The Nobel Prize laureate Professor Charles Richet (FRA) answers the question as follows:
“The teleplastic (known as materialization from former authors), i.e. the making of different articles, usually seem to be taken from substances withdrawn from the human body and take on the look of a material reality (articles of clothing, veil, living bodies).”
(Source: Layout of the Parapsychology and Parapsychophysics, author: Prof. Charles Richet, page 25 of the foreword, publishing house: Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart/Berlin/Leipzig, 1923)
Dr. Gustave Geley (FRA) answers this question as follows:
“Above all it means a physical duplication of the medium. During the trance, a part of the medium is removed to the outside of it´s body. This part is occasionally very small occasionally considerable (in certain experiments Crawfords half of the body weight). The teleplasm presents itself under observation first as a kind of amorphous, solid or vaporous substance. In General, the amorphous teleplasm organizes itself very rapidly, one sees then, now it transforms itself into new forms, which as soon as the phenomenon is complete, can have all anatomical and physiological characteristics of biologically living organs. The teleplasm becomes an organism or a piece of such, whereby it certainly always stays in close confines to the body of the medium on which it depends. From which it is extended and then absorbed into it at the conclusion of the experiment. This is a simple purely observed fact of the teleplastic, removed from certain complications, which one has to study later, the teleplastic is thereby to a certain extent divided into their anatomical-physiological structure. Today this fact stands firmly, confirmed by scholars of all countries, supported by clear proof of photographs of the materialized forms, castings of these forms, in clay, glazier cement, soot, in the most remarkable cases even their complete casting, proves the objective reality of teleplastic. The so-called university (or let´s say the official) psycho physiology, will now need to commit to a decision to take teleplastic seriously and accept it, even if it means that they will have to dismiss some of their favorite teachers. As I just stated, it appear that the phenomenon of the teleplastic is relatively simply (whereby I refrain from discussing it´s enormous philosophical consequences).”
(Source: Clairvoyance and Teleplastic, author: Dr. Gustave Geley, Page 178, chapter: Teleplastic, publishing house: Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttart/Berlin/Leipzig, 1926)
Dr. Hans Gerloff (GER) answers this question as follows:
“In dealing with this topic it is necessary, for methodological reasons, to strictly separate the two aspects, the phenomenal and the issue – the phenomena themselves and the question of their explanation. After all there is a risk that, because of the extreme difficulty of the latter, the facts can be denied – to be deemed “impossible”, especially by those who could not even experience them properly. The first task of a scientist is therefore to present evidence; this means to prove the objective reality of the materialisation so that others must also recognize it as real. Because reports from other persons might not necessarily be convincing, the only thing left is his own experience. Due to the lack of media of this kind it is very difficult to find. The experiences of others may be a welcome confirmation but only the scientist’s own observation and experiments can provide a sound basis. The material basis of all materialisation processes is the medium’s secretion of the so called teleplasm or ectoplasm, though it should rather be called medioplasm. This is an organic, living, self-moving and touch-sensitive substance, of which its chemical/physical and microscopic existence could not have been proven successfully up to now. This is because of the very high light sensitivity of a piece of it, which causes it to immediately dissolve after being extracted, with the medium’s approval. The remains examined on the medium’s clothing by Schrenck-Notzing or other liquid or solid particles could have been substances washed along from the mucous membrane openings of the body from which the plasma mainly escapes, or they could have been repelled skin platelets. Should it really have been remains of teleplasm, it would prove that it was organic, formerly living matter. But this can only be confirmed by unrestricted observation of this substance with no concerns about its character. This substance can also come from other parts of the body such as from the belly, the back, the limbs and especially from the hands. Teleplasm can go through all physical states. States like fog or vapour, which represent an organic fine material, to thickness and solid state. Its colour can be from white to dark and it can take various shapes. After leaving the mouth it is slimy, sticky, cool and soft but quickly dries to a fine substance like cobweb and then to a rougher