DR. RHINE'S EXPERIMENTS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Sza,—I agree with Dame Edith Lyttelton that if the experiments in which Dr. Pratt and Mr. Pearce were isolated in different buildings of Duke University were carried out exactly as reported by Dr. Rhine there is no escape from the hypothesis of an unknown power of human perception. At the same time it is regrettable that Dr. Rhine and Dr. Pratt omitted the precaution of calling in independent witnesses of standing to testify that there was no possibility of the cards being arranged in some pre-assigned order. The precautions one must take when human beings are the subjects of investigation far out- number those required for other branches of science and it cannot be denied that the laxity shown by Dr. Rhine in the majority of his experiments will seriously prejudice men of science against his minority of more rigorous tests.
The ultimate acceptance or rejection of Dr. Rhine's work will, of course, depend upon the success or failure of other competent workers to reproduce his results. So far as this country is concerned the outlook is not very promising.—I am,
yours faithfully, - S. G. SOM.. The Psychological Laboratory, University College, W.C. 1.
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