The Stepchildren of Science: Psychical Research and Parapsychology in Germany, C. 1870-1939

Leading the reader through the darkened seance rooms and laboratories of Imperial and inter-war Germary, The Stepchildren of Science casts light on the emergence of psychical research and parapsychology in Germany. In particular, it looks at the role of the psychiatrist Albert von Schrenck-Notzing in shaping these nascent disciplines, fashioning himself as both propagandist and Grand Seignior of German parapsychology. In contrast to recent studies in which occultism is seen as a means of dealing with or creating `the modern', Heather Wolffram considers the epistemological, cultural and social issues that arose from psychical researchers' and parapsychologists' claims to scientific legitimacy.
Focusing on the boundary disputes between these researchers and the spiritualists, occultists, psychologists and scientists with whom they competed for authority over the paranormal, The Stepchildren of Science demonstrates that in the German context both proponents and opponents alike understood psychical research and parapsychology as border sciences. It will be of interest to historians of medicine and psychology, as well as anyone interested in the paranormal.
Heather Wolffram is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for the History of European Discourses at the University of Queensland, Australia. She is the author of several articles on the history of German parapsychology and is currently researching late nineteenth-century debates over hypnosis, sexuality, human observation and crime in Central Europe.
Clio Medica: The Wellcome Series in the History of Medicine provides an active forum for the publication of research into the history of medicine and healthcare in all their branches in various cultures and all time periods.