ABSTRACT
Psychopathological epidemics are found in the intelligent stratum of society, but in a different form. There probably could be found those who will primarily blame the ignorance of the rude masses of the population, their cultural backwardness, for the development of these epidemics and those conditions have an unquestionable influence on the development of psychopathological epidemics like the ones considered. The Spiritualists’ belief in spirits, in the possibility of communication with them and in the existence of ways to learn the past, the future, and the inaccessible present with the help of spirits—all this spiritual dogmatism is extraordinary similar to the dogmatism of the Skoptzy, Khlysts, and Malevannists. Probably everybody remembers with what monstrous power mysticism began to develop in the intelligent part of our society and how quickly a real spiritual epidemic began to develop simultaneously with it.
