Albert de Rochas


Eugène Auguste Albert de Rochas d'Aiglun was a French parapsychologist, historian, translator, writer, military engineer and administrator.

Biography

Life and career

Rochas was born in Saint Firmin in the department of Hautes-Alpes, the son of Marie Joseph Eugène de Rochas d'Aiglun, a judge at the court in Briançon, and of Félicité Camille Jayet. He studied literature and mathematics at the Lycée de Grenoble, then, in 1857, entered the École Polytechnique in Paris, intending to follow a military career.
In 1861, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Military Engineers and distinguished himself as a soldier, engineer and administrator. He rose to the rank of battalion commander in 1880 and was made chief of engineers in 1887. He retired from the military in 1888 as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He had also been inspector of studies and director at the École Polytechnique but had to resign due to his involvement in paranormal research activities.
Rochas was made a Chevalier in the Legion d'Honneur in 1875 and an officer in 1889.

Scientific writing

As a scholar, he made significant contributions to the study of military engineering history, producing, for example, a French translation of an 11th-century Alexandrian treatise on fortification and machines of war called Veterum Mathematicorum Opera, and publishing the correspondence of the distinguished 17th century military engineer, Vauban. He also wrote about ancient technology, exploring subjects as diverse as hydraulic organs, water clocks, ancient surveying instruments, temple machinery, Greek artillery, and ancient railways. He was well respected as a researcher and won a medal from the "Société des Études Grecques" for his translations of Greek texts.

Paranormal research

Rochas is now best known for his extensive parapsychological research and writing, in which he attempted to explore a scientific basis for occult phenomena. His first book on the subject, Les Forces non définies, was followed by numerous books and articles over the course of nearly thirty years, on subjects such as hypnotism, telekinesis, "magnetic emanations" reincarnation, spirit photography, etc.
Rochas was part of the committee that investigated the famous Italian medium, Eusapia Palladino, detailed in his book, L'extériorisation de la motricité. He carried out research into hypnosis, and documented the phenomenon of "externalisation of sensibility" whereby hypnotised subjects acquire a physical sensitivity to stimuli at a distance; for example, the subject can be made to feel pain if a certain spot is pinched or pricked away from the body and can even be made to feel the sensations of the hypnotist. He investigated other "magnetic" phenomena such as the transference of disease from one organism to another, past life regression, the effects of music on human emotion, etc. He also introduced the French public to the work of Carl Reichenbach and his theory of odic force.

Parapsychology books

  • ', G. Masson, Paris, 1882.
  • ', G. Masson, Paris, 1887.
  • Le Fluide des magnétiseurs, précis des expériences du Baron de Reichenbach sur ses propriétés physiques et physiologiques, classées et annotées par le lieutenant-colonel de Rochas d'Aiglun of, G. Carré, Paris, 1891.
  • ', Chamuel, Paris, 1892.
  • L'Envoûtement, documents historiques et expérimentaux, Chamuel, Paris, 1893.
  • ', Chamuel, Paris, 1893.
  • ', Bibliothèque Chacornac, Paris, 1895.
  • ' Chamuel éditeur, Paris, 1896
  • La Lévitation, P.-G. Leymarie, Paris, 1897.
  • , Grenoble Lib. Dauphinoise, 1900.
  • Les Frontières de la science, Librairie des sciences psychologiques, Paris, 2 volumes, 1902-1904.
  • L'Extériorisation de la motricité, Bibliothèque Chacornac, Paris, 1906.
  • Les Vies successives, documents pour l'étude de cette question, Bibliothèque Chacornac, Paris, 1911.
  • La Suspension de la vie, Dorbon aîné, Paris, 1913.

Scientific books

  • Les Vallées vaudoises, étude de topographie et d'histoire militaires, Tanera, Paris, 1880.
  • , Tanera, Paris, 1881.
  • La Science dans l'antiquité. Les Origines de la science et ses premières applications, G. Masson, Paris, 1884
  • Le Livre de demain, Raoul Marchand, Blois, 1884.
  • Vauban, sa famille et ses écrits, ses oisivetés et sa correspondance : analyse et extraits, Berger-Levrault, Paris, 2 volumes, 1910

