Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer was a Viennese physician who claimed he could cure people of a variety of diseases using a force he called "animal magnetism." Some of Mesmer’s techniques involved a kind of mass hysteria that caused people to swoon and fall to the floor. Franklin was part of a group from the French Academy of Sciences that was asked to investigate Mesmer and his methods. By setting up a controlled experiment, the group proved that Mesmer’s claims were unfounded. to Inquiring Mind: Mesmer