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![]() Franz Anton Mesmer and Animal Magnetism The seeds of thought that gave birth to animal magnetism may be found in Mesmer’s thesis Dissertatio physico-medica de planetarum influxu of 1766, which he wrote for a doctorate in medicine at the University of Vienna. Animal magnetism, on the other hand, had a profound impact on medicine, psychology, and psychical research (today called parapsychology), as a brief examination of its history will show. Such crazes did not significantly shape medical or psychological theory and practice, nor did they significantly affect the evolution of those disciplines. Animal magnetism is not comparable to certain medical fads which flourished for a time and then died out. What is puzzling is that the story of animal magnetism is so neglected. The theory of animal magnetism in its original form would be difficult for most moderns to accept. ![]() That animal magnetism is no longer practiced is hardly surprising. When one examines the history of animal magnetism and its offshoots, it seems incredible that this once powerful system is now almost completely forgotten. Yet, for approximately seventy-five years from its beginnings in 1779, animal magnetism flourished as a medical and psychological specialty, and for another fifty years it continued to be a system of some influence. Most historical scholars would probably be hard pressed to write more than a brief paragraph about Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) and his discovery. Adam Crabtree Historical Introduction Animal magnetism is little known today. This bibliography's extreme scarcity in the book market makes this online version an extremely valuable resource for anyone interested in these fields. Since 1988 the awareness of the significance of these works for the history of psychiatry, psychology, psychical research, and hypnotism has greatly increased. Up to the time of its publication there was no annotated bibliography of the principal works in these interconnected fields, and the historical importance of mesmerism and its offshoots was largely unrecognized. ![]() paper) Animal Magnetism, Early Hypnotism, and Psychical Research, 1766-1925: An Annotated Bibliography was first published by Kraus International Publications in 1988. Bibliographies in the history of psychology and psychiatry) Includes indexes. Animal magnetism, early hypnotism and psychical research, 1766–1925. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Crabtree, Adam. Wozniak, General Editor Copyright © 1988 Adam Crabtree This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Esalen CTR Home Animal Magnetism, Early Hypnotism, and Psychical Research, 1766 – 1925 An Annotated Bibliography Adam Crabtree Bibliographies in the History of Psychology and Psychiatry A Series Robert H. ![]()
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