Du Potet e il Magnetismo Scientifico — Genealogia e Commissioni/en
This page reconstructs the genealogy of European scientific magnetism with particular attention to the role of Baron du Potet as a figure of continuity between Mesmer (1770s) and the successors of the twentieth century.
The Thread of Transmission
As Donato writes in Le Magnétisme Triomphant: «Suppress Mesmer and magnetism, you necessarily suppress Puységur and magnetic somnambulism, Braid and hypnotism, Charcot and grand hypnotism. Suppress Deleuze, du Potet, Lafontaine [...] their remarkable works.»
Dr. Paret in the History of Hypnotism adds: «It is sometimes said that but for Dupotet magnetism would have been forgotten after Mesmer» — a judgment that indicates du Potet's key role in the continuity of the movement.
Phase I: Mesmer and the Universal Fluid (1774–1815)
Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) founded animal magnetism on the theory of a universal fluid that permeates all bodies. He opened the first baquet (collective magnetic tub) in Paris in 1778.
The First Royal Commission (1784), composed of Franklin, Lavoisier, and Guillotin, concluded that the fluid was not demonstrable — but that the phenomena were real. This distinction — real phenomena, contested theory — is the starting point of all subsequent debate.
Phase II: Dispersion and Theorists (1815–1820)
After Mesmer, magnetism risked extinction. The main contributions came from theorists:
- Deleuze (1753–1835): librarian at the Jardin des Plantes. Histoire critique du magnétisme animal (1813) and Instruction pratique (1826). An excellent theorist, but according to Donato «he found no serious innovations in practice». It was he whom the young Lafontaine studied from books in Brussels (confirmed by the Mémoires, vol. I, p. 65).
- Puységur (1751–1825): discovered magnetic somnambulism — deep trance with lucidity.
- Abbé Faria (1756–1819): first non-fluidist explanation. Phenomena depend on the subject, not the magnetizer — an anticipation of suggestionist hypnosis.
Phase III: Du Potet — From Salon to Hospital (1820–1845)
The key year is 1820: du Potet begins at the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris. This is the transition from the private salon to the public medical institution.
Until then, magnetism was practiced in private homes and aristocratic salons. Du Potet brought the practice before verifiable academic physicians. This caused «an enormous uproar» (Donato) and provoked the Second Academic Commission (1826-1831), which officially recognized certain magnetic phenomena.
In 1828 he opened the School of Magnetism in Paris: ~100 students, many of them doctors. Magnetism ceased to be an esoteric art and became a transmissible discipline.
The du Potet Pipeline → England
In 1837 du Potet went to London for 22 months. He prepared the ground for Lafontaine (1840-1841) and his public demonstrations — including the magnetization of a lion at the London Zoo. Without du Potet, Braid would never have encountered magnetism.
Phase IV: Lafontaine and Braid — The British Turning Point (1840–1845)
Lafontaine and du Potet are parallel and independent figures (confirmed by Donato and Lafontaine's Mémoires — see Charles Lafontaine — Il Magnetizzatore Franco-Svizzero). In November 1841 Braid attended a demonstration by Lafontaine in Manchester. In 1843 he published Neurypnology — the term «hypnotism» was born.
Phase V: Donato and Fascination (1875–1900)
Donato represents the third generation. His novelty is direct fascination: influence produced exclusively by the gaze. This is the endpoint of an evolutionary line:
passes Mesmer → passes at a distance du Potet → passes with gaze (du Potet) → pure gaze (Donato)
Phase VI: Durville and the Twentieth Century (1900–1940)
The Durville brothers complete the circle. Dr. Paret: «Through the work of Dupotet we can see a direct continuation which creates a very clear direct bridge from the work of Mesmer in the 1700s to the work of the Durville brothers in the 1900s.»
The Theoretical Line
| Theory | Main Proponents | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Universal fluid (fluidism) | Mesmer, Deleuze, du Potet, Lafontaine | 1780s-1880s |
| Magnetic somnambulism | Puységur, Deleuze, du Potet | 1800s-1860s |
| Imagination + suggestion | Faria, Bertrand, Nancy school | 1820s-1900s |
| Hypnotism (physiological state) | Braid, Charcot, Bernheim | 1843-1900s |
| Direct fascination (power of the eye) | Donato, Di Pisa, Paret | 1875-present |
Concise Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1778 | Mesmer opens the first baquet in Paris |
| 1784 | First Royal Commission; Sociétés de l'Harmonie spread magnetism |
| 1813 | Deleuze: Histoire critique du magnétisme animal |
| 1815 | Du Potet hears of Mesmer for the first time |
| 1820 | Du Potet at the Hôtel-Dieu: magnetism in a hospital setting |
| 1826 | Deleuze: Instruction pratique; start of the Second Academic Commission |
| 1826 | Lafontaine meets Jobard in Brussels — begins in magnetism |
| 1828 | Du Potet opens the School of Magnetism in Paris (~100 students) |
| 1831 | Second Commission recognizes certain magnetic phenomena |
| 1837-1839 | Du Potet in London: 22 months; publishes An Introduction to Animal Magnetism |
| 1840-1841 | Lafontaine in England: public demonstrations, lion at the zoo |
| 1841 | November: Braid attends Lafontaine in Manchester |
| 1843 | Braid: Neurypnology — «hypnotism» is born |
| 1845+ | Du Potet founds the Journal du magnétisme |
| 1852 | Du Potet: La Magie Dévoilée |
| 1875+ | Donato begins demonstrations of fascination in Europe |
| 1881 | Death of du Potet |
| 1900-1940 | Durville brothers continue the magnetic tradition |
Primary Sources
Anti-hallucination system: every statement is traced back to the sources below. Dossier of verified extracts ISI-CNV (17/05/2026).
Texts by du Potet — Drive
- Manuel de l'étudiant magnétiseur (Paris 1850) — 30 years of experience; includes Husson Academy Report
- Thérapeutique Magnétique — clinical cases and methodology
- La Magie Dévoilée (Paris 1852) — magical philosophy; verified OCR preface
- Magnetism and Magic (English translation Paret, .doc)
- Drive folder: all books by du Potet
Testimonies on du Potet
- Donato, Le Magnétisme Triomphant — Google Doc — sect. III «De Mesmer à Donato»: biog. + critical evaluation of du Potet | PDF gallica
- Paret, History of Hypnotism — Google Doc — sect. «Dupotet and Lafontaine» (lines 1705-1775 in TXT) | Searchable TXT | PDF
Historical Journals and Periodicals
- Donato, Journal de Psycho-Physiologie (162 pp., 290MB) — Donato's journal; meeting Donato-du Potet-Durville (OCR in progress — 51/162 pp. with readable text)
- La Revue Magnétique Donato-Durville — PDF — secondary source
See also
- Baron du Potet de Sennevoy — Il Magnetizzatore di Parigi
- Charles Lafontaine — Il Magnetizzatore Franco-Svizzero
- Lafontaine in Inghilterra e Braid — La Tournée del 1841 e l'Origine dell'Ipnotismo
- Du Potet e le Società Segrete — Magia, Aristocrazia e Magnetismo
- Donato — Il Padre della Fascinazione
- La Tradizione Europea dell'Ipnosi — da Mesmer a Paret
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