On the Phenomena of Dreams, and Other Transient Illusions

The distinguished surgeon and medical writer Walter Cooper Dendy (1794-1871) published On the Phenomena of Dreams in 1832. The work carefully traces the history of western thought and philosophy on the topic of dreams and visions, examining authors from Aristotle to Hume and Pyrrho to Berkeley, and maps the development of poetical and literary traditions on the subject. Dendy’s work then moves to an attempt to find a medical explanation and material source for dreams, psychic visions and illusions. Dendy presents his concept of a ghost as an intense idea, and attempts to classify and categorise different types of psychic experiences. Dendy’s work was a pioneering attempt to find scientific solutions to supernatural phenomena. Very popular at the time, it now offers an invaluable insight into the Victorian fascination with the occult and the desire to approach the supernatural with reason and the rigours of scientific investigation.