Mesmer

Abstract

This introductory article provides a brief outline of Mesmer's life and the main influences on his work. His theory, that a gravitational influence from sun and moon affected not only the tides but periodicity in physiological functioning, led him to investigate the use of magnets, which also operated at a distance and which might channel this universal fluid and lead to modification in a patient's condition. It was but a short step to discover that magnets were unnecessary because the fluid appeared to be transmissible from one person to another and to lead to a variety of therapeutic effects. His conviction in the correctness of his theory, coupled with a charismatic personality, led him to encounter enthusiasm and opposition over the course of the 10 years that elapsed between his first treatment of a patient by magnetic therapy and his dénouement at the hands of the Franklin Commission.