Once upon a time there was an English chemist and physicist who not only saw ghosts - he studied them. William Crookes made many scientific discoveries.
In the last years of his life he became interested in spiritualism, entered the Theosophical Society and called himself a parapsychologist. The scientist was engaged in mysticism, excluding any mysticism, which confirmed the existence of the other world.
William Crookes was the eldest son of the wealthy tailor Joseph Crookes and his second wife, Mary Scott. William Crookes was born in London on June 17, 1832. In the capital of Great Britain, he died 86 years later. In the interval between these two dates, Crookes discovered thallium, was the first to obtain helium in the laboratory, worked on spectral analysis, on the passage of electricity through tubes (Crookes tubes) with a rarefied gas, on the chemistry of rare metals, and developed methods for proving radioactive radiation …
In 1859 he founded the Chemical News, as its editor, he covered the news of chemistry for many years. In 1880, the French Academy of Sciences awarded him the Gold Medal and the 3000 Francs Prize in recognition of the importance of his work. The British Queen Victoria bestowed a knighthood on Professor Crookes in 1897, after which he was called sir. In 1904, Crookes invented the spinthariscope, a device for detecting alpha particles. In 1910 he received the Order of Merit. Here is a far from complete list of the merits and achievements of Sir William Crookes.
This outstanding scientist, who gained wide popularity in the scientific world for his work in the field of chemistry and physics, was seriously carried away by the study of mystical phenomena. It would be fine if a man with the soul of a poet fell into the trap of mysticism, and not a scholar-cracker.
“When you embark on a study of mental phenomena,” wrote Arthur Conan-Doyle. “Crookes, as he himself admitted, suspected that all this might be a hoax. His fellow scientists shared this opinion and were pleased with the direction his train of thought took. They were particularly pleased that an extremely qualified person was undertaking the research. Few doubted that the groundlessness of the claims of spiritualism would soon be clearly demonstrated.”
In the form in which these experiments were described by Crookes, they were distinguished by a rigorous scientific approach. He himself created and used recording measuring devices. The experiments of Crookes, carried out in his study, were closely watched by many respected scientists. Therefore, no one dared to call his experiments a deception on the part of a medium.
Professor Crookes claimed that with his own eyes he observed the appearance of ghostly and tangible figures, the phenomenon of levitation, heard mysterious voices, measured the loss of weight by the medium during the release of ectoplasm, recorded the appearance of inscriptions on slate boards without the participation of those present.
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According to Conan Doyle, “the fierceness of opponents and the excessive modesty of his supporters alarmed the scientist very much and threatened his scientific authority. Not admitting his defeat, he, however, tried to avoid discussing this issue. Subsequently, Crookes, convinced that his authority in the scientific world is unshakable, openly admitted himself a spiritualist and parapsychologist.
In Crookes's diary dated December 31, 1870, it is written: “Against my own will, I return to the events of a year ago. Nellie (Crookes' wife Ellen Humphrey - ed.) And I talked with our late friends then, and when it struck midnight, friends wished us a happy New Year. I feel that they are still looking at me, and since distance is not an obstacle for them, I am sure they are looking at Nelly.
We both know: among these spirits there is one whom we all - both spirits and mortals - worship as Father and Lord. I offer my humble prayer to him - great and good, so that he does not leave Nellie, me and our little family without his merciful protection (the Crookes had three sons and a daughter - ed.). May he also allow us to continue spiritual communion with my brother, who passed to another world more than three years ago, while sailing on a ship. And when the years allotted to us for earthly life have elapsed, may we find even greater happiness in the land of spirits, the outlines of which I sometimes observe."
Once, in response to the assertion that Spiritualism failed to defeat materialistic science, Crookes said: “It seems to me that it succeeded. At least a lot of people appeared who believed in the existence of the other world."