E35.1 Helen Duncan: Spiritualist & Witch? (Part 1)

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Idiopathic

Daryl and Sarah

62 episodes

1 week ago

Welcome to Idiopathic, where the strange and unknown meets science, medicine, and a bit of curiosity. "Idiopathic" means a condition with no known cause—just like the stories we explore. From prophetic powers to reincarnation, hauntings to urban legends, cryptids to conspiracies, we'll explore what might really be behind the weird and unusual stories out there. Subscribe to Idiopathic for medical mysteries, haunted histories, and maybe even sharpen your eye for examining the eerie along the way!

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E35.1 Helen Duncan: Spiritualist & Witch? (Part 1)

Idiopathic

32 minutes 11 seconds

1 year ago

E35.1 Helen Duncan: Spiritualist & Witch? (Part 1)

When we last met, we reported on the Philip the Ghost Experiment. In that story, we mentioned the Toronto Society for Psychical Research. They were the folks who were responsible for heading up the experiment. What we didn't mention was that there are Societies for Psychical Research (SPR) all over the world. The original SPR though, was formed in the UK in 1882. Today, we're going to talk about Helen Duncan, who was investigated by the SPR in 1931. This investigation was headed up by one of the best known members of the SPR in fact, Harry Price. That wasn't the end of it though, Helen Duncan also holds the distinctive title of being the last person imprisoned under the witchcraft act of 1735. So what exactly made this woman such a fascination to psychical research and someone who'd have been labeled a witch over 200 years after the witchcraft act was passed? Well, we're going to find out that and more on today's episode of idiopathic..

References
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2. BBC - History - Scottish History. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/oddities_modern.shtml
3. Helen Duncan. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://engole.info/helen-duncan/
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5. Helen Duncan: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/d/helenduncan.html
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9. Tressoldi P, Liberale L, Sinesio F, Bubba V, Pederzoli L, Testoni I. Mediumship accuracy: A quantitative and qualitative study with a triple-blind protocol. Explore (NY). 2022;18(4):411-415. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2021.05.009
10. Timmis K, Jebok F, Rohde M, Molinari G. Microbiome Yarns: microbiome of the built environment, paranormal microbiology, and the power of single cell genomics,,,. Microb Biotechnol. 2018;11(4):575-587. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.13274
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Additional Resources
Helen Duncan, (Not) Scotland’s Last Witch |Stuff You Missed in History Class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igW7RR5bf1w
Cheesecloth, Spiritualism, and State Secrets: The Dig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJgzsifYzCU