Svidrigailov Effect

The Svidrigailov Effect is a hypothetical phenomenon where a person who is ill, especially physically, is better attuned to their own essence field and those around them. While the hypothesis, often called the Svidrigailov Principle, is well known among arcane scholars, few pay it much attention or operate under the assumption it is true.

Origins
This hypothesis is attributed to 20th-century scholar Archibald Rivers. In his writings, Rivers cites several historical and contemporary accounts from people who were not known magic users, but reported a strange connection with the supernatural in a time of illness. He then argued that these were merely incidents of normally magically inept people becoming temporarily magically sensitive. He named it after a character in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, who made a similar claim that a person becomes closer to the supernatural when their natural body is weakened.

Rivers was not able to experiment on this particular subject, but it is rumored that his heir Mythikos once performed his own research. This research has not yet been shared in academic or public circles.