21 grams experiment
1907 pseudo-scientific study by Duncan MacDougall / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 21 grams experiment was a scientific study. It was published in 1907. The author was Duncan MacDougall. He was a physician from Haverhill, Massachusetts. MacDougall thought that souls have physical weight. He tried to measure the mass lost by a human when the soul left the body. MacDougall tried to measure the mass change of six patients at the moment of death. One of the six subjects lost three-quarters of an ounce (21.3 grams).
MacDougall said his experiment would have to be repeated many times before any conclusion could be obtained. The experiment is not considered good science. This is because of the small sample size, the methods used, and the fact only one of the six subjects met the hypothesis.[1] The case has been used as an example of selective reporting. Despite its rejection by scientists, MacDougall’s experiment made people think that the soul has weight. Specifically, that it weighs 21 grams.