Observations placeholder

Flammarion, C., Carroll, L,
Death and its mystery: before death, proofs of the existence of the soul

As I am a doctor by profession, I am often disturbed at night. A great many people pass before my door: but if some one comes who is going to ring, I awake of my own accord while he is still twenty meters from my house; I know beforehand that he is going to ring.

I have verified this not once but a hundred times in the past twelve years. In order to be entirely exact, I must say that if I am not asleep - which often happens - I am incapable of foretelling if a passer-by is going to stop or not.  I must say also, that if I am sleeping very heavily, after an especially fatiguing day, the phenomenon does not occur.

I have among my patients a hysterical young woman in whom I can induce hypnotic sleep and suggestion with extraordinary ease. It has often happened that I have fixed the hour of her awakening and of her rising, which she observes with remarkable exactness. This does not seem at all extraordinary to one who practises a little hypnotism, but here is something else: One day this person’s husband, who was impatiently awaiting his wife's awakening, was seized with the whim of setting forward the hands of the watch that was placed, as usual, on the table by the bed. As it was only half- past six in the morning and he had half an hour to wait, he turned the hands forward to half-past seven. He was surprised to see his wife rise quietly at the very moment when the large hand touched the hour of seven. This man came himself to inform me of what had happened. I was incredulous and wished to verify it, and in fact, I have verified it several times.

I must say that this person, when asleep, with her eyes closed, easily reads the time from my watch, even if I vary it, but only if I myself am looking at the hands. In the same way she easily names any object which I grasp behind her, but only when I take it in my hands.

All this represents facts to be explained. I leave you the task of interpreting them; they could be confirmed for you by those concerned if they were not, in mentality, a little behind the point of view held by us; they consider me somewhat of a sorcerer, and would certainly not wish to be mixed up with these stories.

You can make any use you please of my letter. I authorize you to publish my name, for I am not afraid of the laughter of the ignorant, and I enjoy that of imbeciles.

I am, etc.,

Dr Poirson, Passavant,

Haute Saône; October 9, 1916. (Letter 3482.)