Animal magnetism
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Animal magnetism (French: magnétisme animal; Latin: magnetismum animalem), in its most common usage today, refers to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. But the term originally uniquely signified an entirely different referent: a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium that resided in the bodies of animate beings (i.e., those who breathe), as postulated by Franz Mesmer. The term translates Mesmer's magnétisme animal. Mesmer chose the word "animal" to distinguish his supposed vital magnetic force from those referred to at that time as mineral magnetism, cosmic magnetism and planetary magnetism.
Animal magnetism and science controversy
In it's simplest form, the better a person feels about himself, the better people feel around him, which creates a magnetic presence. The controversy with science is about whether this is due to body language, voice tone and language or whether there is an level of communication that goes beyond body language through a magnetic fluid. Science tends to view human beings as isolated systems, to which the empirical law of conservation of energy applies. However, isolated systems do not exist in real life according to the official definition: Truly isolated physical systems do not exist in reality (except perhaps for the universe as a whole), because, for example, there is always gravity between a system with mass and masses elsewhere.
There are several gray zones in science about the energetic, magnetic or emotional inter-connectedness between people. First, 96% of the mass of the Universe is void and 99.99999% of our atoms is void, yet science does not yet understand the structure of this void. Second, science officially uses the classical laws of physics and quantum physics but is unable to make the theories work together. These laws still work most of the time but cannot explain black holes as both classical physics and quantum physics apply to black holes at the same time. Finally, scientists have detected black holes within every atoms and within light, which opens many new doors to science.[1]
There is no scientific evidence proving that there is not an energetic and emotional connection between people, although there is no scientific explanation either. On the other hands, every religion around the world says that we are all connected.
"Mesmerism"
A tendency emerged amongst British magnetizers to call their clinical techniques mesmerism in order to distance themselves from the magnetic-fluid-centered theoretical orientation of animal magnetism. Some mesmerists attempted to channel what they thought was a magnetic "fluid"; and, sometimes, they attempted this with the laying of hands. Reported effects included various feelings: intense heat, trembling, trances, and seizures.[2]
However, many scientific practitioners - such as French physician, anatomist, gynecologist, and pupil of Joseph Philippe François Deleuze (1753–1835), Théodore Léger (1799–1853), who had moved to Texas around 1836—found the label "mesmerism" to be "most improper".
Noting that, by 1846, the term Galvanism had been replaced by electricity, and seemingly unaware that Mesmer himself never used the term mesmerism, Léger argued that:
MESMERISM, of all the names proposed [to replace the term animal magnetism], is decidedly the most improper; for, in the first place, no true science has ever been designated by the name of a man, whatever be the claims he could urge in his favor; and secondly, what are the claims of Mesmer for such an honor? He is not the inventor of the practical part of the science, since we can trace the practice of it through the most remote ages; and in that respect, the part which he introduced has been completely abandoned. He proposed for it a theory which is now [viz., 1846] exploded, and which, on account of his errors, has been fatal to our progress. He never spoke of the phenomena which have rehabilitated our cause among scientific men; and since nothing remains to be attributed to Mesmer, either in the practice and theory, or the discoveries that constitute our science, why should it be called MESMERISM?[3]
Royal Commission
The existence of Mesmer's magnetic fluid was scientifically examined by a French Royal Commission set up by Louis XVI in 1784. The Commission included Majault, Benjamin Franklin, Jean Sylvain Bailly, J. B. Le Roy, Sallin, Jean Darcet, de Borey, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, Antoine Lavoisier, Poissonnier, Caille, Mauduyt de la Varenne, Andry, and de Jussieu.
