Mesmerism Considered

Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1852. First Edition. 12mo, 15 pages, bound in modern red cloth with paper label. Mesmerism Considered is a scarce mid-Victorian pamphlet on mesmerism, animal magnetism, trance, and the controversial powers attributed to mesmeric influence. Published in Glasgow by William Mackenzie in 1852, the work belongs to the period when mesmerism occupied a contested space between medicine, psychology, popular science, religion, and the occult. Of particular interest is its treatment of mesmerism in relation to personal responsibility: whether a person under mesmeric influence could be considered morally or legally accountable for their actions. As such, it is an appealing ephemeral work for collectors of hypnotism, animal magnetism, Victorian psychology, psychical research, fringe medicine, and the history of altered states of consciousness. From the library of Dr. M. H. Coleman with his seal. Some discoloration and age toning, else in very good + condition. Item #328

Price: $200.00