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Franz Anton Mesmer
Sign in to saveAlso known as Franz Mesmer, Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer, Anton Mesmer, Friedrich Anton Mesmer
German physician
OverviewAI-generated
Franz Anton Mesmer was a male physician and astronomer from the Holy Roman Empire. He was born in 1734 at Lake Constance and died in 1815 in Meersburg. His work focused on hypnosis, and he resided in Paris, Vienna, and Frauenfeld. He was educated at the University of Dillingen, the University of Ingolstadt, and the University of Vienna.
Mesmer spoke French, German, and Latin. He was influenced by Maximilian Hell and studied under Gerard van Swieten and Anton de Haen. His students included Armand-Marie-Jacques de Chastenet, Marquis of Puységur. He had significant associations with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nicolas Bergasse, Maria Theresia Paradis, and Antoine Court de Gébelin. He received honorary citizenship and was buried in Meersburg.
His notable works include *Abhandlung über die Entdeckung des thierischen Magnetismus* and *Précis historique des faits relatifs au magnétisme-animal jusques en avril 1781*. He is described in sources such as the *Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie* and the *Encyclopædia Britannica* 11th edition.
Synthesized by Vinony from 27 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, Open Library. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Vinony's link graph records 208 inbound references to Franz Anton Mesmer, and connects out to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, faith healing and Germany.
It sits within the topics 1734 births, 1815 deaths and 18th-century German male writers.
Vinony links it to 46 Wikipedia language editions.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1734
- Died
- 1815
- Works
- 42
Top works
- Abhandlung über die Entdeckung des thierischen Magnetismus
- Précis historique des faits relatifs au magnétisme-animal jusques en avril 1781
- Lettres de M. Mesmer, a M. Vicq-d'Azyr, et a messieurs les auteurs du Journal de Paris
- Antonii Mesmer ... Dissertatio physico-medica de planetarum influxu ...
- Lettres de M. L.B.D.B. a M. P.L.G.H.D.L.S. a Marseille, sur l'existence du magnétisme animal, & l'agent universel de la nature, dont le Docteur Mesmer se sert pour opérer ses guérisons
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Born
- Franz Anton Mesmer , 23 May 1734 ( 1734-05-23 ) , Iznang, Bishopric of Constance (now Moos, Baden-Württemberg )
- Died
- 5 March 1815 (1815-03-05) (aged 80), Meersburg , Baden
- Alma mater
- University of Vienna
- Known for
- Animal magnetism
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Anton
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Holy Roman Empire
- Place of birth
- Lake Constance
- Place of death
- Meersburg
- Occupation
- astronomer
- Educated at
- University of Vienna
- Languages spoken
- Latin
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Award
- honorary citizenship
- Academic degree
- Doctor of Medicine
- Student of
- Anton de Haen
- Field of work
- hypnosis
- Image
- Franz Anton Mesmer. Oil painting. Wellcome V0017975 (cropped).jpg
- Work location
- Paris
- Residence
- Frauenfeld
Show 12 more facts
- Commons category
- Franz Mesmer
- date of birth
- 1734-05-23
- date of death
- 1815-00-00
- Commons gallery
- Franz Anton Mesmer
- described by source
- The Nuttall Encyclopædia
- place of burial
- Meersburg
- influenced by
- Maximilian Hell
- birth name
- Franciscus Antonius Mesmer
- writing language
- French
- P8168
- field hockey
Sources (5)
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Franz Anton Mesmer (/ˈmɛzmər/ MEZ-mər; German: [ˈmɛsmɐ]; 23 May 1734 – 5 March 1815) was a German physician with an interest in astronomy. He theorized the existence of a process of natural energy transference occurring between all animate and inanimate objects; this he called "animal magnetism", later referred to as mesmerism. Mesmer's theory attracted a wide following between about 1780 and 1850, and continued to have some influence until the end of the 19th century. In 1843, the Scottish doctor James Braid proposed the term "hypnotism" for a technique derived from animal magnetism; today the word "mesmerism" generally functions as a synonym of "hypnosis". Mesmer also supported the arts, specifically music; he was on friendly terms with Haydn and Mozart.
Early life
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Franz Anton Mesmer” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.