REPORT ON ANIMAL MAGNETISM. 141 



that no geometer, from Newton to Laplace, had thought 

 of. 



The work of Bailly gave rise to trouble, spite, and 

 anger, among the Mesmerists. It was for many months 

 the target for their combined attacks. All the provinces 

 of France saw refutations of the celebrated report arise : 

 sometimes under the form of calm discussions, decent and 

 moderate ; but generally with all the characteristics of 

 violence, and the acrimony of a pamphlet. 



It would be labour thrown away now to go to the dusty 

 shelves of some special library, to hunt up hundreds of 

 pamphlets, even the titles of which are now completely 

 forgotten. The impartial analysis of that ardent contro- 

 versy does not call for such labour ; I believe at least 

 that I shall attain my aim, by concentrating my attention 

 on two or three writings which, by the strength of the 

 arguments, the merit of the style, or the reputation of 

 their authors, have left some trace in men's minds. 



In the first rank of this category of works we must 

 place the elegant pamphlet published by Servan, under 

 the title of Doubts of a Provincial, proposed to the Gen- 

 tlemen Medical Commissioners commanded by the King 

 to examine into Animal Magnetism. 



The appearance of this little work of Servan's was 

 saluted in the camp of the Mesmerists with cries of 

 triumph and joy. Undecided minds fell back into doubt 

 and perplexity. Grimm wrote in Nov. 1784: "No 

 cause is desperate. That of magnetism seemed as if it 

 must fall under the reiterated attacks of medicine, of 

 philosophy, of experience and of good sense. . . . "Well, 

 M. Servan, formerly the Attorney- General at Grenoble, 

 has been proving that with talent we may recover from 

 any thing, even from ridicule." 



