In 1926, about a decade and a half after his Dr. Phileas Immanuel series, Victor Rousseau created Dr. Martinus. Martinus is Dutch-born, but like Rousseau's previous occult physicians, resides in New York. Unlike Drs. Immanuel and Brodsky, Martinus seems more interested in investigating occult phenomena, rather than in treating patients--though he does some of that, too. He is "Watsoned" by his research assistant, an ex-newspaper reporter named Branscombe.
Dr. Martinus and Branscombe scrutinize a "possessed" child.
Source: Internet Archive
I've posted the first Martinus story on the project page:
- Child or Demon—Which?: Dr. Martinus investigates the case of an infant whose personality and development have dramatically altered. The child has taken a violent dislike to his own mother. Mrs. Adrian fears that her child's condition is due to a curse from her late older sister. Is the child possessed? Is Mrs. Adrian's sister the cause?
(Note that the story uses outdated and ableist terminology for the developmentally disabled.)
The Martinus stories are a bit of a departure from Rousseau's two previous occult researcher series. This may be due to the long interval of time that elapsed between when Rousseau created Brodsky and Immanuel, and when he created Martinus.
What if Spiritualism Were Real? #
The Dr. Martinus series explores the question: what if Spiritualism (as popularly understood) were real? What if mediums were genuine, ectoplasmic manifestations were possible, and seances could put us in contact with the dead? In the Martinus series, Rousseau constructs a theory about how such a spiritualism might work, and how it might jibe with other occult beliefs and practices.
This theory differs from the more reincarnation-based spiritualisms of Drs Brodsky and Immanuel. Note that Immanuel in particular was sceptical of seances and "spirits reaching out from beyond;" similarly, Brodsky seemed to consider that seances were of, at best, limited utility. Martinus, on the other hand, seems to accept that the spirits of the departed can retain some semblance of their living personality; reincarnation doesn't play much of a role in his spiritualistic theories.
In this sense, the Martinus series is arguably less original than the previous two, more solidly in the middle of the popular pulp taste. The stories even have a bit more of a horror flavor than those of the previous two series. But they're still quite fun.
The Stories #
The Martinus stories--five short tales and a six part novella--appeared in Ghost Stories Magazine between October 1926 and May 1928. Ghost Stories presented its tales as "true" first person narratives, so the magazine credits the first story as "by Eugene Branscombe, as told to Victor Rousseau" (sometimes, the actual author didn't even get credit, so Rousseau lucked out).
While there are several issues of Ghost Stories online at the Internet Archive and various pulp repositories, I was only able to find two Martinus stories (well, three, but posting only the first installment of a six-part novella seems cruel). I've posted the first, and I'll post the second soon. I hope you enjoy them.
I'll also give publication information for the remaining stories on the project page. If you should happen to uncover a heretofore undiscovered cache of Ghost Stories in an attic or basement somewhere, keep an eye out for the missing issues. And please, let me know!