How southern New England became magnetic north: the acceptance of animal magnetism.

Charles Poyen's lecture tour introducing animal magnetism to America has been described as triumphant (Forrest, 2000), but according to Poyen's own account (1837/1982) the beginning of his tour, devoted to northern New England, was anything but successful. Poyen success did not begin until he partnered with Cynthia Gleason, a talented hypnotic subject, from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The subsequent lectures and demonstrations by Poyen and Gleason generated the interest that Poyen had been seeking. Rhode Island appears to have developed a much more accepting attitude toward animal magnetism than the rest of New England as indicated by the wide use of magnetism in the Providence area even after Poyen had the left the United States. In this article, I examine the roles played by Cynthia Gleason as well as Thomas H. Webb, M.D., the editor of the Providence Daily Journal and Dr. Francis Wayland, the president of Brown University, and George Capron, M.D., in furthering the acceptance of magnetism in America.

Síntomas de una época: magnetismo, histeria y espiritismo en la Alemania Romántica / No disponible

Centrándose en el análisis de tres casos especialmente significativos se pretende comprender el significado histórico del encuentro en la Euro`pa de comienzos de l siglo XIX de una teoría médica -el magnetismo animal-, un peculiar sistema de creencias -el espiritismo- y una enfermedad ya conocida, pero que comenzará a contemplarse con una mirada nueva: la histeria. Seráb, por otra parte, la enfermedad y la teoría médica quienes den alas a ese sistema de creencias y permitan su despliegue en el seno de la cultura occidental, afirmándose frente a otras concepciones del mundo y mostrando, con ello, las insuficientes de estas últimas

By centring on analysis of three particularly significant cases, the article seeks to understand the historical meaning of the encounter in early 19th-century Europe between a medical theory -mesmerism-, a peculiar system of beliefs -spiritualism- and an already known disease, but which was to be seen from a new perspective: hysteria. Moreover, the disease and the medical theory are the elements that made this system of beliefs flourish and enable it to take hold in the core of Western culture, affirming itself over other conceptions of the world and showing, with this, the insufficiencies of the latter

A symbolic defence of animal magnetism: a copperplate engraving by Ludwig Richter as the frontispiece of the account of somnambulist Auguste K. (1843).

The year 1843 saw the publication in Dresden of a comprehensive account of the magnetic treatment of a somnambulist. This date came relatively late in the history of animal magnetism in Germany, and coincided with the decline of the theory in medical circles. Perhaps it was for this reason that the authors commissioned Ludwig Richter, one of the most accomplished engravers of the day, to produce a plate of illustrations which were intended to act as a symbolic defence of the theory. They are examined in this article.

Medical-legal issues in Charcot's neurologic career.

OBJECTIVE: Trace the medical-legal involvement of the 19th century clinical neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. BACKGROUND: The two major neurologic concerns of the 1800s that involved legal questions were topics of particular academic interest to Charcot: post-traumatic neurologic syndromes and the behavioral consequences of hysteria and hypnotism. Although Charcot's medical views influenced several nonmedical fields, including art, poetry, and drama, his impact on medical-legal issues has not been examined. METHODS: Original documents from the Bibliothèque Charcot at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, legal documents, and publications from Charcot's era were examined. RESULTS: Although his involvement in medical-legal affairs was a modest element of Charcot's multifaceted career, he was involved in four different types of medical-legal activities: as a cited authority in the medical-legal literature, as an author of articles within medical-legal contexts, as a subpoenaed expert consultant, and as an expert examiner. CONCLUSIONS: Charcot's involvement demonstrates the long tradition of an interface between neurology and legal medicine and provides a model for highly limited but authoritative involvement by academic neurologists in medical-legal affairs.

Pierre Janet and Félida Artificielle: multiple personality in a nineteenth-century guise.

In the wake of the recent epidemic of multiple personality phenomena, it is important to get a clear idea of what similar phenomena looked like in previous centuries. Pierre Janet's detailed description of his discovery, made during the 1880s, that he could cure hysteria by creating a healthy second personality offers a close look at a form of multiple personalities very different from what has recently been described. His description of the factors that influenced his discovery allow one to see his work in a historical context and to appreciate his confrontation with the paradoxes that this discovery revealed.

The unconscious in France before Freud: premises of a discovery.

The influence of German culture on Freud has long been acknowledged, while his indebtedness to French psychological and medical tradtion has often been overlooked. The author presents a study of the emergence and evolution of the concept of the unconscious in nineteenth century French scientific discourse and its influence on Freud.