gauze-like material. It shines and because as it consumes the heat from the air it becomes cold. Its touch is irritating to the medium if he is not prepared for it. It easily flows back into the body of the medium, sometimes in a flash – according to photographic shots – or slowly, which has also been filmed. It is a kind of organic primordial soup known as primordial substance and can be compared to the one from which a butterfly emerges after the caterpillar has dissolved. In sessions, especially held to isolate this substance, it was found to flow like a big veil from the mouth of the medium, spread over his body and gather on the floor like an unrolled bale of cloth. Sometimes its length of 40 meters might have been overestimated. Many times it has been captured on film. Biologically, the teleplasm represents a very exceptional, significant phenomenon which biologists have preferred not to bother with. Its conclusive detection concerning a human, makes the person once and for all purposes, a real materialisation medium. Later, more negative outcome sessions, in which the medium was somewhat inhibited, could not change these facts. Teleplasm can resist red light. The next step is the study of partial materialisations of this substance such as hands, arms, feet, heads and busts – thus living body parts. But also the study of mere pseudopodia, stumps, bars, rods and strings for moving objects – thus telekinesis. A special case were the materialisations seen by Schrenck-Notzing with the medium Eva C. They are described in detail in his magnum opus (Materialisation Phenomena, 2nd edition 1923, page 439). Here mainly flat images appeared of heads of complete shapes and their patterns emanating from the memory of the medium. She remembered familiar persons or pictures and photos from magazines. Amongst them were famous politicians like Wilson, Poincaré, actresses and the late husband of Madame Bisson, with whom the medium lived. The title of the newspaper Miroir also appeared on one of the teleplasm cushions whereas the flat images looked like drawings on documents. When photographed from the side they looked like plasterboards or cardboard. The suspicion that all of this was a fake, was not only allayed by the very severe monitoring but also by the very distinct differences in many aspects of these non-living pictures from their patterns. They are therefore medial reproductions, dream images from the memory, but they are in most cases blurry and are not as clear as a photocopy, like with other mediums. But they are an evidence of the so-called ideoplastic, to explain this kind of materialisation where the medium, with the picture inside the medium, is projected to the outside and forms an image. This process must still be examined further. The report of the French engineer Jeason in Paris, passed on by Schrenck-Notzing, states that also pure imaginary images of the medium or of another persons present, can come to life like this. In his experiments with Eva C., an elfish, female and miniature creature once emerged from the teleplasm. According to the pattern given to him and complying to the suggestion of a participant, Einer Nielsen reproduced the same creature – an unheard-of and wonderful achievement. The highlights of the teleplastic shapings were the full materialisations, meaning the creation of whole living shapes, which developed from the substance emerging from the medium. This process takes only a few seconds – a so called “flash birth” delivery – or it can take a little longer for demonstration purposes. The phantom condenses either very close to the medium in the cabinet or detaches outside of it. Often it starts as a little shining cloud or ball of fog, appearing at first on top of the curtain and then hovers down to the ground where it grows into a pillar. This shape is at first connected visibly or non-visibly to the medium with a kind of umbilical cord. This cord is then cut or can be cut off. In accordance to this, the shapes disappear by dematerialising in many different ways. They return to the cabinet and dematerialise nearby the medium, dematerialising deliberately slowly before the eyes of participants or sinking step-by-step into the floor. But they are clearly visible and glowing all the time. When photographed with a flash light they disappear in a fraction of second into the body of the medium where all of the teleplasm is being absorbed again. The same teleplasm is used when forming further shapes and the new shape can come out directly from the previous one, right in front of the observers. Also many shapes can appear at the same time. In one session the number of shapes can rise up to 50, whereby the same phantom can occur repeatedly. Some mediums can even expose their phenomena, without perceptible trance, in bright daylight and in the sunlight.”
(Source: Materialisation – the Phantoms of Copenhagen – The medium Einer Nielsen, author. Dr. Hans Gerloff, page 43-46, chapter: 5. Materialisation, publishing house Dr. Gerlach Munich, 1956)