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Jan Guzyk(1875–1928), also known asJan Guzik,was a Polishspiritualist medium.^[1]^[2]

Biography

Guzyk was born in the village ofRączna,nearKraków.He claimed to be able to materialize spirits, produceectoplasmandlevitateobjects. Guzyk was endorsed by the psychical researcherGustav Geleywho attended his séances. However, the skeptical investigator Paul Heuzé and a professional illusionist known as Professor Dicksonn suspected that Geley and other psychical researchers had been duped by trickery.^[1]

Heuzé organized five scientists, including the French physicistPaul Langevinto observe Guzyk during his séances. Objects were moved but only in close reach of the medium. They concluded that he had freed one of his legs to perform the phenomena. When tighter controls were introduced, nothing happened.^[3]

In 1923 he was exposed as a fraud in a series ofséancesin Sorbonne inParis.Guzyk would use his elbows and legs to move objects around the room and touch the sitters. He was caught cheating by the psychical researcherHarry Price.According to Price the "man was clever, especially with his feet, which were almost as useful to him as his hands in producing phenomena."^[4]Price also noted that Guzyk impersonated a "spirit" animal during a séance by placing his hand in astockingto stimulate the illusion of a snappingjaw.^[5]

The psychologistMax Dessoirwrote that the trick of Guzyk was to use his "foot for psychic touches and sounds".^[6]He was investigated many times and his mediumship was detected in fraud.^[7]At a séance in Kraków in December 1924 a photograph showed him moving a curtain with his hand.Walter Franklin Princewho attended séances with Guzyk came to the conclusion he had no paranormal ability.^[8]The psychical researcherPaul Taborihas written that it was established beyond doubt that Guzyk had cheated at his séances.^[5]

References

^^a ^bM. Brady Brower. (2010).Unruly Spirits: The Science of Psychic Phenomena in Modern France.University of Illinois Press. pp. 133-135.ISBN 978-0252077517
^Rodger Anderson. (2006).Psychics, Sensitives and Somnambules: A Biographical Dictionary with Bibliographies.McFarland & Company. p. 77.ISBN 978-0786427703
^Sofie Lachapelle. (2011).Investigating the Supernatural: From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metapsychics in France, 1853-1931.Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 131.ISBN 978-1421400136
^Harry Price.(1942).Search for Truth: My Life for Psychical Research.Collins p. 206
^^a ^bPaul Tabori.(1974).Harry Price: The Biography of a Ghosthunter.Sphere Books. pp. 118-119.ISBN 0-7221-8326-7
^Lewis Spence.(2003).Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology.Kessinger Publishing. p. 399.ISBN 978-0766128156
^Richard Cavendish.(1971).Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural.Volume 6. Purnell. p. 2277.ISBN 978-0863070419
^Arthur Berger. (1988).Lives and Letters in American Parapsychology: A Biographical History, 1850-1987.McFarland & Company. p. 95.ISBN 978-0899503455

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 ==Biography==
-Guzyk was born in the village of [[Rączna]], near [[Kraków]]. He claimed to be able to materialize[[spirit]]s,produce [[ectoplasm (paranormal)|ectoplasm]] and [[levitation (paranormal)|levitate]] objects. Guzyk was endorsed by the psychical researcher [[Gustav Geley]] who attended his séances. However, the skeptical investigator Paul Heuzé and a professional illusionist known as Professor Dicksonn suspected that Geley and other psychical researchers had been duped by trickery.<ref name= "Bower 2010" />
+Guzyk was born in the village of [[Rączna]], near [[Kraków]]. He claimed to be able to materializespirits,produce [[ectoplasm (paranormal)|ectoplasm]] and [[levitation (paranormal)|levitate]] objects. Guzyk was endorsed by the psychical researcher [[Gustav Geley]] who attended his séances. However, the skeptical investigator Paul Heuzé and a professional illusionist known as Professor Dicksonn suspected that Geley and other psychical researchers had been duped by trickery.<ref name= "Bower 2010" />
 Heuzé organized five scientists, including the French physicist [[Paul Langevin]] to observe Guzyk during his séances. Objects were moved but only in close reach of the medium. They concluded that he had freed one of his legs to perform the phenomena. When tighter controls were introduced, nothing happened.<ref>Sofie Lachapelle. (2011). ''Investigating the Supernatural: From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metapsychics in France, 1853-1931''. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 131. {{ISBN|978-1421400136}}</ref>

v t e Spiritualismandspiritism
History and beliefs	Apport Automatic writing Cross-Correspondences Ectoplasm Faith healing Materialization Mediumship Séance Spirit guides Spiritual healing Spirit obsession Spirit photography Spirit possession Spirit world Table-turning Theism
Spiritualists	Derek Acorah Rosemary Altea Dan Aykroyd Charles Bailey Bangs Sisters Ada Besinnet Stephen E. Braude William Breeze Rosemary Brown Sylvia Browne Eva Carrière Doris Collins Florence Cook Mina Crandon William Crookes Geraldine Cummins Pearl Curran Frank Decker Arthur Conan Doyle Helen Duncan Eddy Brothers Harry Edwards John Edward William Eglinton Colin Evans Fox sisters Leslie Flint Arthur Ford Colin Fry Eileen Garrett Kathleen Goligher Rita Goold Jan Guzyk Robert Hare Alec Harris Gordon Higginson Richard Hodgson Daniel Dunglas Home Elizabeth Hope William Hope Swami Laura Horos Cecil Husk James H. Hyslop Allan Kardec Franek Kluski Gladys Osborne Leonard Oliver Lodge Heinrich Melzer Carmine Mirabelli Francis Ward Monck William Usborne Moore Lorin Morgan-Richards William Stainton Moses Einer Nielsen Eusapia Palladino Leonora Piper Ethel Post-Parrish James Van Praagh Bert Reese Estelle Roberts Jane Roberts William Roy Rudi Schneider Maria Silbert Henry Slade Doris Stokes Emanuel Swedenborg Rosina Thompson Stanisława Tomczyk Ena Twigg George Valiantine Jack Webber Etta Wriedt Chico Xavier
Organizations	List of Spiritualist organizations Spiritualist churches Spiritist centres London Spiritualist Alliance National Spiritualist Association of Churches Spiritualists' National Union Spiritualist Association of Great Britain Spiritual church movement Arthur Findlay College International Spiritualist Federation
Skeptics	David Abbott John Henry Anderson George Miller Beard Ruth Brandon Lionel Branson Derren Brown William Carpenter Milbourne Christopher Edward Clodd Edmund Smith Conklin Millais Culpin Stuart Cumberland Eric Dingwall Joseph Dunninger Henry Evans Chris French Martin Gardner G. Stanley Hall Trevor H. Hall William A. Hammond C. E. M. Hansel Carlos María de Heredia Carl Hertz Terence Hines Harry Houdini Joseph Jastrow Stanley LeFevre Krebs Rose Mackenberg David Marks John Nevil Maskelyne Henry Maudsley Joseph McCabe Henry C. McComas Georgess McHargue Charles Arthur Mercier Albert Moll John Mulholland Fulton Oursler Joe Nickell E. Clephan Palmer Ronald Pearsall Frank Podmore Massimo Polidoro Harry Price Julien J. Proskauer James Randi Donovan Rawcliffe Joseph F. Rinn C. E. Bechhofer Roberts Chung Ling Soo Gordon Stein Amy Tanner Ivor Lloyd Tuckett Lyttelton Winslow Richard Wiseman

Revision as of 23:31, 2 May 2021

Biography

References

Further reading