Franz Mesmer: biography of this pioneer of hypnosis

We review the life and work of Franz Mesmer, a controversial pioneer of therapeutic hypnosis.

Although it is still a practice questioned by many experts, hypnosis has become a useful method for enhancing the effects of psychotherapy in cases of insomnia, Smoking and even post-traumatic stress disorder. However, in its beginnings hypnosis was an unscientific procedure whose mechanism was not even known by those who used it.

For a long time hypnosis was known as "mesmerism" in honor of Franz Mesmer, the physician who popularized this technique.the physician who popularized this technique. In this article we will explain what mesmerism consisted of and what were the peculiar hypotheses on which its creator was based. In addition we will make a brief review of the development of hypnosis after Mesmer.

Who was Franz Mesmer?

Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer was born in Iznang, a village in southwestern Germany, in 1734. Although he had previously studied theology and law, he received his doctorate in medicine from the University of Vienna with a thesis entitled "On the Influence of the Planets on the Human Body"; it is believed that in it he partially plagiarized the work of the physician Richard Mead.

In his thesis Mesmer argued that the gravitational forces of the stars played a role in health and disease, intuitively expanding on the work of the physician Richard Mead.He was an intuitive expansion of Isaac Newton's theory of gravity. He would later develop these ideas into the most famous concept of his work: animal magnetism, to which we will dedicate the following section.

At the age of 33, he established himself as a physician in Vienna, but he was not satisfied with the procedures of the time, which he considered aggressive and ineffective. The case of Francisca Österlin, a patient with hysteriaMesmer transferred "animal magnetism" from his body to Mrs. Österlin's using magnets, suppressing her symptoms for a few hours.

From this case Mesmer gained some fame in Vienna, but moved to Paris in 1777 as his abilities were called into question by a gruesome case of psychogenic blindness. In France he trained several disciples and tried to get his methods considered legitimate; he gained both recognition and criticism, and eventually went into exile in Switzerland.

Mesmerism continued after the death of its creator, in 1815, throughMesmerism continued after its creator's death in 1815 through his followers, some of whom were respected physicians. From animal magnetism and the attempts of Mesmer's critics to refute his hypotheses, the field of hypnosis developed, forever tainted by the reputation of its "father".

Animal magnetism hypothesis

Mesmer claimed that living beings have an invisible fluid an invisible fluid, the animal magnetism, which allows the nervous system to function.which allows the nervous system to function and whose imbalance can cause many diseases; therefore, the method to cure them should consist in the manipulation of magnetism.

Thus, Mesmer began to use magnets for the purpose of modifying the concentration of animal magnetism in the affected parts of the body. Specifically, he believed that he could transfer this energy from his body, where it was abundant, to that of his patients. Subsequently, he stopped using magnets and developed more extravagant therapeutic procedures.

According to the thesis of mesmerism, the animal fluid flows through the organism of living beings spontaneously, but sometimes there are blockages in its circulation. Mesmer postulated that diseases could be cured by the induction of "crises" by people with high levels of animal magnetism, like him and his disciples.

Mesmer's hypothesis must be framed in the context in which he lived. In the 18th century it was not uncommon to hear talk of magnetism or of a "universal fluid", since there were still alchemists who held such a belief. Newton's thesis about the existence of the ether, a substance with similar characteristics, was also popular.a substance of similar characteristics.

Mesmer's techniques

Mesmer sat in front of his patients, making the knees of both of them touch, and looked them fixedly in the eyes. He would then rub the patient's arms with his hands and squeeze the patient's belly with his fingers for a long time; sometimes this sometimes provoked therapeutic "crises", e.g. convulsions.. To finish, he played a glass harmonica.

Later, after achieving fame, Mesmer began to apply his treatments to large groups of people - often aristocrats seeking entertainment rather than medicine. In these cases he used a container with iron rods that had to touch the affected part of the body of each person.

In spite of his bizarre methods, Mesmer managed to cure many alterations of psychological origin, mainly in cases of hysteria: although his hypotheses were erroneous, his procedures were effective through self-hysteria. were effective through auto-suggestion, a mechanism that has beena mechanism that has been confirmed by scientific research.

From mesmerism to hypnosis

After Mesmer's death, the effects of mesmerism would come to be attributed to the control of the patients' behavior. However, physicians such as John Elliotson and James Eisdale resorted to Mesmer's methods. to treat psychogenic disorders or to anesthetize his patients; the latter use became irrelevant with the advent of chemical anesthetics.

The passage from magnetism to hypnosis is attributed to James Braida Scottish surgeon who coined the term "hypnotism". Braid asserted that the state of hypnosis depended on the physical and mental conditions of the patient, and not on an abstract magnetic fluid; nevertheless, the effectiveness of mesmerism in some alterations seemed undeniable to him.

On the other hand, there were also those who followed the tradition of magnetism, mainly to cure physical illnesses. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the profession of "magnetizer" existed.people who used magnets or gestures similar to those of Mesmer based on his pseudoscientific proposals.

Because of the weakness of Mesmer's hypotheses, the hypnotists who succeeded him were discredited by the scientific community. To a large extent this position is maintained to this day, despite the fact that hypnosis has been validated by science as a supportive therapeutic tool. has been validated by science as a supportive therapeutic tool..

Bibliographical references:

• Leahey, T. H. (2004). History of Psychology, 6th Edition. Madrid: Pearson Prentice Hall.

• Pattie, F.(1994). Mesmer and Animal Magnetism. Hamilton: Edmonston Pub.