 |
DAY 118 | PHOTOGRAPHIC CURIOSITIES |
The Human Soul
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGH?
In 1911, Dr. Duncan MacDougall conducted a series of experiments with patients who were at the brink of death. One of his goals was to photograph the human soul.
The Massachusetts physician theorized that the “soul substance” produced light as it exited the human body, creating an image “resembling that of interstellar ether.” While most of his experiments involved analog photography, the doctor suggested that X-ray images might also show evidence of the soul, should it become “agitated” at the moment of death.1
Dr. MacDougall conducted similar ...
Get The Daily Book of Photography now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
