The spiritualist movement of the 19th century is often remembered as a stumbling new religion, a historic curiosity, a feminist footnote, or simply a pseudoscientific trend in an age of spiritual credulity and industrial development. However, within this diverse and fascinating new field, science frequently attempted to assess spiritual claims of mediumship as a measurable and explainable phenomena. Using physiological and medical arguments, scientists utilised new knowledge on the human nervous system – alongside more cultural beliefs surrounding mental weaknesses between the genders – to align spiritualism with their cultural norms and accepted medical developments. This curious talk presents these lesser-known cultural and scientific beliefs, explaining the prominent arguments and scientific theories of the time, and what their work really said about the spiritualist movement, women’s changing role in society, and our own understanding of consciousness.