Reviews
Sept. 1966]
of trance states, telepathic elements in dreams. Sleep patterns
were recorded by the use of rapid eye movements (R.E.M.).
Individual researchers were encouraged and supported in the
U.S.A. and all over the world — to mention only a few of their
names-— Dr and Mrs Nash, Fraser Nicol and Betty Nicol, Dr
Holleran, Dr William Roll, Dr S. G. Soal, Langdon Davies, Dr
Eric Dingwall, Professor Chari, Dr K. R. Rao, Dr D. J. West, and
very many others. In qualitative studies Dr Ian Stevenson
collected the empirical evidence for reincarnation. A special grant
facilitated a journey to India and Ceylon to study the evidence on
the spot. At Cambridge Dr A. R. G. Owen undertook a historic j
and contemporary survey of alleged poltergeist experiences. The
late C. L. Gregory and Anita Kohsen investigated memory and f
hallucinatory images. For details of these and many other |
enterprises one must study the numerous books, monographs and |
reports published by the Foundation since its establishment (see
p. 1 12) and, in addition, refer to the records of the no less than
fourteen International Conferences organized by the Foundation
between 1953 and 1965, dealing with all manner of the aspects
and problems of the phenomena we associate with psi. There have j
been conferences on Unorthodox Healing; on the Relation of Psi
to Philosophy; on Psychedelics; on Psi and Pharmacology; on
Precognition; on Psycho-physiological Correlates of Paranormal |
States; on Religion, etc. Truly a wonderful story of much effort
and achievement. i
It has been said ‘one new idea can change a whole world of
thought’. It is the continuing task and desire of the Foundation
to encourage new concepts, no matter how daring and revolutionary. t
If the pattern of the first decade is followed in the second, who
dare say we shall not reach even ‘beyond the utmost bound of '
human thought’ ? I think we must rise again and give three cheers
for the Parapsychology Foundation.
G. W. Fisk ' J
Miracles of the Mind: An introduction to Parapsycho-
logy. By Simeon Edmunds. Charles C. Thomas, Spring-
field, Illinois. 1965. 216 pp., 6 illustrations. $7.75.
This is a useful introductory text to give to someone who wants
to know what sort of material is dealt with by parapsychologists.
The examples are interestingly presented, and although the critical
details of concern to specialists are sometimes lacking, sensibly
critical opinions are maintained. For instance, it is pointed out
that the outstanding mediums discussed in this book, Mrs Piper,
37i
2B
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
[Vol. 43, No. 729
Mrs Leonard and Mrs Garrett, are by no means typical of the
run-of-the-mill spiritualist practitioner, in whose performances
‘a wide variety of non-psychic factors are far more in evidence than
any genuine paranormal ability’.
In this kind of book an author must choose between presenting
a complete account of just a few cases, or giving the gist of a larger
selection. The latter policy has been adopted, with the result that
readers who know the original reports cannot but notice points
omitted which they personally would have thought merited
inclusion. In discussing modern ESP research the ‘star’ subjects
of Rhine’s earliest card experiments are mentioned without
reference to the difference in conditions at these and the later
experiments, which generally gave much less spectacular results.
Some incidents reported by Harry Price are quoted fairly fully,
but without mention of the serious doubts about his reliability as a
witness to the paranormal. Trevor Hall’s theory about Crooke’s
dishonest motives in supporting the fraudulent medium Florence
Cook is quoted without reservation, but perhaps the counter-
arguments since published by Medhurst and Goldney were not
available at the time of writing.
Mr Edmunds gives prominence to some less well known cases
that certainly deserve to be more widely known and discussed.
One such case concerns the extraordinary correspondence dis-
covered between the details of an imaginary disaster to a liner
called Titan, published in a novel, and the actual disaster to the
Titanic which took place fourteen years later. While some may see
in this an instance of precognition, others may prefer to regard it as
one of those natural coincidences which should put one on guard
against dismising too readily the chance coincidence hypothesis when
evaluating reports of the fulfilment of paranormal impressions.
Two chapters are given to a discussion of the reliability of
testimony. This topic is of common interest to psychologists,
jurists, and parapsychologists, but it has been quite scandalously
neglected in recent years. Mr Edmunds draws attention to the
wide range of problems involved, from the willingness of news-
papers to print and readers to accept quite unsubstantiated stories,
to the surprising limitations of human perception and recollection
under unfamiliar physical conditions or unexpected circumstances.
D. J. West
The Journal of Parapsychology. Durham N.C. Dec. 1965.
xxix+4pp.
An editorial by J. B. Rhine discusses the kinds of interest in
parapsychology that he met on his recent visit to Europe. He
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