![]() He continued his studies from 1753 at the University of Ingolstadt, where he soon abandoned theology. It was a large family, Franz Anton was the third of nine children, Catholic, and not particularly prosperous.Īfter preliminary studies in a local monastic school in Konstanz, Mesmer commenced the study of philosophy at the Jesuit university of Dillingen, Bavaria, changing in 1752 to theology, presumably as a scholarship student preparing for the priesthood. His father was a forester employed by the archbishop of Konstanz his mother the daughter of a locksmith. And even that wouldn’t be so bad if the book didn’t scrimp on the essential details in favor of pages and pages on Reich and an apology of twentieth-century New Age practices that derived in part from Mesmer’s ideas.Franz Anton Mesmer was born and raised in the Swabian village of Iznang auf der Höri, near the Bodensee (Lake of Constance). I say this is unfortunate because I came to the book looking to understand Mesmer and to learn the details of his life, work, and philosophy, but instead felt like I was trying to be converted or made to believe he was legitimate through a modern New Age defender rather than a critical biographer. And that’s where we come to the unfortunate crux of this book: it’s largely an apology for Mesmer and animal magnetism - merely an attempt to justify and defend his work, mostly for readers who would already be familiar with his New Age descendants and would be looking to have their beliefs reaffirmed, or those who were on-the-fence and seeking some type of validation for taking the final leap into belief. Indeed, we get far too much on Paracelsus and Reich, the latter of whom Wyckoff claims is the 20th century “re-discoverer” of this mysterious energy. Although that book looks at Mesmer through a political lens, it presents all this detailed information lacking in Wyckoff’s book.)Īnd so what, exactly, is in this book? Partly it’s an attempt to situate Mesmer in a long line of healers associated with "animal magnetism," from Christ to Native American healers to Paracelsus to Freud to Wilhelm Reich. ![]() (Note: I tracked down other books that DO offer these details, specifically Darnton’s Mesmerism and the End of the Enlightenment in France. The footnotes include books he references - ones that I jotted down to read later in the hope they might offer better information than this one!īeyond this, the author is also hazy on specifics or even solid definitions of key terms, such as what exactly is animal magnetism? (Finally, halfway through the book, we get Mesmer’s 27 propositions, but very little analysis beyond the general idea that an “energy” permeates all animate objects and is not present in magnets or minerals alone.) And what about the techniques Mesmer uses? Again, we are given a general idea - something to do with tubs, water, and flexible iron rods - but that’s about it. He clearly does some background research. ![]() ![]() For someone new to the subject (beyond the most general understanding of Mesmer as a controversial 18th century medical figure whose work led to hypnotism and was derided as being a charlatan), this book glosses over important basic information about his life, with Wyckoff often claiming that the specifics of Mesmer’s life are murky.although I get the sense that he just uses this as an excuse for not putting in the effort to provide those details. One gets the impression that the book was written for people who were already familiar with Mesmer, his life, and his practices. Well, I knew I was in for an interesting ride when I saw this “biography” was written by the author of Using Pyramid Power! and Pyramid Energy: And How It Works for You! (exclamation points included in the original titles…) Most disappointing was the failure of the author to give detailed, sustained biographical information.
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