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Events on Wednesday 11 August 1784 1
1784Royal Commission Debunks Mesmer's Animal MagnetismFranklin and Lavoisier lead scientific investigation in ParisA French royal commission including Benjamin Franklin and Antoine Lavoisier investigated Franz Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism and concluded its effects stemmed from imagination rather than any physical fluid. The commission's report is regarded as an early landmark in the use of controlled experiment to test medical claims. It effectively discredited mesmerism within mainstream science.