Animal magnetism

Animal Magnetism is the name for a electromagnetism analog force on people of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was propagated. The term derives from the Latin animal (Eng. creature, creatures, animals ). Mesmer himself also spoke of " animal magnetism ". The derived method of healing that began even hypnosis techniques learned in the meantime lot of public attention. She was a contemporary of considerable medical and humanities importance and was rejected but increasingly since the mid 19th century. Follow-up techniques have marginal importance in alternative medicine and esoterics area.

Genesis

Medical use of magnets was widely used in medicine to Mesmer's time. Eight years after his dissertation dealt with Mesmer on July 28, 1774 for the first time the 29 -year-old " spinster Oesterlin " with magnets. " The worst states for her were that the blood ungestümm penetrated the head, and most terrible tooth and ear pain caused, which were associated with madness, rage, vomiting and fainting ," he reported. He undertook a treatment experiment in which he attached to it during an attack steel magnet. The temporary absence of symptoms after this very painful treatment but he did not lead back to the magnet, but due to a spontaneous inspiration on another, invisible force. The concept of animal magnetism he used for the first time when he noted that his role is a cyclical pattern in the complaints. He explained this by a "kind of ebb and flow, which occasioned the bestial magnetism in the body ."

Mesmer hoped to revolutionize medicine with his theory. But He laid a quasi-religious, in the literature of his critics partially described as delusional certainty about the correctness of his theory of the day, with which he immunized himself against criticism.

Terms of animal magnetism

1771 Mesmer believed to have discovered what they were looking unsuccessfully in medical research of past centuries: a central agent of the human organism to control nerves, muscles and body fluids.

The invisible principle of it fluid, all- flood or fire of life ( because of its ability to melt blockages ) above principle, the universe and all organisms should flood. In the human body there Am working " incorporated by the currents of the general cash through the nerves to the inner organism of muscle fever and determine their chores ." This principle should be directed by appropriate means or through the contacts by appropriate healer ( magnetizers ). This seemed to be the key to salvation, because the stagnation of circulation was the cause of all diseases for Mesmer. This will only be released through a healing crisis, which is why all magnetic healing methods have been aimed to create such a crisis artificially.

Mesmer's theory in the context

In his concept of animal magnetism Mesmer takes on popular science topics of his time, such as electricity, gravity and magnetism. As the history of ideas predecessor Mesmer are often Paracelsus and the English physician Robert Fludd (1574-1637) stated during the preliminary work for the magnetic cure the polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), a Jesuit priest, is attributed, already covered by a mineral and a animal magnetism spoke. Great similarity is also evident with the Scottish physician William Maxwell (Medicina magnetica, 1679 ), and its panvitalistischer idea that the soul is a spirit of life, overcome the physical limitations. He also talked about his own invention of cures with magnetic water. However, Mesmer denied having read Maxwell.

Mesmer himself was referring to Isaac Newton. This had propagated a force of attraction between all masses ( gravitational ) and was thereby assumed a kind of ether. Similarly, Mesmer presupposed an ether, of that very fluid, in which forces between living bodies interact.

His starting point was discovered in the 18th century, the fact that certain arrangements of various metals and liquids produce a fluidum, the nerves and muscles exhausted. Without knowledge of the electromagnetic phenomena attacked Mesmer and other scientists back to " vitalistic " models: they assumed to have found an invisible " stuff of life ", which flows through the body and can also be sent by appropriate medial talented people. Could not be ruled Indian and Chinese ideas that already were in vogue in the big cities of Europe at that time. At least that is the idea of living substance, which flows through the body, identical with the Indian concept of prana and the Far Eastern idea of chi.

From then current, to the Swiss physician Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777) declining theory that increased mechanical or electrical tension of nervous diseases trigger ( today we speak of the " over -stressed nerves " ) developed Mesmer the idea that his fluid in patients could be unevenly distributed and that he would try to compensate for this. ( Maybe this model has its roots already in the ancient humoral pathology. However, the four humors are not identical to the one animal magnetism, but just four kinds of shapes such as bile and blood which will shape the character of the people because of their mixing ratios. )

In summary, the theory of how they conceived Mesmer set forth in Karl Christian Wolfart ( mesmerism ). You should explain and underpin the practice of Mesmer remedies.

" 1 It is done by hand the first application by the same over the fallen into stagnation part which makes commonly perceived by a light inside the hand warmer noticeable, leads and can linger allda. "

Mesmer's way of treatment

Mesmer began to transfer the magnetic healing streams on the help seekers following processes: laying, air dashes ( French: passport ). For the magnetization of several people at the same time he developed vats with magnetized fluid (French: baquets ).

Treatment success by magnetic healing streams

The Karlsruhe Physics Professor Johann Lorenz Boeckmann issued in 1787 publishes the journal Archives of magnetism and somnambulism in eight volumes, in which he documented case histories from Baden, Württemberg, Bremen and abroad, and treatment success by magnetic healing currents. The Berlin Medical Professor Karl Christian Wolfart was 1811 out the medical-surgical weekly Askläpieion in which he also described success in healing of magnetism.

