The art of acquiring, arousing, developing and utilising human magnetism was raised to its peak by Dr. Mesmer. To perpetuate his name, the art he practised and advocated was named Mesmerism. Mesmerism and hypnotism paved the way for the advanced medical science by utilising them in psychiatry. A short history of the art of development of human magnetism and the allied occult sciences is given below:
Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was the pioneer of the promotion of the art of human magnetism. Born in Switzerland, he studied medicine in Vienna and developed the con vincing idea that a man is influenced by some forces from the other parts of the universe, which effected him strongly. His doctoral thesis was entitled, “The Influence of the Planets on the Human Body’ which was in accordance with his belief about astral effect.
Dr. Mesmer was influenced by the theories taught and advocated by a famous Swiss Alchemist, Physician and Mystic, Phillipus Aureolus Paracelsus (1493-1541 A.D.)., who travelled Europe, Asia and Africa for making new discoveries. Paracel sus propounded many new theories and brought a revolutionary change in the minds of the sixteenth century physicians by declaring that minerals such as iron, mercury and sulphur offered better cures for the sick than the then used roots, herbs and plants. He believed that the curative powers of minerals lay in the power of their magnetism as they inherited these pro perties from the heavenly bodies. Thus Paracelsus gave out that a magnet contains medicinal powers and can be used as an effective medicine. He strongly believed that by passing a magnetic force over the diseased organ, cure of various ail ments could be brought about through its magnetic powers. Mesmer was further influenced by the practice of Father Hall, the Jesuit Professor of Astronomy and Court Astronomer to the Empress of Austria, who treated nervous men and women by applying magnets to their bodies as remedial tools. Mesmer had closely watched Hall’s work and was greatly struck by the details of responses given by his patients. Deeply inspired, Mesmer decided to take up study of magnets and to use them on his patients. He experienced wonders in their use.
To quote an instance, ‘Mesmer treated the case of a lady, named Franzl Oesterline aged 29 years, by applying magnets. She complained of suffering fion periodical spells of severe headache followed by delirium, vomiting associated with par oxysms of rage. No medicine could cure her. Mesmer applied his therapy with three magnets to her body-two over each of her legs and the third on her stomach. As soon as the magnets touched her body, she began to twist her body with pain andconvulsions. This condition lasted for a few minutes and thereafter she told Mesmer that she felt as if currents had charged through her body. She was amazed to declare that her pains had gone while previously the attacks lasted for hours together. Next day she was again struck with the same trouble and Mesmer gave the same magnetic treatment again. This time she remained free from her troubles for a longer period. After a few more treatments, her attacks disappeared completely. This gave Mesmer much encouragement and he started using magnets on many patients, for the cure of their diseases and disorders.
Mesmer came in contact with Dr. J.J. Gassner, who posed mysterious motions with his hands while staring into the eyes of his patients. Gassner’s technique was to achieve the same cure with his touch of fingers as Mesmer got with his magnets. Mesmer thought over the position, searched for an explanation and concluded that the effects he had produced with magnets could be obtained by his hand too. So he discarded his magnets and followed the procedure adopted by Gassner. He achieved great success by this method also. The number of his patients so increased that he could not cope with the load of work. Thus his new method of treatment became widely known as mesmerism. The doctors of the contemporary age, specially of the conventional medicine, could not accept the theory and the art of his mesmerism, yet unhappy, nervous, physically-ill men and women used to gather in large number at his mansion as patients for treatment and help..
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), Founder and Master of Homoeopathy, who was a contemporary of Mesmer, con firmed the existence of the dynamic force in mineral magnets after careful experimentation, and advocated the use of the two different poles of the magnet. He also confirmed the effective ness of Animal Magnetism (Mesmerism) and observed that it is a marvelous, priceless gift of God to mankind, by means of which the strong will of a well-intentioned person upon a sick one by contact and even without contact, can bring the vital energy of the healthy mesmerizer endowed with this power another person dynamically (just as one of the poles of a power fit magnetic rod upon a bar steet
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