The device designed by Duncan MacDougall to measure the weight of the soul included which of the following?

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Prepare for UCF ANT3026 Mummies, Zombies, and Vampires: Anthropology of the Undead Exam 2. Practice with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each offering hints and detailed explanations. Excel in your test!

The device designed by Duncan MacDougall to measure the weight of the soul is notably characterized by a setup that included a cot, wooden supports, and a scale. MacDougall's experiments in the early 1900s aimed to determine whether the soul has weight, and his methodology involved placing a patient on a specially designed cot equipped with a sensitive scale to record any changes in weight at the moment of death. The inclusion of wooden supports was necessary to stabilize the cot and the scale, ensuring accurate measurements. Therefore, the correct answer encompasses all these elements, as each component played a crucial role in the functioning of the apparatus he used for his controversial experiments. By combining all of these components, MacDougall believed he could scientifically measure the weight lost at the time of death, which he attributed to the soul departing the body.