Eric Dingwall

Eric Dingwall
Eric Dingwall (middle) in 1923.
Occupation	Anthropologist, psychical researcher

Eric John Dingwall (1890–1986) was a British anthropologist and psychical researcher.

Born in British Ceylon he moved to England where he was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge (M.A., 1912), and the University of London (D.Sc., PhD). He wrote popular books on sexology. He became interested in paranormal phenomena in 1921 and served from 1922 to 1927 as a research officer for the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).

Dingwall was described as an eccentric by those who had known him. From 1947 he worked as an assistant keeper in the British Museum, cataloguing private case material of erotica. He co-edited the four-volume set Abnormal Hypnotic Phenomena (1967–68). The set was described in a review as of considerable historical interest and well written. His book Racial Pride and Prejudice received positive reviews. His books on artificial cranial deformation and infibulation also received positive reviews.

Dingwall was nicknamed "Dirty Ding" due to his interests in erotica and sexual customs.

He was the Honorary vide-president for The Magic Circle and a founding member of its Occult Committee.

In the 1920s and 1930s Dingwall travelled widely in Europe and the United States to investigate mediums. He has been described as a "sceptical enquirer" and a psychical investigator who "spent many years exposing fraud and unscientific practices among psychical researchers."

He co-wrote the skeptical book Four Modern Ghosts (1958) with Trevor H. Hall which gave rationalistic explanations for alleged supernatural phenomena such as the Yorkshire Museum Ghost and Harry Price's Rosalie materialization séance. In his book Critics Dilemma (1966), Dingwall supported Hall's criticism of the spiritualist William Crookes and the medium Florence Cook.