23 Facts About Franz Mesmer

Franz Mesmer theorized the existence of a process of natural energy transference occurring between all animate and inanimate objects; this he called "animal magnetism", later referred to as mesmerism.

Franz Mesmer supported the arts, specifically music; he was on friendly terms with Haydn and Mozart.

Franz Mesmer was born in the village of Iznang, on the shore of Lake Constance in Swabia.

Franz Mesmer was a son of master forester Anton Mesmer and his wife, Maria Ursula.

Evidence assembled by Frank A Pattie suggests that Mesmer plagiarized most of his dissertation from other works, including De imperio solis ac lunae in corpora humana et morbius inde oriundis by Richard Mead, an eminent English physician and Newton's friend.

In 1774, Franz Mesmer produced an "artificial tide" in a patient, Francisca Osterlin, who suffered from hysteria, by having her swallow a preparation containing iron and then attaching magnets to various parts of her body.

Franz Mesmer reported feeling streams of a mysterious fluid running through her body and was relieved of her symptoms for several hours.

Franz Mesmer did not believe that the magnets had achieved the cure on their own.

Franz Mesmer felt that he had contributed animal magnetism, which had accumulated in his work, to her.

Franz Mesmer soon stopped using magnets as a part of his treatment.

In 1775, Franz Mesmer was invited to give his opinion before the Munich Academy of Sciences on the exorcisms carried out by Johann Joseph Gassner, a priest and healer who grew up in Vorarlberg, Austria.

Franz Mesmer said that while Gassner was sincere in his beliefs, his cures resulted because he possessed a high degree of animal magnetism.

Franz Mesmer found only one physician of high professional and social standing, Charles d'Eslon, to become a disciple.

In 1779, with d'Eslon's encouragement, Franz Mesmer wrote an 88-page book, Memoire sur la decouverte du magnetisme animal, to which he appended his famous 27 Propositions.

Franz Mesmer aimed to aid or provoke the efforts of Nature.

Franz Mesmer made "passes", moving his hands from the patient's shoulders down along their arms.

Franz Mesmer then pressed his fingers on the patient's hypochondrium, sometimes holding his hands there for hours.

The most sensible effects are produced on the approach of Franz Mesmer, who is said to convey the fluid by certain motions of his hands or eyes, without touching the person.

The commission conducted a series of experiments aimed not just at determining whether Franz Mesmer's treatment worked, but whether he had discovered a new physical fluid.

Franz Mesmer was driven into exile soon after the investigations on animal magnetism.

Franz Mesmer continued to practice in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, for a number of years.

In Gregory Ratoff's 1949 film Black Magic, Franz Mesmer was portrayed by Charles Goldner.

In Roger Spottiswoode's Franz Mesmer, he was portrayed by Alan Rickman.