A Massachusetts doctor named Duncan MacDougall performed an unusual series of experiments in 1907
Image: X/@CenturyAgoToday
Fascinated by the notion that the human soul possessed measurable weight, Dr MacDougall devised a special bed equipped with high-precision scales
Image: X/@snjegi333
He then persuaded terminally ill patients to spend their final moments on this apparatus in an attempt to capture any change in weight that might coincide with death
Image: McGill University
Dr MacDougall meticulously documented not only the precise time of death for each patient, but also the total duration they spent on the bed
Image: Unsplash
Most importantly, he focused on capturing any fluctuations in weight that might have occurred around the exact moment of expiration
Image: Unsplash
Dr MacDougall attempted to account for all possible explanations for weight changes, including the loss of bodily fluids (sweat and urine) and gases (oxygen and nitrogen)
Image: Pixabay
Remarkably, he concluded that the soul possessed a weight of three-fourths of an ounce, or roughly 21 grams
Image: Unsplash
Dr MacDougall's experiments would face significant scrutiny in today's scientific landscape
Image: Unsplash
The results of MacDougall's study appeared in The New York Times in March 1907