The ghost of Helioth and his stereoscope: the return of a phantom

Among the myths surrounding the invention of the stereoscope, that of Helioth stands as a supreme example of shoddy scholarship and its subsequent dissemination. Helioth was said to have made a simple stereoscope before Wheatstone presented his mirror stereoscope to the public in 1838. There is no evidence of Helioth's existence prior to a report in the mid-twentieth century, and despite attempts to dispel his ghost it has recently resurfaced.