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Published on: April 21, 2013
Animal magnetism in Spanish medicine (1786-1860)
1Unidad de Historia de la Ciencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain. agdpablo@med.ucm.es
Abstract:
This paper studies the reception and development of animal magnetism in Spanish medicine. It analyses in turn: the initial rejection of animal magnetism influenced by the reports of the French Royal Commissions of 1784; the first attempts to implant Mesmerism around 1816; its reluctant acceptance with the introduction of phrenology from 1842 onwards; and, finally, its critical revision, provoked by issues of legal responsibility, from 1856 to 1860. Hypnotism, as a term, began to appear in Spanish medical publications around 1860.
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