Charles Lafontaine — Il Magnetizzatore Franco-Svizzero/en

Charles Lafontaine (Geneva, 1803 – Geneva, 1892) is the Franco-Swiss magnetizer who represents the crucial link between the Mesmerian tradition and the birth of modern hypnotism. His role in history is systematically underestimated by conventional academic narratives.

The Central Historical Point: Braid Was His Spectator

Official history presents James Braid as "the inventor of hypnosis" in 1842 in Manchester. The correct version is more precise: Braid was a spectator of Lafontaine's demonstrations.

It was by attending Lafontaine's public shows in November 1841 in Manchester that Braid decided to study the phenomenon from a medical point of view. He was not inventing something new: he was reinterpreting in physiological terms what magnetizers had been practicing for decades.

Braid himself, in his main work "Neurypnology" (1843), explicitly recounts having seen Lafontaine and having started from that observation. The difference was in theoretical framework, not technique: Lafontaine attributed the phenomenon to "magnetic fluid"; Braid attributed it to "exhaustion of the nervous system." The practical result was identical.

This means that "Braid's hypnotism" is not an ex nihilo discovery: it is a scientifically presentable re-labeling of what magnetizers were already doing. Lafontaine was among the best. See the dedicated treatment: Lafontaine in Inghilterra e Braid — La Tournée del 1841 e l'Origine dell'Ipnotismo.

Career and Tradition

Lafontaine began as an actor and singer. He discovered magnetism around 1840 and quickly became one of the most capable magnetizers in Europe. He worked in France, England, Switzerland, and Germany with public demonstrations before thousands of spectators.

According to his own Mémoires (vol. I, ch. III), Lafontaine was introduced to magnetism in Brussels by his Belgian friend M. Jobard — an industrial inventor — who took him, without notice, to a session with an unnamed Dutch doctor. It was that anonymous doctor, with whom Lafontaine later did an observational internship, who was his true practical mentor; his theoretical training came from studying the texts of Deleuze and other classics of magnetism. There is, however, no evidence in the Mémoires of a master-student relationship with Baron du Potet: du Potet (active from 1820) and Lafontaine (from 1840) were two parallel and independent figures of the same fluidist magnetic school, as also confirmed by Donato's testimony. Lafontaine nevertheless brought the magnetic tradition to England, where he met Braid.

Lafontaine's method was based on passes — magnetic hand movements — and on gaze fixations. It was not yet the rapid fascination of Donato (which would come thirty years later), but the tradition is continuous. See: Metodo Lafontaine nei Materiali ISI-CNV.

Lafontaine's Works

The title page of the "Mémoires d'un magnétiseur" (Germer-Baillière edition, Paris / chez l'auteur, Geneva, rue du Mont-Blanc 9, 1866) attests that Lafontaine was:

author of L'Art de Magnétiser — the technical-practical manual of his method;
author of the Éclaircissements sur le Magnétisme;
author of the Cures magnétiques à Genève;
director and editor of the journal Le Magnétiseur.

The "Mémoires d'un magnétiseur" (1866, 2 volumes) are followed by the Examen phrénologique de l'auteur written by Dr. Castle — a period document on Lafontaine's personality according to the then-fashionable phrenology. The first volume opens with a dedication "À Madame Adèle Roch." The "Mémoires" remain one of the most important historical sources for understanding the magnetic practice of the period, rich in clinical cases, tour episodes, and accounts of controversies with the medical world.

In the ISI-CNV Historical Chain

Figure	Period	Role	Connection
Du Potet	1820-1881	Distant passes + gaze; Journal du magnétisme	Parallel figure, NOT Lafontaine's master
Lafontaine	1840s-1880s	Public demonstrations in Europe	Observed by Braid; precursor to Donato
Braid	1842	Physiological re-labeling	Spectator of Lafontaine, not inventor
Donato	1875-1900	Direct fascination — the qualitative leap	Heir to the tradition, radical innovator

See the complete history: John Braid e il Braidismo — La Versione Corretta della Storia

ISI-CNV In-Depth Pages

Metodo Lafontaine nei Materiali ISI-CNV
Lafontaine in Inghilterra e Braid — La Tournée del 1841 e l'Origine dell'Ipnotismo
Persone Curate da Lafontaine — Casi Clinici dai Mémoires
Lafontaine e il Leone — La Dimostrazione del Magnetismo sugli Animali
Lafontaine e gli Indiani d'America
Taddeo de' Consonni — Testimone Italiano del Metodo Lafontaine — the Italian documentary evidence (Florence 1850)

Primary Sources

Anti-hallucination system: each claim is traced back to a verified passage. Dossier estratti ISI-CNV (17/05/2026).

Lafontaine's Works — Drive

Mémoires d'un magnétiseur, vol. I (Genève 1866) — main primary source; ch. III «Jobard — Mon initiation au magnétisme» (pp. 59-65 OCR verified)
Mémoires vol. II — continuation
L'Art de Magnétiser — Lafontaine's practical manual
Le Magnétiseur — Lafontaine's journal (PDF)
Mémoires vol.1 (annotated Paret version — note p.312: truth about Braid)

Testimonies on Lafontaine

Donato, Le Magnétisme Triomphant — Google Doc — sect. III: Lafontaine and Braid 1842; fluidists (du Potet 1820, Lafontaine 1840)
Paret, History of Hypnotism — Google Doc — sect. «Dupotet and Lafontaine»; lion magnetization; clinical case table | Searchable TXT