Julian Leopold Ochorowicz (Polish pronunciation: ; outside Poland also known as Julien Ochorowitz;

Radzymin Radzymin is a town in Poland and is one of the distant suburbs of the city of Warsaw. It is located in the powiat of Wołomin of the Masovian Voivodeship. The town has 8,818 inhabitants (as of 2008, but the surrounding commune is heavily populate ...

, 23 February 1850 – 1 May 1917,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

) was a Polish

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

(precursor of

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...

, and leading exponent of Polish Positivism.

Life

Julian Ochorowicz was the son of Julian and Jadwiga, ''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Sumińska. He studied

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well as 100 specializat ...

, graduating in 1871. Subsequently he studied under

Wilhelm Wundt Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (; ; 16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physiologist, philosopher, and professor, one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt, who distinguished psychology as a science from philosophy and biology, was t ...

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

, where in 1874 he received a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

with a thesis "On Conditions of Consciousness". Returning to Warsaw, in 1874-75 he was

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the popular Polish-language periodicals, '' Niwa'' (The Field) and ''Opiekun Domowy'' (The Home Companion). From 1881 he was

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

(''docent'') of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...

Lwów University The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (named after Ivan Franko, ) is a state-sponsored university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since 1940 the university is named after Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko. The university is the oldest institution of highe ...

. In 1882 he was sent to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, where he spent several years. Later, from 1907, he would be co-director of the ''Institut General Psychologique''. Returning to Warsaw, from 1900 Ochorowicz was president of ''Kasa Literacka'' (The Literary Fund). He published

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

papers in ''Encyklopedia Wychowawcza'' (The Encyclopedia of Education). Ochorowicz was a pioneer of

empirical research Empirical research is research using empirical evidence. It is also a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. Empiricism values some research more than other kinds. Empirical evidence (the record of one ...

and conducted studies into

occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...

Spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

, and

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

. His most popular works included ''Wstęp i pogląd ogólny na filozofię pozytywną'' (An Introduction to, and Overview of, Positive Philosophy, 1872) and ''Jak należy badać duszę?'' (How Study the Soul?, 1869). Ochorowicz the

published in ''Przegląd Tygodniowy'' (The Weekly Review) under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

"Julian Mohort". He wrote the poem, "''Naprzód''" ("Onward", 1873), regarded as the Polish Positivists'

manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

. Ochorowicz, a trained philosopher with a doctorate from the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

, became the leader of the Positivist movement in Poland. In 1872 he wrote: "We shall call a Positivist, anyone who bases assertions on verifiable evidence, does not express himself categorically about doubtful things, and does not speak at all about those that are inaccessible." He experimented with

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

s and with apparatus for sending sound and light over distances, and so is regarded a precursor of

and

. In 1877 Ochorowicz elaborated a concept for a monochromatic television, to be constructed as a screen comprising bulbs that would convert transmitted images into groups of light points. In 1878 he published an article "
O możności zbudowania przyrządu do przesyłania obrazów optycznych na dowolną odległość
'" ("On the Possibility of Constructing an Instrument for Transmitting Visual Images at a Distance") which predicted the basic principle of television. Nowy telefon dra J

In 1885, on several occasions, he demonstrated his own improved telephones. In

he connected the Ministry of Posts and Telegraph building with the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

, 4 kilometers distant. Ochorowicz received a French patent for his technolog
(168,569. Brevet de quinze ans , 29 avril 1885 ; docteur Ochorowicz, à Paris , boulevard Saint-Germain , nº 24. - Système téléphonique reproduisant la parole à voie haute.)
and Bruno Abakanowicz produced Ochorowicz's telephones for some 20 years. At the

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

, he set up a connection with

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, 45 km distant. He linked

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, with Bologoye, 320 km distant. His microphone impressed the International Society of Electricians and the French Society of Physics. Ochorowicz conducted experiments at a psychological laboratory that he established at

Wisła Wisła (; ; ) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with the Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in the historical region of ...

, Poland.

Personal life

Ochorowicz married Maria Leszczyńska in 1888. They lived in Warsaw and Paris. She was well-known as a writer, especially on cookery and household hygiene, and as a magazine editor. They were divorced in 1899.

Prus

Julian Ochorowicz was a former

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

secondary-school and

schoolmate of

Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...

, who portrayed him in his 1889 novel, '' The Doll'', as the scientist "Julian Ochocki." Ochorowicz, after returning to Warsaw from Paris, in 1893 delivered several public lectures on

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian

knowledge Knowledge is an Declarative knowledge, awareness of facts, a Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with individuals and situations, or a Procedural knowledge, practical skill. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is oft ...

. These evidently helped inspire Prus to write (1894–95) his sole

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

, ''

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

''. Ochorowicz provided Prus books on

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...

that he had brought back from

. Also in 1893, Ochorowicz introduced Prus to the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Spiritualist, Eusapia Palladino, whom he had brought to

from her

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

istic tour in

. Prus attended a number of

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...

s conducted by Palladino and incorporated several prominent spiritualist-inspired scenes into his 1895 novel ''

''. Ochorowicz hosted Palladino in Warsaw from November 1893 to January 1894. Regarding the phenomena demonstrated at Palladino's

s, he concluded against the spirit hypothesis and for a

hypothesis A hypothesis (: hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations and make a testable and reproducible prediction about reality, in a process beginning with an educated guess o ...

that these phenomena were caused by a "fluidic action" and were performed at the expense of the

's own powers and those of the other participants in the

s. Ochorowicz, with

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" we ...

Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (; 25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France and immunology pioneer. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on anaphylaxis". Riche ...

and

Oliver Lodge Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was an English physicist whose investigations into electromagnetic radiation contributed to the development of Radio, radio communication. He identified electromagnetic radiation indepe ...

