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REPORT

Of the Commissioners charged by THE KING,

for the Examination of Animal Magnetism.

Appointment of the Commissioners.

THE KING appointed on March 12, 1784, Physicians chosen from the Faculty of Paris, Messrs. Borie, Sallin, d’Arcet, Guillotin Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, whose name would later become synonymous with the French Revolution’s execution device, was at this time a highly regarded physician focused on medical reform., to perform the Examination & to report to him on Animal Magnetism, as practiced by Mr. Deslon Original: "Deſſon". This refers to Charles Deslon, a regent of the Faculty of Medicine and a prominent disciple of Franz Mesmer.; & upon the request of these four Physicians, His Majesty appointed to proceed with them in this Examination, five Members of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Messrs. Franklin The famous American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, who was then living in Passy as the United States Minister to France., le Roy, Bailly, de Bory, Lavoisier Antoine Lavoisier, the chemist who discovered the role of oxygen in combustion and is considered the father of modern chemistry.. Mr. Borie having died at the beginning of the Commissioners' work, His Majesty chose Mr. Majault, Doctor of the Faculty, to replace him.

Exposition of the doctrine of Animal Magnetism.

The agent that Mr. Mesmer claims to have discovered, which he has made known under the name of Animal Magnetism, is as he characterizes it himself & according to his own words,

“a fluid universally distributed; it is the
means of a mutual influence between the celestial bodies,
the earth & animated bodies; it is continuous so as to
suffer no void; its subtlety allows no comparison;
it is capable of receiving, propagating, communicating”