Mesmerism, or System of Interactions

discuss; but they contented themselves, at best, with only casually mentioning magnetism animal magnetism as an error, and barely mentioning the name Mesmer as its discoverer. Otherwise, the student learned nothing, and the little that was said was a condemnation, not a judgment. The entire—and not insignificant—literature on magnetism from the years 1764 to 1787 and 1793 was, so to speak, suppressed.

All of this can only be explained by the spirit of that time. Before the critical philosophy powerfully shook minds in Germany from their slumber, people almost entirely bowed to authorities, accepting the pronouncements of then-famous men, whether deceased or still living, without further investigation. In this state, they felt comfortable in the possession of a supposedly complete wisdom and enlightenment.

In such a time, Mesmer appeared with a new truth, with a discovery that had to announce itself as decidedly important for the knowledge of nature and for the healing of humanity. Since one could not reconcile this with the principles of natural science common at that moment, nor with the accustomed views of natural phenomena—indeed, since it threatened to clash with and overturn many seemingly well-founded assumptions