Franz Mesmer
publication date: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 (part of Fall 2015)
category: 
Fads
clue: This German physician's magnetic personality allowed him to control his patients by dangling a watch and telling them that they were getting very sleepy.
explanation: Mesmer's ideas about interconnected energy between all living and nonliving things, which he called "animal magnetism," caused a popular stir in Europe for years that eventually turned into the practice of hypnosis, often called "mesmerism" after Mesmer. more…
intended difficulty: hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Justin Woods, Matthew Preston, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Mike Eberhart, and Stan Iwanchuk
trivia: This goo originally appeared in GooCon: Siesta Key in 2008 with a different clue.
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