, leaving to the counterattack with violent accusations of swindles and generalized illusions. For this, all that that in that moment it had to that to make with the "supernatural" had become object of critic and skepticism and students like Buchanan and Denton, serious and motivates, never did not come taken to you in consideration for how much in truth was worth. Denton died in 1883 and Buchanan in 1900, both completely forgets and in total anonymity to you. The successes to you experiments on the psicometria came lead in years Eighty of XIX the century from dottor the Gustav Pagenstecher, a moved German to City of Mexico, thought a convinced materialista. As soon as some year after the end of the first world war, Pagenstecher was dealing with the ipnosi the case of one suffering patient of insomnia, mrs. Maria Reyes de Zieroid. A day, while the woman was in state of ipnosi, had said to Pagenstecher that in that precise moment the daughter was eavesdropping behind the door. And therefore it was. From that day the doctor had begun to subject Maria to paranormali tests, discovering between the other things that when it found itself in ipnotico state could share its same feelings. Therefore, as an example, if it put a pizzico of knows them or of sugar on the tip of the language, also Maria perceived the same taste, or if it approached the flame a finger, also Maria perceived the feeling of heat and bruciore. All at once Pagenstecher had tried to experiment with the psicometria. As she happened to the subjects of Denton, also Maria simply described to the object and its history taking it in hand. With a shell of sea, she described one submarine scene; with a meteorite fragment, she described along travel in the space and the final precipitation through the land atmosphere. ("terrorizzata, my God!"). Dottor the Walter Franklin Prince, that Maria for sottoporla to some tests to name of the Society American for the psychical search had invited, had delivered to them "fagiolo of sea", recovered on one beach. Instead of the sea, Maria had described one tropical forest. And in effects, the botanists confirmed that "fagiolo" the other was not that one species of walnut produced from a tropical tree, transported to the sea from some affluent. An other eminent experimenter in this field has been dottor the Eugene Osty, director of the Institute of metapsichica of Paris, that same one near which Pascal Forthunny had recognized for psicometrica way the famous letter to Landru company. In its by now classic “Supernormal Faculties in Osty” Seas;, it describes to some interesting tests of psicometria from he lead with some sensiti to you. It tells that in 1921 it a photography had been capacity in which one was looked at very containing sealed cap of transparent glass of the liquid. The object had been recovered near the large one tempio of Baalbek. One of its more powerful sensitive, mrs. Moral, as soon as taken the photography between the hands - therefore it was sfocata that, after all, it could have represented whichever thing - it had begun to say that that object remembered them a place where there were of the dead men and in particular to the eyes of the mind a old man introduced itself, an old one. It saw a place enormous, with of the templi, the churches; then it had described the man, I add clergyman. The cap in glass contained the blood of a man who had been sacrificed in a far earth and had been placed in the tomba of the old clergyman, like sign of memento. The same Osty did not have idea of that what was represented in the photography, but large had been its surprise in coming to know from the engineer that it had found again the glass sphere, than the object had made part of the come funeral equipment of a rich one tomba the light in goes them of the Bekaa. Obviously, a case as this replaces in argument from head all the official hypotheses on the mystery of the psicometria. In fact the theory of Buchanan - second which would be be a matter of the excitation of the able nervous aura to render the sensitive medium to the impressions of the objects - stops of being reasonable in the moment in which the psicometriche information they become accessible also through the anonymous photography appeared on a daily paper, theoretically of all the lacking one in a personal print. Also idea proposed from Denton, second which an object succeeds in some mysterious way "to photograph" and "to record" all that one to which it assists, it seems not to resist. In the case of the ticket of coming from mosaic from the roman villa, as an example, the observation of the world could not that somewhat to be limited and, to rigor, the vision of the legionari roman of mrs. Denton, from that point of view would have simply had to limit itself in motion to their legs. Perhaps the hypothesis that better succeeds to answer to the truth of the facts, us filler to that psychical faculty commonly said "clairvoyance", that is that particular ability to know that that place to one given hour is happening in a data, also not being present. But, the sensibility of Folk to recognize to the tact but through the taste, the various types of metal, little does not seem to have to that making with the clairvoyance. Insomma, also in this case, like in many other regions of the paranormale search, to trace a line of very clear discrimination between a phenomenon and the other seems impossible. Some excellent psicometri modern which Gerard Croiset, Peter Hurkos and Suzanne Padfield, have put their qualities to the service of the police in order to resolve difficult cases. Suzanne Padfield has quite succeeded to signal to the Soviet police the name and address of the assassin of a child without to move from house its in the Dorset, in England. It is however meaningful to remember that sure medium, like as an example Croiset, does not love to be calls psicometri or clairvoyants to you, but they prefer the term "paragnosta", a word that, much more simply, is to indicate the ability to a man "to know" that who is to of the limits sets up here from the senses therefore as knows them.