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PART B: MODERN HISTORY
Section 3. Marquis de Puysegur
The Marquis de Puysegur was responsible for describing the three cardinal features of
Hypnosis;
1) concentration of the senses on the operator,
2) acceptance of suggestion without question, and
3) amnesia for events in a trance. In 1814 the Abbe Faria suggested that the
phenomena described by Mesmer were not due to animal magnetism, but actually due to suggestion. However the popularity of Mesmer was so
well established that Faria's hypothesis was soon forgotten. Dr. Wolfart journeyed from Berlin to Frauenfeld in 1812 at the request of the
Prussian government, to investigate Mesmer, and to learn all he could about animal magnetism, and bring it back to the University of
Berlin. At the same time Koreff was already in Paris on a similar mission. Mesmerism spread rapidly throughout Europe, including
Switzerland, Italy and even as far north as the Scandinavian countries.
This produced many experts including Eschenmayer, Kerner, Lallemant, Schelling,
Passavant. Kluge, Pace, Ostermeyer, Pfaff, Pezold, Selle, Bartels and many others.
Section 4. James Braid
On November 13, 1841 a French magnetizer named La Fontaine, who demonstrated Mesmerism, first introduced James Braid to
Mesmerism [theory based on animal magnetism] and Mesmeric experiments at a meeting on that day. A complete description of this seance is
found along with a detailed history of Braid's activity in writing in Bramwell's book, Hypnotism, Its History, Practice and Theory. James
Braid was most well known for the fact that he renamed Mesmerism, "Hypnotism" in 1842, after the Greek word "Hypnos" meaning, "sleep" and offered
to read a paper on it at a meeting of the British Medical Association in Manchester, but was rejected. Nevertheless, unlike Mesmer he
maintained a good professional standing in his community during his entire lifetime, and was not only noted as an excellent hypnotist, but also
was widely acclaimed for his operating cases of clubbed foot and other deformities. Later in life, Braid realized hypnotism was not a true
sleep, but a concentration of the mind, and tried to change the name to monoideism. But by that time, "Hypnosis" and "Hypnotism" were words
already well rooted in every language of Europe, and he finally abandoned this effort to change the name. He was born at Rylaw House in
Fifeshire in 1795, studied at Edinburgh and qualified there as a surgeon. After practicing in Scotland for a short time he moved to
Manchester, where he lived until he died suddenly on March 25, 1860 of a heart attack. He maintained his practice and interest in hypnotism
during his entire lifetime, and wrote many papers and monographs on the subject. Although Braid is best known for his renaming Mesmer's art
hypnotism, he also was responsible for a number of ideas that still persist until the present day. They are as follows:
1: That hypnosis is a powerful tool which should be limited entirely to
medical and dental professions.
2: That although hypnotism was capable of curing many diseases for which there had formally been no remedy, it nevertheless was no panacea
and was only a medical tool which should be used in combination with other medical information, drugs, remedies, etc.in order to properly treat
the patient.
3: That in skilled hands there is no great danger associated with hypnotic treatment and neither was there pain or discomfort.
4: That a good deal more study and research would be necessary to thoroughly understand a number of theoretical concepts regarding
hypnosis.
These points of philosophy were extremely sound, especially for a physician in the
middle 1800's who had limited knowledge available to him at that particular period. The fact that these concepts remain virtually unchanged
today speaks highly for the brilliance of this great physician and hypnotist from Manchester.
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