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DISCOVERING PALLADINO'S MEDIUMSHIP. OTERO ACEVEDO, LOMBROSO AND THE QUEST FOR AUTHORITY.

2016; Wiley; Volume: 52; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/jhbs.21789

1520-6696

Andrea Graus,

Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology

In 1888, the spiritist Ercole Chiaia challenged Cesare Lombroso to go to Naples and study a brilliant though still unknown medium: Eusapia Palladino.At that time, Lombroso turned down the challenge.However, in 1891 he became fascinated by the medium's phenomena.Despite the abundant literature on Palladino, there is still an episode that needs to be explored: in 1888, the Spanish doctor Manuel Otero Acevedo accepted the challenge rejected by Lombroso, spent three months in Naples studying the medium and invited the Italian psychiatrist to join his investigations.This unexplored episode serves to examine the role of scientific authority, testimony and material evidence in the legitimization of mediumnistic phenomena.The use Otero Acevedo made of the evidence he obtained in Naples reveals his desire to proclaim himself an authority on psychical research before other experts, such as Lombroso, Richet, and Aksakof.international fame that would soon accompany her.A few months before the debut of these séances, Palladino had been the object of a public challenge made to Cesare Lombroso by the medium's protector Ercole Chiaia.Chiaia (1888) dared the eminent psychiatrist to study the phenomena the medium claimed to be instrumental in bringing about under strictly controlled conditions, assuring Lombroso that he would not be deceived.Lombroso's eventual refusal left the challenge unresolved but provided an opportunity for other scientists to take his place and accept the dare; as in the case of Otero Acevedo.As this paper shows, the young physician travelled to Naples willing to act as a substitute for Lombroso during séances, in the hope of thereby obtaining the support of the Italian psychiatrist and lending credibility to his own research on such a controversial topic.While in Italy, Otero Acevedo tried to obtain material evidence of mediumistic phenomena.During the early morning of 1889 mentioned above, when Palladino agreed to work in broad daylight, he placed a bowl on the table in front of her.Inside, he put a clay mould and covered it with his white handkerchief.As on other occasions, his intention was for the fluid faces and hands of supposed spirits materialised by Palladino to be imprinted onto the clay.When the medium went into a trance, her spirit guide, John King, took possession of her.After what Otero Acevedo described as an attack of hysteria, Palladino woke up suddenly and announced: É fatto!The medium was exhausted; but her efforts were not in vain.On removing the handkerchief, Otero Acevedo saw that the clay mould had been imprinted with "the tips of fingers that could not belong to any other than a child, of no more than a year old.The nails and nail folds were marked on them."(Otero Acevedo, 1893-95, Vol.2: 250).Compared to the detailed faces and hands obtained in the séances held in the dark (Figure 2), this impression could be considered trivial.However, having obtained it in broad daylight made it more valuable.Otero Acevedo felt fully satisfied: this impression not only demonstrated that the phenomena were real, but also confirmed his scientific thoroughness in obtaining this evidence.With proof of these characteristics he was ready to present his studies to the scientific community.This daylight séance provides the key to understanding this paper.On the one hand, we are faced with two people at the beginning of their careers.In 1888