An Early Nineteenth Century Absorption-Based Theory of Mesmerism

Abstract

In 1844, an obscure and little-remembered American theorist, A. Yorke (no further identification is available), published a theory of mesmerism based on absorption, i.e., mental concentration. Unlike Mesmer's conceptualization of animal magnetism as a biological fluid, however, Yorke's theory emphasized the psychological importance of the mutual interaction between mesmerist and subject. This paper discusses the latter's theory of absorption as an important development in neo-mesmerism, the circumstances that led him to his conclusions, and his role in advancing our knowledge of the historical origins of modern hypnosis.

Science and Pseudoscience in Law Enforcement

“…The use of hypnosis in police practice probably dates back to at least the 1780s when, based on the work of Franz Anton Mesmer, the Marquis de Puységur famously hypnotized a person, Victor, and found that he showed astonishing clairvoyance. By the 1840s, police solicited the aid of an alleged clairvoyant who purportedly disclosed the identity of a thief under hypnosis (Gravitz, 2006;Ramsland, 2008). Following the lead of the Maryland Court of Special Appeal in 1968 (Harding v. State, 1968;Martin, 2004), there has been an upsurge in the use of hypnosis for memory refreshment in criminal investigations (McConkey, 1995;also see Martin, 2004).…”