Editing Telepathy (section)

==Thought reading==
In the late 19th century, the magician and mentalist [[Washington Irving Bishop]] would perform "thought reading" demonstrations. Bishop claimed no [[supernatural]] powers and ascribed his powers to [[Muscle reading|muscular sensitivity]] (reading thoughts from unconscious bodily cues).<ref>Roger Luckhurst. (2002). ''The Invention of Telepathy: 18701901''. Oxford University Press. p. 63. {{ISBN|978-0199249626}}</ref> Bishop was investigated by a group of scientists including the editor of the ''[[British Medical Journal]]'' and the [[psychologist]] [[Francis Galton]]. Bishop performed several feats successfully, such as correctly identifying a selected spot on a table and locating a hidden object. During the experiment, Bishop required physical contact with a subject who knew the correct answer. He would hold the hand or wrist of the helper. The scientists concluded that Bishop was not a genuine telepath but was instead using a highly trained skill to detect [[Ideomotor phenomenon|ideomotor movements]].<ref>[[Richard Wiseman]]. (2011). ''Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There''. Macmillan. pp. 140–142. {{ISBN|978-0230752986}}</ref>

Another famous thought reader was the magician [[Stuart Cumberland]]. He was famous for performing [[blindfold]]ed feats such as identifying a hidden object in a room that a person had picked out or asking someone to imagine a murder scene and then attempt to read the subject's thoughts and identify the victim and reenact the crime. Cumberland claimed to possess no genuine psychic ability and his thought-reading performances could only be demonstrated by holding the hand of his subject to read their muscular movements. He came into dispute with psychical researchers associated with the [[Society for Psychical Research]] who were searching for genuine cases of telepathy. Cumberland argued that both telepathy and communication with the dead were impossible and that the minds of people cannot be read through telepathy, but only by [[muscle reading]].<ref name="BownBeer2004">{{cite book |editor1=Nicola Bown |editor2=Carolyn Burdett |editor3=Pamela Thurschwell |editor4=Gillian Beer |title=The Victorian Supernatural |last=Thurschwell |first=Pamela |chapter=Chapter 4: George Eliot's Prophecies: Coercive Second Sight and Everyday Though Reading |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zkQV_718ROkC&q=%22Cumberland+himself+always+insisted+that+his+readings%22&pg=PA89 |year=2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0521810159 |pages=87–108}}</ref>