Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, was a treatment theory and practice promoted by German physician Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. It posited the existence of an invisible natural force, called Lebensmagnetismus, possessed by all living things, including humans, animals and vegetables, which Mesmer claimed could produce physical effects, including healing, and which he applied to patients as a clinical treatment. It is now regarded as a pseudoscientific theory.
Facts
Classification
StatusDiscontinued or Obsolete 1 Origin YearSourced to the subject's own account FAQs
Did anyone test Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism?
A 1784 French royal commission accepted that the cures happened but found no evidence for the magnetic fluid.
Yes. French royal commissions studied Mesmer's magnetic fluid theory in 1784 to try to establish it by scientific evidence. The commission agreed that the cures Mesmer claimed were real cures, but it concluded there was no evidence that his magnetic fluid existed. It attributed the effects to the imaginations of the subjects or to charlatanry.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Animal Magnetism (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead section, paragraph on its influence
It had an important influence in medicine for about 75 years from its beginnings in 1779, and continued to have some influence for another 50 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_magnetism, lead section
Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, is a pseudoscientific theory promoted by German physician Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. It posits the existence of an invisible natural force (Lebensmagnetismus) possessed by all living things, including humans, animals, and vegetabl
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