Clara E. Speight-Humberston
Canadian research scientist, scientific writer
About Clara E. Speight-Humberston
Lived 1862 – 1936 (aged 73). Clara E. Speight-Humberston was a Canadian research scientist, scientific writer, writer and scientist.
Clara E. Speight-Humberston (, Speight; after marriage, Clara E. Speight-Humberstone, Clara E. Speight-Humberston' , or Clara E. Speight-Humberston; 1862–1936) was a Canadian research scientist whose research focused on mathematics, chemistry, spiritism, and biology. was born on May 8, 1862, in Acton West, Halton County, Ontario. Her parents were Samuel Drake and Elizabeth (Van Vlack) Speight.
She was educated in public schools,
Career In her early career, Humberston taught school.
Her early education and training did not include knowledge or desire to engage in research work. Her father was a great lover of nature and prepared a rare collection of birds, which he gave to his daughter for a wedding present (1881). She began to take a special interest in science study after marriage.
The spherical bacteria cell : the constructor of the earth and her life through the radioactive construction of electro-magnetic particles (1906), brought her into prominence before the scientific world. The book demonstrated the fact that the hydrogen atom as a unit weight in the world of chemistry was duplicated in the world of life as the Spherical Bacteria Cell. Four months later, J. J. Thomson, Professor at London University, proved experimentally the unit weight of the hydrogen atom in nature's constructions, something unimagined in the world of chemistry before this.
Humberston gained considerable prominence as lecturer on "The Origin of Form" as an evolutionary process of life, her description of "An Ice Storm" as a word picture, being equal to anything ever given from a public platform (The Mail and Empire, Toronto). and the topic, "Armageddon", as presented at the Blue Moon Tea Room, under auspices of the Edmonton lodge of the Theosophical Society. At her lecture on "Auto Suggestion" (Star Theatre, Kitchener, Ontario, 1923), Humberston stated that Prof. Émile Coué had practised this method of healing by autosuggestion for the past eight years and has only sprung into prominence recently because of the interest taken by wealthier people, although he had practised for a number of years among the poorer classes of Paris. She stated that as scientists and scholars came to understand more and more of Coue's auto-suggestion, they would be able to abolish disease. She further stated that this theory of auto suggestion as practised by Coue was not a religious cult, and that our bodily systems were controlled by the unconscious or subconscious part of our mind. She also dwelt briefly on Einstein's theory of relativity, stating that Einstein was able to confound the scientific world through his knowledge of the Kabbalah and Zohar, and that the secret knowledge of the origin of life as outlined in it was through the secret code known only to Hebrews.
Humberston transmitted a very large number of communications to the Société astronomique de France on diverse subjects, such as: magnetic system of space and time; the action of sunlight on plants; spatial origin of form; and Flammarion's mathematical calculation. These communications, like all those addressed to the society, were retained in the society's Archives. In 1925, she became a member of the society upon the recommendation of the society's founder, Camille Flammarion. The Woman's Canadian Club (Edmonton), Toronto Theosophical, and Canadian Red Cross. Five generations of the Humberstone family created pottery in Ontario.
The couple had one son and one daughter.
After a lengthy illness, Clara Speight-Humberston died in Toronto on April 25, 1936, with internment at St. John's Cemetery, York Mills.
Selected works
As Clara E. Speight-Humberstone The spherical bacteria cell : the constructor of the earth and her life through the radioactive construction of electro-magnetic particles, 1906 (text via Internet Archive) As Clara E. Speight-Humberston' The origin of the chemical elements and of cell life, 1914 (text via Internet Archive) As Clara E. Speight-Humberston Spiritism, the hidden secret in Einstein's theory of relativity, 1922 (text via Internet Archive) The Spacial Origin of Man The Mathematics of Immortality (published posthumously, London, England)
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Important facts
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Mrs. Simeon Thomas HumberstonePeople in Clara E. Speight-Humberston's life
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Clara E. Speight-Humberston?
Canadian research scientist, scientific writer (1862-1936)
When was Clara E. Speight-Humberston born?
Clara E. Speight-Humberston was born on 8 May 1862.
When did Clara E. Speight-Humberston die?
Clara E. Speight-Humberston died on 25 April 1936.
What was Clara E. Speight-Humberston's occupation?
Clara E. Speight-Humberston was a research scientist, scientific writer, writer and scientist.
What nationality was Clara E. Speight-Humberston?
Clara E. Speight-Humberston was Canadian.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Clara E. Speight-Humberston
· DBpedia: Clara E. Speight-Humberston
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Clara E. Speight-Humberston. https://biography.guide/clara-e-speight-humberston/
MLA: "Clara E. Speight-Humberston." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/clara-e-speight-humberston/.
Chicago: "Clara E. Speight-Humberston." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/clara-e-speight-humberston/.
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