Scientific articles

The following articles are available to read online. See index of volumes at .Les Pneumatiques de Héron d'Alexandrie La Nature, no. 421, 25 June 1881.Les trépieds merveilleux d'Homère, La Nature, no. 444, 3 Dec 1881.Les bénitiers à tirelire et à tourniquet dans les temples de l'ancienne Égypte - La Nature - no. 460 - 23 Mar 1882.Comment nous sont parvenus les ouvrages scientifiques de l'antiquité - La Nature - no. 463 - 15 April 1882.Les théâtres de marionnettes chez les Grecs - La Nature - no. 464 - 22 Apr 1882.Les orgues hydrauliques - La Nature - no. 481 - 19 Aug 1882Le transport des grandes masses. Transport du piédestal de la statue de Pierre le Grand à Saint-Pétersbourg - La Nature - no. 491 - 28 Oct 1882.L'automate joueur d'échecs - La Nature - no. 494 - 18 Nov 1882.Le décapité buvant - La Nature - no. 495 - 25 Nov 1882.La catoptrique des Grecs - La Nature - no. 498 - 16 Dec 1882Le joueur d'échecs de Robert Hondin - La Nature - no. 503 - 20 Jan 1883Les origines de l'industrie - La Nature - no. 505 - 3 Feb 1883Mesureur de liquides, système Héron - La Nature - no. 507 - 17 Feb 1883Les origines de la machine à vapeur - La Nature - no. 509 - 3 Mar 1883Les instruments de géodésie dans l'antiquité - La Nature - no. 511 - 17 Mar 1883La tête qui parle et s'évanouit en fumée - La Nature - no. 513 - 31 Mar 1883La production du feu - La Nature - no. 520 - 19 May 1883La pompe à incendie dans l'antiquité - La Nature - no. 522 - 2 June 1883L'artillerie des Grecs - La Nature - no. 523 - 9 Jun 1883La science dans l'antiquité. Un jouet grec. La machine pneumatique et la fontaine de compression. Les hodomètres. Les théâtres à pivot de Curion. Les lampes perpétuelles. Les vases merveilleux - La Nature - no. 525 - 23 June 1883La science dans l'antiquité : Les hodomètres - La Nature - no. 526 - 30 June 1883La machinerie des temples antiques - La Nature - no. 528 - 14 July 1883Les miroirs ardents - Revue scientifique- 11 Aug 1883La trempe du bronze - Revue scientifique- 22 Sep 1883Le transport des grandes masses : transport d'un clocher - La Nature - no. 540 - 6 Oct 1883Les savants de la Renaissance - La Nature - no. 551 - 22 Dec 1883Les machines d'assaut - La Nature - no. 553 - 5 Jan 1884Les savants de la Renaissance. Le Père Schott - La Nature - no. 580 - 12 July 1884L'art industriel à Blois : fabrication de la faïence - La Nature - no. 585 - 14 Aug 1884Les horloges hydrauliques de l'antiquité - La Nature - no. 587 - 30 Aug 1884Les boulettes contre la faim et les conserves alimentaires chez les Grecs - La Nature - no. 605 - 3 Jan 1885Crapaud trouvé vivant dans une pierre - La Nature - no. 606 - 10 Jan 1885La suspension de la vie - La Nature - no. 607 - 17 Jan 1885L'audition colorée - La Nature - no. 620 - 18 Apr 1885Le rayon vert et l'équerre chromatique - La Nature - no. 634 - 25 July 1885L'audition colorée - La Nature - no. 644 - 3 Oct 1885Le truc des anciens oracles - La Nature - no. 651 - 21 Nov 1885Le timbre et la couleur - La Nature - no. 658 - 9 Jan 1886L'origine du langage - La Nature - no. 668 - 20 Mar 1886Le contraste des couleurs - La Nature - no. 668 - 27 Mar 1886L'or alchimique - La Nature - no. 674 - 1 May 1886L'expression des sentiments - La Nature - no. 694 - 18 Sep 1886Une construction pélasgique contemporaine - La Nature - no. 800 - 29 Sep 1886Cadran Lunaire - La Nature - no. 830 - 17 Apr 1889Les cosaques de l'Oural - La Nature - no. 874 - 1 Mar 1890L'alpinisme d'hiver et les raquettes de neige - La Nature - no. 884 - 10 May 1890Les origines de la machine à vapeur et de l'utilisation mécanique de la chaleur solaire - La Nature - no. 917 - 27 Dec 1890Les races de pigeons voyageurs - La Nature - no. 922 - 31 Jan 1891La notation des couleurs - La Nature - no. 925 - 21 Feb 1891Le réseau de colombiers militaires en Europe - La Nature - no.941 - 13 June 1891L'origine des grandes bibliothèques scientifiques de Paris - La Nature - no. 976 - 13 feb 1892La soupe au blé de Vauban - La Nature - no. 982 - 26 Mar 1892Les coquilles de pèlerin - La Nature - no. 1028 - 11 Feb 1893Charlet et l'enseignement du dessin aux ingénieurs - La Nature - no. 1050 - 15 July 1893Les refuges souterrains de la gaule - La Nature - no. 1053 - 5 Aug 1893Les uniformes de l'école polytechnique - La Nature - no. 1078 - 27 Jan 1894Centenaire de l'école polytechnique - La Nature - no. 1093 - 12 May 1894Le sens des couleurs - La Nature - no. 1145 - 11 May 1895Les pigeons voyageurs et la mer - La Nature - no. 1150 - 15 June 1895La vitesse des pigeons voyageurs - La Nature - no. 1153 - 6 July 1895Le vieux-neuf, la vapeur et la chaleur solaire - La Nature - no. 1175 - 2 Dec 1895Le rire du chien - La Nature - no. 1185 - 22 Feb 1896Le colonel Langlois et les panoramas - La Nature - no. 1202 - 13 June 1896Le Vieux Neuf. Les cuirassés en étoffe - La Nature - no. 1234 - 12 June 1897La mimique enseignée par l'hypnotisme - La Nature - no. 1373 - 14 Sep 1899La musique et le geste - La Nature - no. 1374 - 23 Sep 1899Les muscles expressifs de la face - La Nature - no. 1391 - 20 Jan 1900Vauban - Revue scientifique- 1st, Sep 1900Une lettre inédite de Vauban - La Nature - no. 1464 - 15 June 1901La médaille française - La Nature - no. 1431 - 16 Mar 1901Les enseignes - La Nature - no. 1519 - 3 July 1901Les rainures des chemins antiques - La Nature - no. 1683 - 26 Aug 1905
The articles in these papers are published under the names of A. de Rochas or M. D'Aiglun Lt-Colonel de Rochas.