, investigated Palladino in the summer of 1894 at Richet's house on the Île du Grand Ribaud in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Myers and Richet claimed that furniture moved during the séances and that some of the phenomena were the result of a supernatural agency.Walter Mann. (1919)
''The Follies and Frauds of Spiritualism''
Rationalist Association. London: Watts & Co. pp. 115-130 However, Richard Hodgson claimed there was inadequate control during the séances and that the precautions described did not rule out trickery. Hodgson wrote that all the phenomena "described could be accounted for on the assumption that Eusapia could get a hand or foot free." Lodge, Myers and Richet disagreed, but Hodgson was later proven correct in the Cambridge sittings as Palladino was observed to have used tricks exactly the way he had described them. After his divorce, he decided to make some changes in his life: he bought a piece of land at

in Poland's mountains, built himself a villa as well as four additional houses for tourists, and proceeded to live on the rentals. About 20 June 1900, Prus and his household arrived to visit. In July Prus traveled to nearby

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, where until the beginning of September he underwent treatments for his multifarious medical complaints by an ophthalmologist, a neurologist, and a physician who treated his thyroid. Monika Piątkowska, ''Prus: Śledztwo biograficzne'' (Prus: A Biographical Investigation),

, Wydawnictwo Znak, 2017, , p. 385. In 1908–9, at Wisła, Ochorowicz studied the

ship of Stanisława Tomczyk. In the latter half of the 19th century,

was not an unusual subject of study for noted

s. A prominent American psychologist who looked favorably on Spiritualism was

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

Bibliography

*
Jak należy badać duszę? Czyli o metodzie badań psychologicznych
' (How Should One Study the Soul? On the Method of Psychological Studies), 1869. * ''Miłość, zbrodnia, wiara i moralność. Kilka studiów z psychologii kryminalnej'' (Love, Crime, Faith and Morality: Several Studies in the Psychology of Crime), 1870. *
Wstęp i pogląd ogólny na filozofię pozytywną
' (An Introduction to and Overview of Positive Philosophy), 1872. *
Z dziennika psychologa
' (From a Psychologist's Journal), 1876. * ''O twórczości poetyckiej ze stanowiska psychologii'' (On Poetic Creativity from the Standpoint of Psychology), 1877. * ''De la Suggestion mentale'', ''deuxieme édition'' (second edition), Paris, Doin, 1889. *
Psychologia, pedagogika, etyka. Przyczynki do usiłowań naszego odrodzenia narodowego
' (Psychology, Pedagogy, Ethics: Contributions toward Our National Rebirth), 1917. Translations:
Ochorowicz, J., ''Mental suggestion, by Dr. J. Ochorowicz ... with a preface by Charles Richet, translated from the French by J. Fitzgerald, M.A.'', New York, Humboldt Publishing Co, 1891.
* J. Ochorowicz, ''Mental Dominance'', New York, Instant Improvement, Inc., 1990. (From the page facing the title page: "This book, irstpublished in French by Idégaf n 1988 is a newly revised edition and was brought up to date by a group of psychologists.")

Notes

References

* "Ochorowicz, Julian Leopold," ''

Polski słownik biograficzny ''Polski Słownik Biograficzny'' (''PSB''; Polish Biographical Dictionary) is a Polish-language biographical dictionary, comprising an alphabetically arranged compilation of authoritative biographies of some 25,000 notable Poles and of foreigner ...

'', vol. 23, pp. 499–505. * T. Cienciała, "''Julian Ochorowicz (1850-1917)''," ''Kalendarz Cieszyński 2002'', Cieszyn, 2001, pp. 222–24. * "Ochorowicz Julian," ''

Encyklopedia Polski This is a list of encyclopedias by language. Albanian Encyclopedias written in Albanian. * '' Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (): published by Academy of Sciences of Albania; ** First Edition (1985; ''FESH'') ** New Edition (2008/09; ''Botim ...

'', Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, p. 453. * Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, ''Bolesław Prus,1847-1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości'' (

: Calendar of Life and Works), edited by Zygmunt Szweykowski, Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1969, pp. 445–53 ''et passim''. * Stanisław Fita, ed., ''Wspomnienia o Bolesławie Prusie'' (Reminiscences about

), Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1962. *

Christopher Kasparek Christopher Kasparek (born 1945) is a Scottish-born writer of Polish descent who has translated works by numerous Polish authors, including Ignacy Krasicki, Bolesław Prus, Florian Znaniecki, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Marian Rejewski, and Wł ...

, "Prus' ''Pharaoh'': Primer on

Power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

", ''

The Polish Review ''The Polish Review'' is an English-language academic journal published quarterly in New York City by the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. ''The Polish Review'' was established in 1956, as a successor of the ''PAU Bulletin''. It ...

'', 1995, no. 3, pp. 331–34. * Monika Piątkowska, ''Prus: Śledztwo biograficzne'' (Prus: A Biographical Investigation),

, Wydawnictwo Znak, 2017, . *

Władysław Tatarkiewicz Władysław Tatarkiewicz (; 3 April 1886 – 4 April 1980) was a Polish philosopher, historian of philosophy, historian of art, esthetician, and ethicist. Early life and education Tatarkiewicz began his higher education at Warsaw University ...

, ''Historia filozofii'' (History of Philosophy), 3 vols., Warsaw,

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i ...

, 1978.

External links

*
"Julien Ochorowitz"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochorowicz, Julian 1850 births 1917 deaths Parapsychologists Scientists from Congress Poland Psychologists from the Russian Empire 19th-century psychologists poets from the Russian Empire Inventors from the Russian Empire Polish psychologists Polish male writers Polish male poets Polish inventors People from Radzymin Academic staff of the University of Lviv 19th-century Polish philosophers 20th-century Polish philosophers Polish positivists Leipzig University alumni