Enter Ectoplasm
By 1894, mediums had turned to a new way to prove their connection to the spirit world. Mediums always had preferred methods of proving their ability to contact the spirit realm, specializing in certain magic tricks to enthrall their audiences. The Fox sisters had knuckle-cracking ‘rapping,’ Mumler had his spirit photographs. One of the most visually intriguing tricks mediums in the late 1800s was their ability to summon ectoplasm.
Ectoplasm, a sticky or gauzy residue secreted from spirits, miraculously ejected from the medium during the séance to prove they connected with the spirit realm. After they made ‘contact,’ the medium would eject their ectoplasm from their mouth, nose, ears, or even private parts. Some mediums would swallow the material they used as ectoplasm before the séance, then vomit it up during the climatic moment. And better yet – it could be photographed.
