The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass, also referred to as the snail telegraph, was a device built to test the hypothesis that snails create a permanent telepathic link when they mate.
this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
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thanks for sharing this. Fun to read
They claimed that this method would work instantly, wirelessly, over any distance, and be more reliable than a telegraph.
This was not the first attempt to create a form of sympathetic communication. There are stories of Rosicrucians cutting pieces off the flesh of their arm and transplanting it with another person, with the alphabet tattooed on the flesh. By using a magnetized needle to prick the letters they wished to communicate, telepathy would be achieved. It was upon these stories that Benoit built his theory. William Brooke O'Shaughnessy is one prominent telegrapher who experimented with using human skin to send and receive messages.
🤦
"Les escargots non sympathiques."
😂
The device also provided inspiration for the Japanese manga series One Piece, which includes Den Den Mushi 'transponder snails' that function as telephones, fax machines, and surveillance cameras.
The device was developed by French occultist Jacques-Toussaint Benoît (de l'Hérault)
a man from a culture that considers snails not only edible, but a délice 🤷