Rufus Osgood Mason (January 22, 1830, in

Sullivan, New Hampshire Sullivan is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 658 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of East Sullivan and Ellisville. History Named for General John Sullivan and incorporated on September 27, ...

– May 11, 1903, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) was a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner ( Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through t ...

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and an early researcher in

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near- ...

and

hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy is a type of mind–body intervention in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility in the treatment of a medical or psychological disorder or concern. Popularized by 17th and 18th c ...

.Carlos S. Alvarado, "Rufus Osgood Mason (1830–1903) and the Popularization of Psychical Research in America" (Parapsychology Foundation), abstract from "Forgotten Pioneers of Parapsychology", 50th Annual Convention of the

Parapsychological Association The Parapsychological Association (PA) was formed in 1957 as a professional society for parapsychologists following an initiative by Joseph B. Rhine. Its purpose has been "to advance parapsychology as a science, to disseminate knowledge of the fie ...

, ''Psypioneer Newsletter'', Volume 3, No. 9; September 2007
online

Biography

Mason was the son of Rufus and Prudence (Woods) Mason. He prepared for college at

Thetford, Vermont Thetford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 census. Villages within the town include East Thetford, North Thetford, Thetford Hill, Thetford Center, Rices Mil ...

, and later graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1854. He then entered Union Theological Seminary (1854–1855) before moving to medicine. In 1859, he graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City (now a part of Columbia University).Rossiter Johnson & John Howard Brown, ''The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans'', The Biographical Society, 1904. He became one of the most noted surgeons of his day in New York City. During the American Civil War, he became an assistant surgeon for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. From 1861 to 1864 he served on the USS ''Santiago de Cuba''. In 1864 he took up medical practice in New York City, where he was attending physician at Northwestern Dispensary until 1869. Between leaving Union Theological Seminary and entering the medical profession, he became an instructor at a public school in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. It was there that he met, taught, inspired, and befriended "a small barefoot boy",

William Rockefeller William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also part owner of the Anaconda ...

(brother of

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

). The relationship would endure through the years, and Mason became "a Rockefeller patron" toward the advancing of the medical sciences. Mason was deeply interested in

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

speculation and theory. His input would help in the early pioneer development of

and

psychical research Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near- ...

. These subjects were published in many books, magazines, and newspaper articles. He is accredited as "an early father-pioneer of parapsychology" and advance-supporter of the study of applied therapeutic uses of what is known today as

. He was a contributing member of the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...

. His main publication was the book ''Telepathy and the Subliminal Mind'' (1897), and his work focused on case studies and popularization. His chief contributions to the field are considered to be the latter, in the United States, particularly relating to the work of the Society for Psychical Research and the theories of

Frederic William Henry Myers Frederic William Henry Myers (6 February 1843 – 17 January 1901) was a British poet, classicist, philologist, and a founder of the Society for Psychical Research. Myers' work on psychical research and his ideas about a "subliminal self" w ...

. Much of Mason's work and observations in

would be applied in early ESP, telepathy, astral (OOBE) research, and in present-day

remote viewing Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. Typically a remote viewer is expected to give information about an object, event, person or location that is hidden ...

. The 50th annual convention of the Parapsychological Association, September 2007, acclaimed him as an early pioneer in parapsychology and psychical research. He was married first in New York City to Marian Isabelle Goodwin in July 1871, and married second to Charlotte Louise Quick in 1886. After his death the latter used her inheritance to become a leading patron of the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

.Cary D. Wintz & Paul Finkelman
''Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance''
Taylor & Francis, 2004, .

Works

* ''Telepathy and the Subliminal Self'' (Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1897)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Rufus Osgood 1830 births 1903 deaths Parapsychologists Union Navy surgeons People from Sullivan, New Hampshire