In 1778, the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) arrived in Paris, determined to make a name for himself there.
While studying medicine at the University of Vienna, he submitted a highly controversial thesis in 1766 on the influence of the planets on the body. Eight years later, inspired by a Jesuit professor of astronomy who claimed to treat patients by applying metal plates to their bodies, he developed his own theory, animal magnetism, and its associated practices. Here, "animal" means that the theory purports to act on the soul.
The theory of animal magnetism holds that everything in the universe, including the human body, is filled with a certain magnetic fluid. This fluid can be transmitted to other people or objects, either through intermediary bodies or, in the case of a few rare individuals—including Mesmer—by the laying on of hands. Lastly, the theory holds that illness results from a disturbance of this fluid and that recovery requires its proper order to be restored.
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