Odic force

eastern concepts prana and qi. However, they regarded

the Odic force as not associated with breath (like India's
prana and the qi of Eastern martial arts) but rather mainly
with biological electromagnetic elds.[7]
Von Reichenbach did not tie Odic force into other vitalist theories. Baron von Reichenbach expounded the concept of Odic force in detail in a book-length article, Researches on Magnetism, Electricity, Heat and Light in their
Relations to Vital Forces, which appeared in a special issue of a respected scientic journal, Annalen der Chemie
und Physik. He said that (1) the Odic force had a positive
and negative ux, and a light and dark side; (2) individuals could forcefully emanate it, particularly from the
hands, mouth, and forehead; and (3) the Odic force had
many possible applications.
The Odic force was conjectured to explain the phenomenon of hypnotism. In Britain, impetus was given to
this view of the subject following the translation of Reichenbachs Researches by a professor of chemistry at the
University of Edinburgh. These later researches tried to
show many of the Odic phenomena to be of the same nature as those described previously by Franz Mesmer and
even long before Mesmer by Swedenborg.[8]

Baron Carl von Reichenbach

The French parapsychologists Hippolyte Baraduc and

were inuenced by the concept of the
The Odic force (also called Od [d], Odyle, nd, Odes, Albert de Rochas
[9]
Odic
force.
Odylic, Odyllic, or Odems) is the name given in the mid19th century to a hypothetical vital energy or life force by Von Reichenbach hoped to develop scientic proof for a
Baron Carl von Reichenbach. Von Reichenbach coined universal life force; however, his experiments relied on
the name from that of the Norse god Odin in 1845.[1][2] perceptions reported by individuals who claimed to be
The study of Odic force is called odology.[3]
sensitive, as he himself could not observe any of the
reported phenomena. The sensitives had to work in total or near-total darkness to be able to observe the phenomena. Reichenbach stated that, through experimenta1 History
tion, possibly 1/3 of the population could view the phenomenon, but far less otherwise.
As von Reichenbach was investigating the manner in
which the human nervous system could be aected by
various substances, he conceived the existence of a new
force allied to electricity, magnetism, and heat, a force
2 Scientic reception
which he thought was radiated by most substances, and
to the inuence of which dierent persons are variously
sensitive.[4] He named this vitalist concept Odic force. The concept of Odic force was criticized by the scientic
Proponents say that Odic force permeates all plants, ani- community as there was no reliable or replicable data for
mals, and humans.[5]
its existence. In the 19th century it was described as
and is regarded today as an example
Believers in Odic force said that it is visible in total dark- quackery by critics[10][11][12]
pseudoscience.
of
ness as colored auras surrounding living things, crystals,
and magnets, but that viewing it requires hours rst spent Science writer Martin Gardner in his book Fads and Falin total darkness, and only very sensitive people have the lacies in the Name of Science (1957) noted that scientists
ability to see it.[6] They also said that it resembles the were unable to duplicate the barons experiments.[13]
1

Robert Todd Carroll in the The Skeptics Dictionary has

written:
The baron had no training in psychology
or psychopathology and no training in devising experiments involving people. He applied
many standard scientic techniques and followed standard practices of data collection and
recording, including graphs and charts. But he
seems to have had no sense of how to do a controlled experiment with so-called sensitives,
people who might better be described as neurotics or delusional. (Jastrow says that for the
most part, his subjects were neurotic young
women.) Given the fact that he deceived himself so thoroughly over such a long period of
time, it seems reasonable to assume that he was
(at the very least) unconsciously suggesting behaviors to his subjects. His enthusiasm for the
project undoubtedly biased his subjective observations. That he came to think that the odic
force could explain dozens of disparate phenomena, while being unable to convince other
scientists that he had discovered anything, signies the pathological nature of his investigations. Reichenbachs pursuit of the odic force
is a classic example of pathological science.[14]
Scientists have abandoned concepts such as the Odic
force. In western popular culture the name is used in a
similar way to qi or prana to refer to spiritual energies or
the vital force associated with living things. In Europe,
the Odic force has been mentioned in books on dowsing,
for example.[15]

See also
Aether (classical element)
Aether theories
Energy (esotericism)
Kirlian photography
Mana
Orgone
Prana
Qi
Seid
Vitalism
Vril

REFERENCES

4 References
[1] Williams, William F. (2000). Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy. Facts
on File Inc. p. 299. ISBN 1-57958-207-9
[2] Levitt, Theresa. (2009). The Shadow of Enlightenment:
Optical and Political Transparency in France, 1789-1848.
Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-19954470-7
[3] Chrisomalis, Stephen. O. The Phrontistery. Retrieved
10 October 2016.
[4] Serge Kahili King, Serge King Earth Energies: A Quest
for the Hidden Power of the Planet 1992, Chapter 3 The
Odic Force and Reichenbach, pp. 38-60
[5] Mary Coddington Seekers of the Healing Energy: Reich,
Cayce, the Kahunas, and Other Masters of the Vital Force
1991, p. 67
[6] Peter Johannes Thiel The Diagnosis Of Disease By Observation Of The Eye To Enable Physicians, Healers, Teachers, Parents to Read the Eyes Kessinger Reprint Edition,
2004, p. 52
[7] Mark Woodhouse Paradigm Wars: Worldviews for a New
Age 1996, pp. 191-192
[8] Charles R. Kelley Life Force... the Creative Process in Man
And in Nature 2004, pp. 286-287
[9] Bruce Clarke, Linda Dalrymple Henderson From Energy
to Information: Representation in Science and Technology,
Art and Literature 2002, pp. 140-141
[10] Steavenson, William Edward. (1884). Electricity & Its
Manner of Working in the Treatment of Disease. London
: J. & A. Churchill. p. 8
[11] Jastrow, Joseph. (1935). Wish and Wisdom: Episodes
in the Vagaries of Belief. D. Appleton-Century Company.
pp. 341-349. (Published in 1962 by Dover Books as Error
and Eccentricity in Human Belief).
[12] Radner, Daisie; Radner, Michael. (1982). Science and
Unreason. Wadsworth. pp. 24-29. ISBN 0-534-01153-5
[13] Gardner, Martin. (2012 edition, originally published in
1957). Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. Dover
Publications. p. 345. ISBN 0-486-20394-8
[14] Reichenbachs Odic force. The Skeptics Dictionary.
Retrieved 18 April 2016.
[15] Spiesberger, Karl (1989) [1962]. Der erfolgreiche PendelPraktiker: Das Geheimnis des siderischen Pendels - Ein
Querschnitt durch das Gesamtgebiet der Pendel [Reveal the
Power of the Pendulum: Secrets of the Sidereal Pendulum,
A Complete Survey of Pendulum Dowsing]. ISBN 0-57201419-8.

External links
Researches on Magnetism, Electricity, Heat and
Light in their relations to Vital Forces or here
This article incorporates text from a publication now
in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911).
"article name needed ". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th
ed.). Cambridge University Press.

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