Show belief in mesmerism once was widespread ever since prehistoric days there have been medical quacks one of tile the strangest was anton mesmer in paris ho he found prodigious vogue especially ally among women to enter ills his house was an lie had assistants who ho were claimed to be able to transfer magnetism from their finger tips to patients it if a female patient were lu in a hysterical state mesmer himself in his robe of silk embroidered with gold and with his ivory wand would stroke her eyebrows or her spine and calm her the queen of france commended mesmerism and a pension of francs was bas B as offered mesmer if he could provo prove that he be had bid made any discovery in medicine and would communicate it to the kings physicians mesmer objected to the latter part of the offer and left parts paris royal commissions were then appointed on one of which benjamin franklin was a member meri iber after five months of experiment peri ment a report unfavorable to mesmer wai was returned after which mesmer retired to the country with a fortune amounting to francs he died in 1815 at the ageos eighty one dearborn independent |