Whilst the Commission agreed that the cures claimed by Mesmer were indeed cures, the commission also concluded there was no evidence of the existence of his magnetic fluid, and that its effects derived from either the imaginations of its subjects or through charlatanry.[4]
Mesmerism and hypnosis
Abbé Faria was one of the disciples of Franz Anton Mesmer who continued with Mesmer’s work following the disapproval of the Royal Commission. In the early 19th century, Abbé Faria introduced oriental hypnosis to Paris. Faria conducted experiments to prove that “no special force was necessary for the production of the mesmeric phenomena such as the trance, but that the determining cause lay within the subject himself;” in other words, that it worked purely by the power of suggestion.[5]
Hypnosis originates from the practice of Mesmerism, being an attempt at what the surgeon James Braid described as "rational mesmerism". Braid based his methods of hypnotism directly on the practice of Mesmerism, but applied a more rational explanation for how the process worked.[6] The term “hypnotism” was coined and introduced by Braid.[7]
The vital fluid and the practice of animal magnetism
A 1791 London publication explains the Mesmer’s theory of the vital fluid :
“Modern philosophy has admitted a plenum or universal principle of fluid matter, which occupies all space; and that as all bodies moving in the world, abound with pores, this fluid matter introduces itself through the interftices and returns backwards and forwards, flowing through one body by the currents which issue therefrom to another, as in a magnet, which produces that phenomenon which we call Animal Magnetism. This fluid consists of fire, air and spirit, and like all other fluids tends to an equilibrium, therefore it is easy to conceive how the efforts which the bodies make towards each other produce animal electricity, which in fact is no more than the effect produced between two bodies, one of which has more motion than the other; a phenomenon serving to prove that the body which has most motion communicates it to the other, until the medium of motion becomes an equilibrium between the two bodies, and then this equality of motion produces animal electricity.”
According to an anonymous writer of a series of letters published by the editor John Pearson in 1790, Animal magnetism can cause a wide range of effects ranging from vomiting to what is termed the “crisis.” The purpose of this treatment (the crisis) was to shock the whole body into convulsion in order to remove obstructions in the circulatory system that was causing sicknesses.[9] Furthermore, the anonymous supporter of animal magnetism purported that the crisis created two effects on the patient including a hypnotic state in which the patient was “possessed of his senses, yet cease to be an accountable creature” and the patient would have “unobstructed vision” being able to see through objects.[10] A patient under crisis was believed to be able to see through the body and find the cause of illness in themselves or in other patients.
The Marques of Puységur’s miraculous healing of a young man named Victor in 1784 supports this treatment of the crisis. The Marques was able to hypnotize Victor and while hypnotized, Victor was said to have been able to speak articulately and even diagnose his own sickness.
Social Skepticism during the Romantic Era
The study of animal magnetism spurred the creation of the Societies of Harmony in France where members pay to join and learn the practice of magnetism. Dr. John Bell was a member of the Philosophical Harmonic Society of Paris and was certified by the society to lecture and teach animal magnetism in England.[11] The existence of the societies transformed animal magnetism into a secretive art. Practitioners and lecturers did not reveal the techniques of the practice on the basis that members of the societies paid valuable money for instruction. It was unfair to reveal the practice at the expense of those who invested in the knowledge.[12] Although the heightened secrecy of the practice contributed to the skepticism of the practice, many supporters and practitioners of animal magnetism touted the ease and possibility for everyone to acquire the skills to perform animal magnetism.[13]
The popularization of animal magnetism was as equally denounced and ridiculed by newspaper journals and theatre during the Romantic Era. Many deemed animal magnetism to be nothing more than a theatrical falsity or “quackery.” In a 1790 publication, an editor presented a series of letters written by an avid supporter of animal magnetism and included his own thoughts in an appendix stating: “No fanatics ever divulged notions more wild and extravagant; no impudent empiric ever retailed promises more preposterous, or histories of cures more devoid of reality, than the tribe of Magnetisers.” [14]
The novelist Elizabeth Inchbald wrote the farce titled “Animal Magnetism” in the late 1780’s. The comedic plot revolved around multiple love triangles and the absurdity of animal magnetism. In the following passage from the play Animal Magnetism, the exclamation of the character the Doctor reflects the silliness of the practice: “Doc: 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? …” [15] 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 lighthearted play commented on the real societal threats perceived by the practice.
Dr. 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.[16]
As popularity and skepticism grew, 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 body parts but many were also concerned with the ability of animal magnetists to hypnotize women and direct them at will.
Political Influence
The French revolution fueled existing internal political friction in Britain in the 1790’s and a few political radicals used animal magnetism as more than just a moral threat but also a political threat. In his many lectures that warned society against government oppression, Samuel Taylor Coleridge states:
“William Pitt, the great political Animal Magnetist,…has most foully worked on the diseased fancy of Englishmen …thrown the nation into a feverish slumber, and is now bringing it to a crisis which may convulse mortality!” [17]
Major politicians and people in power were accused by radicals to be practicing animal magnetism on the general population.
In Roy Porter’s article “Under the Influence: Mesmerism in England”, he notes James Matthew Tilly’s accusations of French infiltration into 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.[18] The invasion from foreign influences was also a radical threat.
