Benjamin Franklin | Franklin refutes Franz Anton Mesmer's Animal Magnetism

(Benjamin Franklin, and others)

A group of three texts relating to Franklin's report on Franz Anton Mesmer's animal magnetism: Report of Dr. Benjamin Franklin and other Commissioners, Charged by the King of France, with the Examination of the Animal Magnetism. … Translated from the French. London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1785 [With:] Rapport des Commissaires chargés par le Roi, de l'Examen du Magnétisme Animal. Imprimé par ordre du Roi. Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1784 {And with:] Jean-Baptiste Bonnefoy. Analyse raisonnée des Rapports des Commissaires chargés par le Roi de l’examen du Magnétisme animal. Lyon, et se trouve à Paris, chez Prault, 1784

8vo (227 x 140, uncut). Report: title-page dust-soiled, with small paper repairs at margin, and an illegible early ownership signature, a few small spots and very short marginal tears in the text. Contemporary gray paper wrappers; rebacked, soiled and worn, with paper repairs along the wrapper's edges, with an early manicule and inscription to the front cover, "Dr. Franklin's and other com.t in France report on animal magnetism [manicule] reported hurtful as merely an excitement of the irregularities." Rapport: 4to (243 x 191 mm). Title-page vignette, typographic ornaments; very minor and infrequent pale spots. Contemporary quarter mottled calf, paste-paper boards, gilt-decorated spine "a la grotesque," red morroco spine label, all edges stained red, with a green silk ribbon; joints lightly worn, rubbing and wear to boards, with some losses to the paste-paper's surface, a single wormhole, the lower corners lightly bumped. Bonnefoy: 8vo (190 x 121 mm). Some faint toning in the margins, and occasional spots. Modern gray paper wrappers, all edges stained red; short tear in the wrapper at the foot of the front joint, creasing to rear wrapper.

The first English edition of Franklin's report discrediting Franz Anton Mesmer's "animal magnetism," and attributing its effects to the imagination. This is accompanied by a copy of the true first edition of the report from the library of Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier who, along with Franklin, was a member of the investigating committee. Lastly, there is a work by Jean-Baptiste Bonnefoy, a "reasoned analysis," defending Mesmer.

Franz Anton Mesmer was German healer who, in 1774, originated the idea of "animal magnetism." He believed that all animals were filled with invisible magnetic fluids, and that blockages of these fluids created a number of ailments. His therapy, mesmerism, where he would delicately touch a patient with iron rods or his hands while soothing music played, would unblock these fluids. During his treatments, people would fall into deep sleep-like states, similar to hypnosis, or would have dramatic convulsions. Mesmer arrived in Paris in 1778 and, though he failed to impress the medical community, he soon gained a cult following. By 1784, King Louis XVI decided to launch an official enquiry .

The King appointed a committee to investigate whether Mesmer's treatments worked and publish their findings. The committee included four medical doctors from the faculté de médecine, and four scientists from the Académie Des Sciences, including Lavoisier and Franklin. Rather than focusing on the occult nature of mesmerism, they performed a series of experiments where they compared the results of mesmerism on separate groups of patients. During the experiments, Franklin, his son, and possibly John Paul Jones, were all mesmerized. "The results indicated that people who thought they were being magnetized, whether they were or not, had the strongest therapeutic responses … what is known today as the placebo effect" (Chaplin).

REFECENCES

Joyce E. Chaplin, The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and The Pursuit of Genius (2006), pp. 297–299

PROVENANCE

Report: illegible early ownership signature on title; Rapport: Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (bookplate) — Docteur Poirier (Pierre Bergé & Associés, 6 November 2020, lot 104); Bonnefoy: Docteur Poirier (Pierre Bergé & Associés, 6 November 2020, lot 143)