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Ectoplasm
Ectoplasm is, in the spiritist tradition of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a presumed semi-material substance said to emerge from the bodies of mediums during séances, able to take the form of faces, hands or whole figures of spirits. The term was coined by the French physiologist Charles Richet (Nobel laureate 1913) in the 1890s.
Séances and photographs
Between 1880 and 1930 numerous mediums (Eusapia Palladino, Marthe Béraud known as Eva C., Hélène Smith) produced "ectoplasmic" phenomena in séances, photographed by researchers. Later investigations showed fraud in many cases (gauze, chewed and then regurgitated fabrics). Houdini and James Randi dedicated campaigns to exposing ectoplasmic mediums.
Cultural legacy
Although scientifically discredited, ectoplasm has entered popular imagination through cinema (Ghostbusters, 1984), theatre and fantastic literature. It is often used as a metaphor for "what comes out of the invisible in a perceptible form".
FAQ
Has it ever been scientifically verified?
No. In the controlled cases of the 19th-20th centuries it was repeatedly shown to be produced by fraud.
Is it the same as a "ghost"?
They are different concepts. A ghost is the apparition of a deceased person; ectoplasm is the substance that would manifest it.
Are there still ectoplasmic mediums?
They are very rare today. Contemporary paranormal culture prefers other forms of mediumship (channelling, automatic writing, hypnosis).