The solid-looking spirit faces, body parts (such as ghostly hands), or complete spirit figures that are supposedly brought into being by a medium during a seance. The materialized parts are alleged to be made of a milky white substance called ectoplasm, the consistency of which varies from medium to medium. Sometimes it is described as cold and leathery, and some\u00ac times fluid and slimy. Mediums claim that ectoplasm is made inside the body and during a seance is extruded out of one of the orifices, often from the mouth, nose, or ears but sometimes from the vagina. Materializations are mostly associated with ectoplasm and, we are told, must not be confused with the related phenomena known as pseudopods, which are purported to be temporary growths from the medium\u2019s body.<\/p>\n
Manifestations by mediums were popular entertainment during the second half of the 19th century, and they usually followed a simple routine: The medium would enter a \u201ccabinet,\u201d a confined wooden structure used as a working space where she (mediums at this time were usually women) kept her props and disguises, which included wigs, luminous gloves, life-size photographs of recently deceased, well-known people, silk and chiffon scarves, and various musical instruments. From a curtained door, apparitions would appear, trumpets without visible means of support would sound off, ghostly hands would clash cymbals, and skulls would let out piercing screams.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The solid-looking spirit faces, body parts (such as ghostly hands), or complete spirit figures that are supposedly brought into being by a medium during a seance. The materialized parts are alleged to be made of a milky white substance called ectoplasm, the consistency of which varies from medium to medium. Sometimes it is described as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-m"],"yoast_head":"\n