Inferences from Haunted Houses and Haunted Men

The author surveys reports of apparitions and related psychical experiences and treats them as phenomena potentially explainable by psychological and physiological mechanisms. He proposes that hallucinations and manifestations may result from hypnotic influence, suggestion, or the transfer of mental images between minds, sometimes across distance. Physiological signs such as sudden chills, altered skin or eye sensitivity, and circulatory changes are examined as markers of hypnotic states and parallels to haunting reports. Anecdotal cases illustrate how sensory crossover and mental suggestion could produce visual or auditory impressions without ordinary sensory stimulation, and the essay cautions against possible malicious uses while urging scientific inquiry.