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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal magnetism | 3/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_magnetism | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:33:45.147761+00:00 | kb-cron |
Doctor: They have refused to grant me a diploma—forbid me to practice as a physician, and all because I don't know a parcel of insignificant words; but exercise my profession according to the rules of reason and nature; Is it not natural to die, then if a dozen or two of my patients have died under my hands, is not that natural? ... Although the doctor's obsession with the use of animal magnetism, not merely to cure but to force his ward to fall in love with him, made for a humorous storyline, Inchbald's light-hearted play commented on what society perceived as threats posed by the practice. De Mainanduc brought animal magnetism to England in 1787 and promulgated it into the social arena. In 1785, he had published proposals to the ladies of Britain to establish a "hygean society" or society of health, by which they would pay to join and enjoy his treatments. As both popularity and skepticism increased, many became convinced that animal magnetism could lead to sexual exploitation of women. Not only did the practice involve close personal contact via the waving of hands over the body, but people were concerned that the animal magnetists could hypnotize women and direct them at will.
Having removed all misconceptions, foretelling of the future, explicit or implicit invocation of the devil, the use of animal magnetism is indeed merely an act of making use of physical media that are otherwise licit and hence it is not morally forbidden, provided it does not tend toward an illicit end or toward anything depraved. (The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office: 28 July 1847.)
== Political influence == The French Revolution catalyzed existing internal political friction in Britain in the 1790s; a few political radicals used animal magnetism as more than just a moral threat but also a political threat. Major politicians and people in power were accused by radicals of practising animal magnetism on the general population. In his article "Under the Influence: Mesmerism in England", Roy Porter notes that James Tilly Matthews suggested that the French were infiltrating England via animal magnetism. Matthews believed that "magnetic spies" would invade England and bring it under subjection by transmitting waves of animal magnetism to subdue the government and people. Such an invasion from foreign influences was perceived as a radical threat.
== Mesmerism and spiritual healing practices == During the Romantic period, mesmerism produced enthusiasm and inspired horror in the spiritual and religious context. Though discredited as a medical practice, mesmerism created a venue for spiritual healing. Some animal magnetists advertised their practices by stressing the "spiritual rather than physical benefits to be gained from animal magnetism" and were able to gather a good clientele from among the spiritually inspired population. Mesmerism has been used in parts of the world as an attempt to treat illness in humans, as well as disease in domestic, farm, circus, and zoo animals. Some authors including Johann Peter Lange and Allan Kardec claimed that the source of Jesus' miracles was animal magnetism. Others, like John Campbell Colquhoun and Mary Baker Eddy, denounced the comparison. Mary Baker Eddy went so far as to claim animal magnetism "lead[s] to moral and to physical death."
== Professional magnetizers == In the Classical era of animal magnetism, the late 17th century to the mid-19th century, there were professional magnetizers, whose techniques were described by authors of the time as particularly effective. Their method was to spend prolonged periods "magnetizing" their customers directly or through "mesmeric magnets". It was observed that in some conditions, certain mesmerizers were more likely to achieve the result than others, regardless of their degree of knowledge.
== In literature == Ursule Mirouët, an 1841 novel by Honoré de Balzac, features a character who converts to Christianity in part because of an experience with animal magnetism. Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 short story "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is based on the premise that a person could be mesmerised at the moment of death. Poe published the work without explicitly stating that it was fictional, leading some readers to believe it was a true account. In another Poe work, "Some Words with a Mummy", characters are stated to detail facts of phrenology and animal magnetism to an ancient mummy who was revitalized. Nathaniel Hawthorne's writings show his curiosity with mesmerism, particularly his 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables, in which Alice and later Phoebe are apparently mesmerised by members of the Maule family. Aldous Huxley's 1962 novel "Island". References Professor John Elliotson and animal magnetism as a way to perform painless surgery without anaesthesia. Mesmerism/Magnestism/Hypnosis are themes running throughout the book. Used primarily as a tool to enhance independent thought within the population. Axel Munthe's 1929 book of memoirs "The Story of San Michele". A lightly embellished biography of Dr Axel Munthe and his history around owning Villa San Michele in Ana Capri; with a series of completely unsubstantiated fanciful references to Charcot and mesmerism in chapter XIX, "Hypnotism". William Faulkner's 1930 novel “As I Lay Dying” references animal magnetism in a brief chapter in which the character Cash explains his rationale for the design of the wooden coffin he built for his mother Addie. Robert Browning's poem "Mesmerism" was published in 1855. It describes the experience of violent passion for a woman. In after years, Ezra Pound wrote a poem of the same name, acknowledging his debt to Browning while gently mocking the poet's obscure style. Ambrose Parry’s crime novel (under the joint pen-name of authors Christopher Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman), “Voices of the Dead” (2023) is concerned with Mesmerism in mid-19th century Edinburgh and its impact on the medical establishment of the time.