From Franz Anton Mesmer, whose 1700s 'animal magnetism' seances were debunked but inadvertently paved the way for hypnosis.
To hold the attention of someone to the exclusion of all else; to hypnotize or spellbind.
From the name of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), a German physician who theorized that an invisible natural force ('animal magnetism') could be channeled between living beings to cure illness. His theatrical séances in 1770s–1780s Paris, involving magnets, tubs of water, and dim lighting, made him both famous and controversial. The French Royal Commission (including Benjamin Franklin) debunked his theories
The commission that debunked Mesmer's 'animal magnetism' in 1784 included Benjamin Franklin, chemist Antoine Lavoisier, and astronomer Jean Sylvain Bailly — three of the most brilliant minds of the age. Lavoisier and Bailly were later guillotined during the Revolution, while Franklin returned safely to Philadelphia.
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