Animal Magnetism

Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, refers to a theory proposed by German physician Franz Anton Mesmer in the late 18th century, positing an invisible universal force or “magnetic fluid” present in all living beings that could be manipulated for healing. Mesmer claimed this force, influenced by celestial bodies, flowed through humans, animals, and plants, and imbalances caused illness; treatments involved passes of the hands or magnets over patients to restore harmony.

Historical Development

Mesmer developed the concept from experiments with iron magnets and his 1766 doctoral thesis on planetary influences, evolving “animal gravitation” into animal magnetism by 1779. It gained popularity in Europe, spreading to England via practitioners like de Mainaduc, but faced skepticism over potential exploitation during trance-like states. A 1784 French royal commission, including Benjamin Franklin, debunked it as imagination and suggestion rather than a physical fluid.

Modern Interpretations

Today, animal magnetism is recognized as a precursor to hypnosis and hypnotherapy, with its trance states resembling modern suggestibility under hypnosis. Colloquially, the term describes personal charisma or sex appeal, detached from its pseudoscientific origins.

Animal Magnetism: History, Theory, Science, and Legacy of a Controversial Force

Few concepts in the history of science straddle the boundaries between medicine, mysticism, psychology, and performance quite like animal magnetism. Introduced in the late 18th century by the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer, the term once promised a revolutionary healing force: a universal fluid that flowed through all living beings, whose imbalances could be corrected by a skilled practitioner.

While modern science discredits the literal existence of such a fluid, the ideas of mesmerism seeded entire fields—including hypnosis, psychotherapy, psychosomatic medicine, mind-body research, and even modern understandings of the placebo effect.

This article explores animal magnetism in full depth: its origins, mechanisms, scientific investigations, cultural transformations, and the enduring psychological truths hidden within its mystical veneer.

1. Origins of the Concept

1.1 Mesmer’s Early Influences

Franz Mesmer (1734–1815) studied medicine in Vienna and was influenced by:

Newtonian physics (the idea of invisible forces acting at a distance)
Renaissance occultism
Theories of biofluids and humors
Astronomical influences on the human body

He initially proposed “cosmic gravitation”—the idea that the planets influenced health through invisible currents. This evolved into the more biologically focused animal magnetism, named after the Latin anima (soul or breath of life).

1.2 The Theory of a Universal Magnetic Fluid

Mesmer believed:

All beings are infused with a subtle, physical fluid.
Illness results when this fluid becomes blocked or imbalanced.
The healer uses magnetic energy (sometimes via magnets, but often simply through hand movements) to restore flow.
Symptomatic “crises” such as tremors or convulsions indicated the body was expelling illness.

His method included:

“Passes”—dramatic sweeping motions of the hands
Direct staring or touch
Group treatments using a large tub called the baquet, filled with iron filings and glass bottles purported to channel magnetic force

2. Mesmerism Sweeps Europe

2.1 Social and Cultural Appeal

Animal magnetism spread rapidly in late 18th-century salons. It appealed because it:

Offered treatments outside traditional medicine
Was experiential and theatrical
Fit Enlightenment-era fascination with invisible forces
Gave patients a sense of agency and emotional expression

Magnetized rooms often included:

Dim lighting
Music (Mesmer played the glass harmonica)
Suggestive ritualistic movements
Communal emotional displays

It was part medicine, part performance art.

2.2 The 1784 French Royal Commission

King Louis XVI appointed a commission—including Benjamin Franklin, Antoine Lavoisier, and Guillotin—to investigate.

Their conclusion:

No evidence existed for a magnetic fluid.
The observed effects were due to imagination, imitation, and strong expectation.

This was one of the earliest scientific acknowledgments of the placebo effect.
Yet the report did not quell public fascination.

3. The Psychological Turn: From Magnetism to Hypnosis

3.1 Marquis de Puységur and the Discovery of “Somnambulism”

One of Mesmer’s students, Marquis de Puységur, made a breakthrough. Instead of dramatic convulsions, his subjects entered a calm, sleep-like trance:

Highly focused attention
Increased suggestibility
Enhanced memory recall
Altered pain perception

He called it magnetic somnambulism.