Reactions to Mesmer's theory

Its already been rejected by a number of contemporary theory and he developed treatment methods (magnetic treatment ) are both referred to as mesmerism, the application as a healing magnetism. The animal magnetism had enormous intellectual history effect and influenced, among others, Schelling's philosophy of nature. Mesmerism plays a paradoxical role in the history and long-delayed recognition of anesthesia. Until 1847, the use of nitrous oxide as a party drug and the resistance against Mesmer delayed today largely with hypnosis effects methods declared the entry of anesthesia in conventional medicine. Then an attempt was made mesmerism to escape with the now scientifically recognized inhalation anesthesia the ground. The orthodox medicine accepted the anesthesia so only at a time where the mesmerism threatened to become a serious competitor.

Healing method

1784 declared a scientific commission of the French government, which included, among others, Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier and Benjamin Franklin, mesmerism invalid. His cures were the product of the imagination of the patients ( in today's terminology, a " placebo effect " ) and imitation. Only the botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu published a minority report, which expressed a positive opinion on Mesmer's method; However, it was not based on a fluid, but on the transfer of body heat.

After Mesmer had retired took over his pupil, the French nobleman Marquis de Puységur, the public treatments and found countless imitators. Regardless of scientific judgment of mesmerism under the French and German upper class remained very popular. Several schools and professional societies were founded in 1780-1790. Under Napoleon he was indeed suppressed as noble occultism, but came immediately after Napoleon's fall again to blossom. In Germany he went into the main flow of romance and romantic science.

Since the mesmeric healing approach has gesellschaftsutopisches potential ( the common experience of the fluid should produce feelings of solidarity and enable them to social action ), his ideas appear also in the social policy discourse. Mesmer himself advocated an explicit application of his theory on social conditions and published in 1814 a draft constitution for Switzerland. The core values ​​of the plant were harmony and naturalness, especially the ability to set the mood of nature. An important role should play pedagogy and medicine. Also founded by Mesmer secret order of harmony and the social circle of mesmerists (harmonic companies) saw themselves as the basis of social development. 1816 were in Berlin and Bonn each established a Department of Animal Magnetism.

The Catholic Church declared mesmerism 1856 " dangerous error ".

Effect on the intellectual history

The animal magnetism flowed into numerous philosophical approaches. According to Peter Sloterdijk can Schelling's philosophy of nature be understood as a comprehensive rationalization of animal magnetism. Schopenhauer wrote positively and addressed in the context of his metaphysics of the will with the topic. Friedrich Schlegel devoted himself in his diaries detail the magnetic treatment of a Viennese countess. And also Johann Gottlieb Fichte was devoted to the area and took part in meetings of the magnetic Professor Karl Christian Wolfart in Berlin. Dietrich Georg Kieser, who used also with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe personal contact, trying to put the animal magnetism on a scientific basis - in the sense of the romantic philosophy of nature. He saw in him the " telluric force " ( " general power of terrestrial life " ) at work ( see figure). Mesmerism is processed Literary amplified in the Romantic era and its dominated by spirits and belief in miracles of the world. Played a role probably also has the proximity of the hypnotic state of consciousness to the dream, which at that time was awarded a special meaning. Works in which appears the animal magnetism, include The Facts in the Case Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe, The magnetizer of ETA Hoffmann, Cathy of Heilbronn by Heinrich von Kleist, Mesmerisque Revelations of Edgar Allan Poe, Mario and the Magician by Thomas man, The Other Side by Alfred Kubin and The Magic Tree of Peter Sloterdijk. In Mozart's opera Così fan tutte wily Despina occurs as a doctor and cured by means of a magnet, which she claims to have received from Dr. Mesmer who played sufferings of the alleged suicide of heartache, Ferrando and Guglielmo. Per Olov Enquist's early novel The fifth winter of the magnetizer interweaves historical and fictional sources to the magnetic healing arts. The German rock band Scorpions produced an LP album with the suggestive title, Animal Magnetism in 1980.

Mesmerism today

Mesmer's theory and / or methods of living in different directions on today:

• Occultism: In spiritualistic practices Mesmer's theory is given as a basis, although this was a declared enemy of spiritual healing and self- scholarship took to complete.
• Alternative medicine and parapsychology: Since 1980, systematic research devoted to the field of parapsychology including the doctrine of Mesmer and declared him to be a pioneer of scientific parapsychology since his publications were based on observations and experiments.
• Psychology and psychosomatic medicine: since one had recognized the power of suggestion as the actual active principle of Mesmerschen methods soon, were further explored this by Charcot and Freud, among others, and are now considered hypnotherapy part of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Suggestive techniques have also been included in the psychosomatic medicine, is now regarded as a link between Paracelsus and Freudian psychoanalysis in the intellectual history of mesmerism.
• Usage: In the English language the verb "to mesmerize " for " be-/verzaubern ", " move to spell" ( communicative, charismatic tie ) and " hypnotize " needed.