Franz Mesmer: The 18th-Century Physician Who Convinced Europe of Animal Magnetism

Franz Mesmer, an 18th-century German physician, rose to fame with his theory of animal magnetism, a quasi-scientific healing method that captivated European elites before being debunked by a royal commission. Born into a poor German family, Mesmer studied theology and medicine in Austria, developing his ideas from his dissertation on the healing powers of stars and planets. He proposed that a magnetic fluid surrounds all bodies and that illness results from imbalances in this fluid. His seances, featuring hand passes, magnets, and metal rods, attracted patients across Europe, including Marie Antoinette and Mozart. In 1778, after a scandal in Vienna involving a failed cure and rumors of affairs, Mesmer moved to France, where he gained royal favor. However, in 1784, a commission led by Benjamin Franklin conducted blind tests proving that mesmeric effects were placebo-driven. Discredited, Mesmer continued practicing in Switzerland until his death in 1815. His legacy influenced Spiritualism and hypnotherapy, and his methods were later seen as precursors to alternative medicine and cult-like practices.