The Weigher of Souls by André Maurois
"The Weigher of Souls" is a novella that explores the intersection of science and the metaphysical through the experiments of Dr. Howard Bruce James, a general surgeon engaged in groundbreaking research on the human soul. Building on the theories of fictional predecessors, Baron von Reichenbach and Dr. Crooks, James investigates the concept of "vital energy" and its potential connection to the human soul. He conducts experiments that suggest a measurable weight loss in deceased organisms, which he correlates to the soul's weight, ultimately proposing that capturing this energy could lead to the preservation of individual personalities, thereby granting a form of immortality.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that James's motivations are deeply personal; he is driven by his love for Edith Phillips, a terminally ill actress. His goal is to unite their souls through his experiments. Unfortunately, the narrative takes a tragic turn as circumstances prevent him from achieving this before their deaths. The tale culminates with the narrator holding onto a globe that contains the joined souls of two individuals, raising questions about the nature of life, death, and what it means to truly preserve a person's essence. This exploration offers a thought-provoking perspective on the human condition and the desire for eternal connection.
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The Weigher of Souls
First published:Le Peseur d’âmes (1931; English translation, 1931)
Type of work: Novella
Type of plot: Science fiction—cautionary
Time of work: 1925
Locale: St. Barnaby’s Hospital, London
The Plot
The Weigher of Souls revolves around the scientific experiments of Dr. Howard Bruce James, a brilliant, solitary general surgeon. His experiments extend the research of two imaginary men, Baron von Reichenbach and Dr. Crooks. Von Reichenbach tested people who could, in total darkness, perceive a luminous fluid around men, animals, and flowers, something that Reichenbach called “life energy.” Crooks weighed the corpses of animals and observed that, after a regular interval of time, the weight of the animals dropped a measurable amount that was consistent for each species. In humans, he noted the weight as seventeen hundredths of a milligram. He concluded that this must be the weight of the human soul.
James has verified these facts through his own experiments and is continuing the work as the novella opens. He concludes that three “evaporations” occur in humans. He postulates that what is given off by the dead bodies is “vital energy.” Using a comparison to light, which has mass and can be compressed, he tries to collect and compress these “souls.” He speculates further that the “vital energy” of each individual contains the unique personality of the dead “soul.” By capturing this “soul” he can thus ensure the preservation of an individual human “life.” In a way, he has thus discovered a way to ensure the immortality of the human personality.
At the suggestion of the narrator, James subjects his corpses to X rays as the vital energy evaporates. He discovers a visible ball of light much like the smoke from a cigarette. Making use of an enormous bell jar with a small globe attached on top, James is able to capture the soul of each individual. He carries the experiments one step further and attempts to combine the vital fluids of two corpses within one globe, thus ensuring the eternal commingling of the two souls.
The point of these experiments witnessed by the narrator is obscure until James’s personal life is revealed by a concerned colleague from the hospital. James, after a tragic first marriage, has fallen hopelessly in love with a young actress, Edith Phillips. Unfortunately, the beautiful and talented Miss Phillips is terminally ill. Once the narrator learns this, the point of the experiments is clear.
As he departs London, the narrator promises to come to James immediately if ever he should receive a wire; the narrator guesses at the purpose of this summons. James marries Miss Phillips. Some time later, the narrator receives a wire from James, but he arrives too late to perform the experiment on James and his wife. He finds them dead and the laboratory destroyed by the local authorities. All that remains is a single globe containing the two joined souls from the last successful experiment. The narrator’s purpose in recounting the story is now made clear: He believes that he must preserve this globe in which the souls of two brothers are joined. Sensing his imminent death, he is confessing his part in this macabre experiment in the hope that the reader will keep the globe safe.