Mesmerism and spiritual healing practices
Mesmerism shares with practices such as reiki and qi gong a concept of life force or energy. However, the practical and theoretical positions of such practices are on whole substantially different from those of mesmerism.
During the Romantic period, Mesmerism produced enthusiasm and inspired horror in the spiritual and religious context. Though discredited as a credible medical practice by many, mesmerism nonetheless 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.[19]
Notes
- ^ "Trous noirs : ils les recréent en laboratoire." Science & Vie, vol. 1114, July 2010, pp. 98-105.
- ^ Connor C. (2005). A People's History of Science, pp. 404-5. Nation Books.
- ^ Léger, 1846, p.14.
- ^ The term "animal magnetism" is also occasionally employed in the context of Christian Science to describe unheeded mental influences, malicious or ignorant, resting on its subjects' belief in them.
- ^ Hull, Clark L. Hypnotism in Scientific Perspective. The Scientific Monthly 29.2 (1929): p. 156.
- ^ Gilles de la Tourette. The Wonders of Animal Magnetism. The North American Review 146.375 (1888): p.131-132.
- ^ Hull, Clark L. Hypnotism in Scientific Perspective. The Scientific Monthly 29.2 (1929): p. 156.
- ^ Wonders and mysteries of animal magnetism displayed; or the history, art, practice, and progress of that useful science, from its first rise in the city of Paris, to the present time. With several Curious Cases and new Anecdotes of the Principal Professors. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1791): p.11-12
- ^ Pearson, John. A plain and rational account of the nature and effects of animal magnetism: in a series of letters. With notes and an appendix. By the editor. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1790): p.12
- ^ Pearson, John. A plain and rational account of the nature and effects of animal magnetism: in a series of letters. With notes and an appendix. By the editor. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1790): p.13-15
- ^ Bell, John, Professor of Animal Magnetism. The general and particular principles of animal electricity and magnetism, &c. in which are found Dr. Bell's secrets and practice, AS Delivered To His Pupils In Paris, London, Dublin, Bristol, Glocester, Worcester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, &c. &c. Shewing how to Magnetise and Cure different Diseases; to produce Crises, as well as Somnambulism, or Sleep-Walking; and in that State of Sleep to make a Person eat, drink, walk, sing and play upon any Instruments they are used to, &c. to make Apparatus and other Accessaries to produce Magnetical Facts; also to Magnetise Rivers, Rooms, Trees, and other Bodies, animate and inanimate; to raise the Arms, Legs of a Person awake, and to make him rise from his Chair; to raise the Arm of a Person absent from one Room to another; also to treat him at a Distance. All the New Experiments and Phenomena are explained by Monsieur le Docteur Bell, Professor of that Science, And Member of the Philosophical Harmonic Society at Paris, Fellow Correspondent of M. Le Court de Geblin's Museum; and the only Person authorised by Patent from the First Noblemen in France, to teach and practise that Science in England, Ireland, &c. Price Five Shillings. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. [London](1792): p.2
- ^ Pearson, John. A plain and rational account of the nature and effects of animal magnetism: in a series of letters. With notes and an appendix. By the editor. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1790): p.6
- ^ Wonders and mysteries of animal magnetism displayed; or the history, art, practice, and progress of that useful science, from its first rise in the city of Paris, to the present time. With several Curious Cases and new Anecdotes of the Principal Professors. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1791): p.16
- ^ Pearson, John. A plain and rational account of the nature and effects of animal magnetism: in a series of letters. With notes and an appendix. By the editor. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1790): p.37
- ^ Inchbald, Elizabeth. Animal Magnetism. p. 9
- ^ Wonders and mysteries of animal magnetism displayed; or the history, art, practice, and progress of that useful science, from its first rise in the city of Paris, to the present time. With several Curious Cases and new Anecdotes of the Principal Professors. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. London (1791): p.7
- ^ Requoted from: Fulford, Tim. Conducting and Vital Fluid: The Politics and Poetics of Mesmerism in the 1790s. Studies in Romanticism 43.1 (2004): pg.1
- ^ Porter, Roy. UNDER THE INFLUENCE: MESMERISM IN ENGLAND. History Today 35.9 (1985): pg.28
- ^ Fara. An attractive therapy: animal magnetism in eighteenth-century England. History of science 33 (1995): pg:142
See also
References
- Leger, T. [sic], Animal Magnetism; or, Psycodunamy, D. Appleton, (New York), 1846 [N.B. author is Théodore Léger (1799—1853)].