Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 18, 2001, Page 142
Mesmerized: The History of Mesmerization in Victorian Britain. Alison
Winter. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
It is amazing how books on what appear to be unrelated subjects often cast light upon cultic
issues. Alison Winter‘s book, Mesmerized, gives a fascinating view of the interrelationship of
mysticism and science in the analysis of mind and the relationship of science and society.
Reaching out to understand hypnotic phenomena in the nineteenth century resulted in a
plethora of scientific and medical analysis undertaken in England by such institutions as the
Royal Society, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, The Horticultural Geological
and Astronomical Society, The Zoological Society, The Statistical Society, The British
Medical Society, The Meteorological Society, The Medico-Botanical Society, The Royal
Institution, the National Gallery of Political Science, The Royal Polytechnic Institution, and
the numerous colleges and private anatomy schools and museums (pg. 33).
Explanations range from those trying to fit the phenomenon into old theories, such as
animal magnetism, to the development of new understandings relating to the effect of the
mind on the body. The book traces the interplay of the phenomena, which were
―unbelievable,‖ and the attempts to reconcile these phenomena, which were often viewed as
entertainment. Nonetheless, the study of mesmerism gave rise to new approaches to
medical treatment, such as the development of anaesthetic treatment and the psychological
exploration of the workings of the mind.
It should also be noted that the phenomenon gave rise to an analysis of the process of
―demesmerizing‖ (pgs. 299-300). Groups of mesmerizers asserted that only they, whose
training gave them expertise about very specific and delineated patches of nature, could
speak about issues that belonged to their ―territory.‖ Such a result undermined the power of
science by denying nature‘s accessibility to intelligent inquiry. Since the observed
phenomena did not fit into the emergent scientific disciplines, they were often ―abandoned‖
as areas of scientific inquiry. Sound familiar?
The widespread rejection of testimony by persons who are mesmerized made examination
complicated and, of course, there was much derogation of the persons participating in these
activities and castigation of their credibility. An interesting sidelight with obvious
contemporary relevance is a legal proceeding brought in the 19th Century against a
mesmerizer who was charged with ―kidnapping‖ a person because ―…the kidnapper had
done something to his mind that compelled him to accompany him without protest.‖ In the
trial an ―expert witness‖ demonstrated mesmerization and caused the complainant to obey
directions and disregard the directions of others. Regardless of the assertion that
mesmerization was not a recognized practice, the jury found the mesmerizer guilty of
kidnapping or, as the writer phrases it, ―mental theft,‖ because ―he had stolen the person.‖
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment, but was later pardoned (pg. 205).
The development of the theories of relations between mind and body and the concept of
unconscious mental activity likewise rested upon understanding externally induced behavior
not compelled by physical force. Mental reflexes and the development of the theory of the
unconscious modified concepts of volition. Theories were advanced to explain trance
behavior as connected to external stimulation. Researchers concluded that the ―subjects‘
voluntary control over the current of thought is entirely suspended, the individual being for
the time (so speak) a mere thinking automaton, the whole course of whose ideas is
determinable by suggestions operating from without.‖ The similarity of these observations
to the arguments about the existence of ―brainwashing‖ without the use of threat of
physical force is self-evident.
The book is an excellent and well written narrative about the impact of mesmerization on
the understanding of the mind/body continuum. It also reminds us about current cult-
Mesmerized: The History of Mesmerization in Victorian Britain. Alison
Winter. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
It is amazing how books on what appear to be unrelated subjects often cast light upon cultic
issues. Alison Winter‘s book, Mesmerized, gives a fascinating view of the interrelationship of
mysticism and science in the analysis of mind and the relationship of science and society.
Reaching out to understand hypnotic phenomena in the nineteenth century resulted in a
plethora of scientific and medical analysis undertaken in England by such institutions as the
Royal Society, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, The Horticultural Geological
and Astronomical Society, The Zoological Society, The Statistical Society, The British
Medical Society, The Meteorological Society, The Medico-Botanical Society, The Royal
Institution, the National Gallery of Political Science, The Royal Polytechnic Institution, and
the numerous colleges and private anatomy schools and museums (pg. 33).
Explanations range from those trying to fit the phenomenon into old theories, such as
animal magnetism, to the development of new understandings relating to the effect of the
mind on the body. The book traces the interplay of the phenomena, which were
―unbelievable,‖ and the attempts to reconcile these phenomena, which were often viewed as
entertainment. Nonetheless, the study of mesmerism gave rise to new approaches to
medical treatment, such as the development of anaesthetic treatment and the psychological
exploration of the workings of the mind.
It should also be noted that the phenomenon gave rise to an analysis of the process of
―demesmerizing‖ (pgs. 299-300). Groups of mesmerizers asserted that only they, whose
training gave them expertise about very specific and delineated patches of nature, could
speak about issues that belonged to their ―territory.‖ Such a result undermined the power of
science by denying nature‘s accessibility to intelligent inquiry. Since the observed
phenomena did not fit into the emergent scientific disciplines, they were often ―abandoned‖
as areas of scientific inquiry. Sound familiar?
The widespread rejection of testimony by persons who are mesmerized made examination
complicated and, of course, there was much derogation of the persons participating in these
activities and castigation of their credibility. An interesting sidelight with obvious
contemporary relevance is a legal proceeding brought in the 19th Century against a
mesmerizer who was charged with ―kidnapping‖ a person because ―…the kidnapper had
done something to his mind that compelled him to accompany him without protest.‖ In the
trial an ―expert witness‖ demonstrated mesmerization and caused the complainant to obey
directions and disregard the directions of others. Regardless of the assertion that
mesmerization was not a recognized practice, the jury found the mesmerizer guilty of
kidnapping or, as the writer phrases it, ―mental theft,‖ because ―he had stolen the person.‖
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment, but was later pardoned (pg. 205).
The development of the theories of relations between mind and body and the concept of
unconscious mental activity likewise rested upon understanding externally induced behavior
not compelled by physical force. Mental reflexes and the development of the theory of the
unconscious modified concepts of volition. Theories were advanced to explain trance
behavior as connected to external stimulation. Researchers concluded that the ―subjects‘
voluntary control over the current of thought is entirely suspended, the individual being for
the time (so speak) a mere thinking automaton, the whole course of whose ideas is
determinable by suggestions operating from without.‖ The similarity of these observations
to the arguments about the existence of ―brainwashing‖ without the use of threat of
physical force is self-evident.
The book is an excellent and well written narrative about the impact of mesmerization on
the understanding of the mind/body continuum. It also reminds us about current cult-
