There he found many French patients who were willing to engage in "Mesmerism." In addition to the magnetic forces, Mesmer also developed techniques to put people in trancelike states he called "crises." Mesmer believed that these crises, whose side effects included convulsion, actually acted as a means of forcing the body fluid back to its proper flow. Mesmer finally left Vienna in 1778, settling in Paris. In addition, while there were patients who had been "cured" by Mesmer, there were many who had not been, and with the encouragement of the established medical profession they began to threaten legal action. Other physicians were especially harsh toward Mesmer and his practices, and they actually tried to bring him up on charges of fraud. Nonetheless, Mesmer attracted a considerable following and his practice became quite lucrative.īy 1775, Mesmer had revised his animal gravitation theory, renaming it "animal magnetism." He believed that magnets were not necessary after all the passing of hands over the body were enough to create the necessary magnetic forces. Most scientists consider this to be nothing more than quackery, and eighteenth-century Austrians were equally skeptical. Today, some advocates of alternative medicine make use of magnets, which, worn or passed over the body, are said to restore balance or harmony and thus thwart disease. Mesmer concluded that people did not need to rely on planetary gravitational pull rather, they could manipulate their health through the use of any magnetic force. Mesmer also believed that there was a specific though unidentifiable fluid-like substance occurring in nature that channeled this gravity. It was in his doctoral dissertation that he described his theory of "animal gravitation," in which health in humans is affected by the gravitational pull of the various planets. He soon changed his mind and instead worked toward a medical degree, which he received in 1766. He did not begin college until he was 25, and when he first enrolled at the University of Vienna he planned to study law. (?).The son of a forester, Mesmer was born on May 23, 1734, in Iznang, in the German province of Swabia. Mesmer and animal magnetism: A chapter in the history of medicine. Propositions concerning animal magnetism, by Anton Mesmer, 1779 Available: The discovery of the unconscious: The history and evolution of dynamic psychiatry. Mesmer's magnetic therapy was considered to be a "natural" treatment - under the mistaken assumption that animal magnetism really exists - whereas Gassner's exorcism was preternatural.Įllenberger, H. For example, Mesmer debated one of the most famous exorcists of the late 18th century, Father J. Nevertheless, he was instrumental in helping to pave the way from a supernatural model of mental illness to a better understanding of it. Mesmer, who truly believed in his treatment, was devastated, and he spent his remaining years living quietly. It concluded that animal magnetism isn't real and called Mesmer a mystic and a fanatic. In 1784, the Society of Harmony was commissioned by the king of France to study animal magnetism. At first, he used magnets, but later he came to believe that the touch of a healer with a strong magnetic force could accomplish the same thing. Mesmer claimed that it is possible to redistribute a person's force field to restore him or her back to health. Animal magnetism is a supposed force field surrounding persons it is assumed to be evenly distributed in healthy individuals and unevenly distributed in unhealthy individuals. The debate was covered by the press, and during the controversy the term animal magnetism was coined. Magnetic therapy became popular, and a dispute ensued about whether Hell or Mesmer was the first to use it. He continued to have success with other patients. Mesmer then tried magnetic therapy as a last resort with one of his patients, with success. In the early 1770s, Maximillian Hell, a Jesuit priest, told Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician, about how he had cured people using a magnet. Psychology History Timeline Animal magnetism Definition:Īccording to Franz Mesmer, a force field surrounding persons, evenly distributed in healthy individuals and unevenly distributed in unhealthy individuals.
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