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Bioelectromagnetism

FIGURE 2.3 Dissections of the electric organ of French torpedo by John Hunter. Above: the right electric organ

divided horizontally into two nearly equal parts at the place where the nerves enter. Bottom: A perpendicular sec­

tion of just below inspiratory openings (From Walsh, 1773–1774.)

to cure people. Mesmer got some magnets from Höll. Soon, Mesmer assumed that his invisible fuid had

connections with electricity and magnetism. First, Mesmer found that he could cure people by channel­

ing the magnetic infuence. Later he discovered that he could achieve the same results by the power of

touch alone and he abandoned the use of actual magnets (Rowbottom and Susskind, 1984). Tis invis­

ible fuid could be used for medical treatment with the help of magnets. Te treatment developed into

the idea of magnetotherapy. He gained frst fame in Vienna and later went to Paris. In 1784, the doctrine

of “animal magnetism” introduced by Mesmer was investigated by a Royal Commission of the French

King of Louis XVI. Te members of this commission consisted of four from medical circles and fve

from the Academy of Science including Benjamin Franklin, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (1743–1794),

and Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738–1814). Lavoisier was the center of the eighteenth century chemistry

and was later convicted and guillotined in 1794. Guillotin introduced and designed the execution appa­

ratus “guillotine” named afer him. Te ofcial report of the investigation by a Royal Commission said

that the crises provoked by the doctor principally to the “imagination” or, more accurately, to the suggest­

ibility of the patients, and patients without much imagination simply imitated the behavior of others, the

imagination works wonders; magnetism yields no results. So, the commissioners alerted their Majesty to

the highly pernicious infuence of animal magnetism (Franklin, 1784; Tatar, 1978). Mesmer escaped from