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William A. Hammond examines Spiritualist phenomena through the physical and physiological explanations available to a nineteenth-century physician. Beginning with the tendency to attribute unfamiliar experiences to supernatural causes, he considers how perception, expectation, nervous activity, and deception might account for reports made in séances and other unusual circumstances. The book develops an essay originally published in the North American Review in April 1870, with revisions and substantial additions.
Hammond discusses such subjects as involuntary movements, altered states, apparent levitation, and the reliability of witnesses. Historical examples and contemporary reports accompany his argument that these experiences should be investigated through natural causes. This 1871 edition preserves the complete monograph, including its original preface, dedication, and concluding discussion of the ways convictions can persist despite contrary evidence.