Look into my eyes.......

In Paris in 1778 Franz Anton Mesmer, a German physician, pitched his theory, a revolutionary one, to the French Academy of Science .

His claim was that all life in the known universe contained an invisible fluid, which he called Animal Magnetism. This he had analysed flowed invisibly around the bodies of humans and all creatures and if harnessed could serve to cure illness and general maladies.

He had put his theory into practice in the fashionable salons of Paris inviting the wealthy classes in particular to be subjected to the application of magnetised rods and cords which would direct the fluid away from afflicted parts of the body.

Mesmer himself would use magnetised wands and also play on a glass harmonica which caused participants to experience a shiver down their nerves.

A key piece of equipment in the Salons or seances was a large circular wooden  tub where the treatments would take place. The upper classes would have their own tub but Mesmer was committed to providing the same facility for the poor on a twice weekly basis.

Those sat inside the tub were then touched by rods pushed through perforations to induce the powers to heal.

Many drawn to the sessions developed convulsions, began speaking in tongues, collapsing in fits and with group hysteria common. There were reported cures for toothache, paralysis, gout and even blindness.

The process developed further with attendees forming circles, holding hands and grasping cords between themselves to transfer healing energies. The power of the mind could control and direct the superfine fluid of animal magnetism and Mesmer would through stroking or passing movements bring about cures and miraculous revivals of health.

The business opportunities were not overlooked by the founder of this apparently sensational approach to medical issues and he taught initiates for what was the extortionate sum for the time of 100 Livres. They were sworn to a vow of secrecy. Many aristocrats signed up to the franchise.

The salons were over-subscribed and Mesmer even took to the streets with the magnetising of a tree to allow individuals to connect to the trunk and boughs by trailing cords.

The mass popularity of the therapy and the ensuing mass hysteria were widely satirised . Faced with ridicule and being discredited Mesmer insisted that his theory be assessed on a formal basis by the highest scientific authorities, hence the involvement of the Academy of Sciences.

It was a hands on and practical investigation. Seances were observed and individuals interviewed. The eminent members of the Academy witnessed convulsions and even subjected themselves to experiments. Mesmer had intentionally magnetised a number of objects to assist in his practices but when the panel conducted a similar exercise the findings did not produce anything to support the claims.

The overall summary was damning to the future operations of Mesmer in that it gave the opinion that everything was down to the power and persuasion of the imagination through auto-suggestion and drama.

This judgement seemed to persuade the physician to leave the sceptics of the French Capital and little is known of him after the early years of the 19th Century. Many later studies of his work attributed the reactions of patients to hypnosis and as a lasting legacy the term Mesmerism is widely used although in a context of disbelief and the supernatural.