Lang, Dr. William

Lang, Dr. William (1852–1937)

Dr. William Lang was an eminent eye specialist and skilled surgeon who, after death, became the spirit guide of George Chapman. Lang was born in England in 1852, and became a highly regarded ophthalmologist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He published several works concerning diseases of the eye. Lang died in 1937.

Ten years after his death, twenty-six-year-old medium and psychic healer George Chapman started speaking with Lang’s voice while in trance. Eventually Lang took full control of Chapman’s body and performed psychic surgery on patients. When Lang took over, Chapman’s eyes would be tightly closed and he assumed a slightly stooped stance. He spoke in a high pitched, quavery voice recognized as Lang’s by the doctor’s associates and other people who knew him when alive. Lang normally had a warm, friendly manner but in the operating room his commands were short and crisp and he would peremptorily snap his fingers to indicate which instrument he needed. Chapman worked in exactly the same manner, though without any physical instruments.

The spirit of Lang examined the body of a patient, diagnosed the problem, and performed the operation through the body of George Chapman. Chapman’s hands would move about an inch away from the body before him. The patient remained fully clothed and no actual surgical instruments were used. A witness said, “I had seen Dr. Lang make about sixty stitches after operating, but without touching the patient. When I told [the patient] this she could not believe it. She said she felt every move that was made. The stitching was very apparent to her, though not painfully so, as she had felt the flesh drawing together.”

Lang’s son Basil assisted with the “operations”. In conversation with Robert W. Laidlaw of the American Society for Psychical Research, Lang explained that Basil was being trained, from the spirit world, to take over after Chapman dies.

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