MEDIUM. – Denotes the person capable, by virtue of his particular faculties, of serving as an intermediary between us and the dead. But since the spiritist hypothesis is gratuitous or, perhaps in some cases, merely probable (v. METAPSICHICA; SPIRITISMO), logically this term ought to be abandoned; nevertheless, it has not only remained in use but, whether or not one accepts the spiritist interpretation, is generally employed to designate those individuals who, by reason of their particular characteristics, are considered indispensable agents in the production of metapsychic phenomena.
Much discussion has taken place regarding the alleged necessity of m. in metapsychic experiments; some deny it, considering it absurd to speak of it when the nature of medianism is not even known, and indeed it is not known whether it exists. One fact, however, is certain: metapsychic phenomena occur only in the presence of man; indeed, the more extraordinary ones normally take place only through the participation of certain persons counted among the “great m.” If, therefore, at least in some cases, man is a necessary agent, we must conclude that special faculties exist which produce the phenomena in a manner that, if not sufficient in itself, is certainly indispensable; quite apart from the choice of the designation “m.” or of other, different terms.
The admission of this fact, however, has nothing to do with the nature and intrinsic action of medianism, concerning which we must confess that we remain in the most absolute ignorance. The theories and working hypotheses proposed by authors have not received reliable experimental confirmation, but present themselves as merely probable and limited to certain cases. Thus, for example, it has been thought that mediumistic phenomena are caused by a particular energy and substance (ectoplasm) emitted by the m. in the so-called state of “trance”; but, apart from the hypothetical and therefore unknown nature of this quid, the manner in which this occurs—that is, why the m. is capable of such operations and how he actually performs them—always remains shrouded in the deepest darkness. Thus everything appears to be a complex of mysteries seeking support from other mysteries. The attempt to penetrate the inner mechanism of mediumistic action remains fruitless. An effort has at least been made to establish some of the external elements of the m.’s personality; here too, however, without success, because, alongside evident traits of suggestibility and psychoneurosis found in many subjects, others appear completely free from them (v. G. C. Barnard, Il supernormale, Rome 1949, p. 113 ff). Nor is the “trance”—a particular state of psychic “absence” and of “autonomy,” not always total, from the surrounding environment, often accompanied by particular neurovegetative manifestations (redness, pallor, sweating, etc.), in which the m. would find himself during experiments—common to all subjects; nor does it seem possible to assimilate hypnotism (v.) and to the suggestive mechanism that causes them.
In conclusion, although medianism is admitted as an empirical fact, it is impossible today to determine its intrinsic characteristics of action, or even the external characteristics of temperament and personality in those who are its most evident and representative subjects. Nor, for the purpose of determining the intimate reason for the facts and the causes that produce them, is the practical distinction proposed by certain authors between “m.” and physical effects and “m.” and psychic effects of any substantial significance; the same applies to other, even more complicated systems of classification (Ch. Richet, W. Mackenzie, F. Palmés, H. Price, etc.).
From the ethical and Catholic point of view, the practice of mediumship must be judged according to the principles set forth under the heading METAPSICHICA, to which reference is also made for a description of mediumistic phenomena. In particular, medianism is morally forbidden when it is practiced in the field of spiritism; this is not generally the case, however, if the phenomena concern only metapsychics as an object of scientific research. Nevertheless, mediumistic activity can and must be prohibited whenever, as often happens, it proves seriously harmful to the health, especially the mental health, of the subject who practices II.