This was—without the terminology—modern hypnosis.

3.2 James Braid and the Birth of Hypnotism

In the 1840s, Scottish surgeon James Braid rejected the mystical fluid and reframed the trance as a psychological state produced by concentration and suggestion.
He coined the term hypnotism, integrating it into medicine and psychology.

Thus, animal magnetism survives today not as a fluid but as:

Hypnotherapy
Suggestion-based medicine
Modern placebo research
Psychosomatic medicine

4. The Science Behind the Phenomena

Although Mesmer’s “magnetic fluid” does not exist, several legitimate mechanisms underlie the effects seen in magnetism sessions.

4.1 Expectation and Suggestion

The human mind can profoundly influence physiological states. Expectation can:

Reduce pain
Change autonomic nervous system responses
Influence immune processes
Alter emotional states

Mesmer’s rituals created powerful psychological priming.

4.2 Social Contagion and Trance States

Group magnetism sessions amplified:

Emotional contagion
Shared beliefs
Mirror neuron activation
Ritual-induced altered states

This is similar to:

Religious ecstasy
Group catharsis
Collective trance phenomena

4.3 The Placebo Effect as a Real Biological Process

Modern research shows placebos activate:

Endorphins
Dopamine pathways
Pain-regulation circuits in the brain

Thus Mesmer’s successes weren’t imaginary—they were psychologically mediated physiological changes.

4.4 Hypnotic Suggestibility

Some individuals enter deep trance states more easily due to:

Personality traits
Cognitive style
Neural responsiveness

Magnetic treatments exploited these natural variations.

5. Cultural Legacy of Animal Magnetism

5.1 In Literature and Art

Writers fascinated by mesmerism included:

Edgar Allan Poe
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dostoevsky
Balzac

The mesmerizing villain or mesmerized victim became Gothic tropes.

5.2 In 19th-Century Medicine

Before anesthesia became widespread, hypnotic trance was sometimes used for:

Surgery
Dental procedures
Childbirth

Although controversial, it worked for a subset of patients.

5.3 In Modern Popular Culture

Animal magnetism survives in:

Hypnotists on stage
Spiritual healers
Energy healers
Reiki and “qi” practices
New Age therapeutic cultures

While scientifically unverified in many cases, these practices often exploit psychological mechanisms similar to mesmerism.

6. Contemporary Scientific Reassessment

6.1 Neuroscience of Trance States

Modern neuroimaging shows hypnotic trance involves:

Increased connectivity between executive control and salience networks
Reduced default mode network activity
Altered pain signaling

This gives neurological grounding to what Mesmer observed, minus the metaphysics.

6.2 The Energy Metaphor in Modern Therapy

Although no magnetic fluid exists, the metaphor is powerful. Therapies that use energy-language—like somatic experiencing or biofield therapies—often work not through physics but through:

Embodied attention
Focused breathing
Emotion regulation
Therapeutic suggestibility

6.3 Ethical Lessons

Mesmer’s rise and fall highlight:

The need for scientific skepticism
The power of ritual and expectation
The importance of controlled trials
The real effects of belief and suggestion

7. Why the Concept Refuses to Die

Animal magnetism taps into fundamental human desires:

To connect with unseen forces
To find meaning in illness
To feel cared for and touched
To experience altered states of consciousness

Even if the theory is incorrect, the experience is undeniably potent.

Animal Magnetism as a Cultural Mirror

Animal magnetism stands at the crossroads of:

Medicine
Psychology
Spirituality
Performance
Social dynamics

Its legacy is paradoxical. Mesmer was wrong about magnetic fluids—but right that mind and body can influence each other in profound ways.

Modern psychology and neuroscience have validated much of what mesmerism produced, while discarding its mystical scaffolding.

In this sense, animal magnetism represents a quintessential human story: a mistaken theory that nonetheless revealed deep truths about the human mind.

Animal Magnetism