Schepis, Giovanni (1894-1963)

Italian official who experimented in the field of parapsychology. He was born on June 3, 1894, at Catania, Italy, and studied at the University of Rome. He was a lecturer in statistics at the University of Rome for many years (1936-63). In 1963 he became the director of the mechanographic center of Italy's Department of Elections, of the Ministry of the Interior. In 1937 he co-founded and became the first general secretary of the Società Italiana de Metapsichica. He went on to become its president (1959-63). Schepis conducted mass experiments in telepathy using radio and television. He also studied the personality of sensitives, but made his major contribution with his work on the statistical approach to parapsychological experiments. He published a number of papers in various Italian journals. He died December 1, 1963.

Sources:

Schepis, Giovanni. "La Esplorazione delle Percezioni ExtraSensoriali col Metodo Statistico" (Exploring extrasensory perception by statistical methods). Notiziario di Metapsichica (March 1949).

——. "I 'Poteri magici' e l'Uomo Normale" ("Magical powers" and the normal man). Ulisse (October 1948).

——. "La Parapsicologia in Italia e la scienza ufficiale: Anno Zero" (Parapsychology in Italy and official science: The year zero). Studies and Problems of Parapsychology (1961).

——. "Questioni di Metodo in Parapsicologia" (Questions of method in parapsychology). Revista de Parapsicologia (April-June 1955).

——. "Un Nuovo Campo di Applicazione del Metodo Statistico: Lo Studio dell' effetto detto di ESP" (A new field for the application of statistical methods: The study of so-called extrasensory perception). Proceedings, Società Italiana di Demografia e Statistica (1947).