35. Animal Magnetism.—This strange doctrine begins to acquire considerable vogue in France, and other European countries, from which it seemed to have been expelled, by the contempt and ridicule which it met with, from most of the learned of the latter part of the last century. Anthony Mesmer, the great chorœgus of the magnetic mummers, was born in 1733, and excited a vast deal of attention, by the enormous pretensions which he set forth on the subject of magnetism. Mesmer came from Austria to Paris in 1778. He addressed the Academy of Sciences, and that of Medicine, but no attention was paid to him, till a commission was appointed to examine carefully into the merits of the question. This commission in 1784, so fully exposed the fallacy of Mesmer's theories and practice, that he soon afterwards quitted Paris, and retired to England under a feigned name. He subsequently went to Germany, and died in obscurity, in the year 1815.
In December last, M. Husson (for himself, and MM. Adelon, Burdin, Marc, and Pariset,) read a report to the Royal Academy of Medicine, on the question, whether it was fitting for the section to undertake new researches on animal magnetism, as it had been thought to be definitively settled by the decisions of 1784. The report concluded affirmatively, for several reasons; among which the principal seems to be, that magnetism has at present fallen into the hands of the learned, whereas it was formerly under the domain only of quacks and the vulgar.
M. Husson's report was discussed at subsequent sittings of the Academy, for the purpose of ascertaining whether a new commission should be appointed; and as this topic is certainly one of the greatest novelties of the day, we shall give some account of the discussions, making free use of the report of them, contained in the Revue Medicale, Mars. 1826.
M. Desgenettes, declared against the appointment of a commission, because he considered the magnetism of the present day, quite as much a matter of jugglery as that of 1784; and he informs us, that the publicity given to the report, had already increased the audacity of the magnetisers, who look on it as an approbation of their art.
M. Virey, regretted that the report had not spoken in strong terms, against the ridiculous practices, and shameful jugglery, which disgrace the cause of magnetism; he wished the committee had announced an intention, to make only physiological, or psychological researches, on the influence, which magnetism really appears to exercise on the nervous system; and gave his voice for the formation of a commission of experiments.
M. Bally, voted against it for several reasons, and among others, because of the fact announced by all the magnetisers, that the person who magnetises, acquires a sovereign power over the magnetisee; and he inferred from this, all the inconvenient and even dangerous consequences which may result to public morals!—Finally, he voted against it, because magnetism is ridiculed every where, because it is all darkness and confusion, and especially, because it being an inexhaustible mine of empiricism, the section ought not to lay open such a fertile field for those gentry who live by quackery.
M. Orfila, (eheu!) defended the propositions of the reporters. It is opposed, said he, on the three grounds following: 1st. Because the section has not been invited to the examination now recommended. 2nd. Because magnetism is nothing but juggling. 3d. Because commissions will not commonly do any work. The first ground is not correct: M. Foissac, a physician of Paris, has invited our attention to it, and offered to subject a magnetic somnambulist to its exploration; and very reputable physicians, members of the Academy, MM. Rostan, (the ramollissement man, is his head soft too?) and Georget, have in their recent publications called the attention of the learned to this subject. Secondly, if there be any jugglery, in the magnetic phenomena we are told of; it is nevertheless certain, that the whole of them are not simulated. The testimony of well taught physicians, ought to be received on this head. That the phenomena are extraordinary, is no argument; for those of electricity must have been quite as marvellous, at the period of their discovery, &c. &c.
M. Double, blamed the report as being nothing more than an apology for magnetism, which is tarred with the same stick as that of 1784, and only modified a little, by the esprit de notre temps, &c. &c. He said he had made magnetism a special subject of study, and never saw a phenomenon produced by it.——He thinks the commission could only do injury to science, and compromit the Academy, &c. &c. He would vote against the appointment, and advised the section to wait until some scientific memoirs should be sent to it.
M. Laennec, agreed with M. Double, because after studying the subject for twenty years, he is satisfied, that it is almost nothing but deception and juggling; although, when he commenced the study, he was prejudiced in its favour. According to M. Laennec, among the magnetic influences, there are several, attributable to the impressions, which one individual naturally makes on another in correlation with him; and he cited a mistake, which he saw committed by a somnambulist woman. She was magnetised by two persons, one of whom was handsome, but anaphrodisiac, the other ugly, yet possessing in integrity, the genital faculties. She received no impression, except from the first individual; so that the impression which this female had received by the organs of vision, before the experiment, superseded that, which the pretended magnetic sense ought to have made on her. He thinks, the academy ought to observe the magnetisers, but what he has seen, has convinced him, that nine-tenths of the facts in magnetism are supposititious. The phenomena effected by magnetism, and the oracles uttered by the somnambulist, vary with every magnetiser. Mesmer excited convulsions; Deslin effected crises, such as are seen in diseases. The somnambulists of Mr. Deleuze, a learned man, are much better taught than those of Puysegur, who is ignorant of the sciences, and finally, Mr. Laennec has seen a somnambulist under the direction of a pharmacien, who was quite distinguished, by the art with which she compounded the medicines, she recommended. The discussion was now adjourned to the next sitting.
On the 24th of January, it was resumed.