Report of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and other commissioners, charged by the King of France, with the examination of the animal magnetism, as now practised at Paris / translated from the French with an historical introduction.

  • France. Commissaires chargés par le roi de l'examen du magnétisme animal.
Date:
1785
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and other commissioners, charged by the King of France, with the examination of the animal magnetism, as now practised at Paris / translated from the French with an historical introduction. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    [ ] onG,and the other without diftinctiorl undertook the management of them, and of confequence the methods were the fame. The method whjch is followed at this day by M. Deflon can be no other than the method of M. Mefmer. The efFefts are not lefs correfpondent. There are crifes equally frequent, and accompanied by fimilar. fymptoms, at the houfe of M, Deflon and at the houfe of M.Mefmer ; the effects do not therefore belong to the method of an individual, but to the pra£lice of the mag- netifm in general. The experiments of the commif- fioners demonftrate that the effects obtained by Ad, Deflon are due to compreflion, to imagination and to imitation., Thefe are therefore the caufes of the mag- netifm in general. The obfervations of the commif- fioners have convinced them that thefe convulfive crifes and thefe violent means cannot be ufeful in medicine any otherwife than as poifons, and they have judged independent of all theory that wherever it (hall be the objeft to excite convulfions they may become habitual and pernicious, they may be epidemically diffufed, and even extend to future generations. The commiflioners were of confequence obliged to conclude that not only the meafures in a particular mode of proceeding, but the meafures of themagnetifm in general, might in the end produce the moft perni- cious effeiSs. FINIS,