John Elliotson, born in 1791, was a professor of theory and practice at University Hospital in London, England. He became interested in magnetism through Richard Chenevix, a student of Faria´s, and learned it from Baron de Potet.

Beginning his experiments in 1837, Elliotson found that his patients could undergo major surgery without agony, and he applied these techniques whenever possible. This incurred the wrath of his fellow physicians, who clung to a firm belief that pain was necessary for healing. Consequently, this made many doctors eager to discredit Elliotson. Because he also believed in clairvoyance, they used this as extra ammunition and put his real work into the same category.

Despite open criticism and disguised enmity, Elliotson continued using and promoting magnetism and many younger doctors displayed great interest in his work. He gained so many followers that he was forced to perform many of his operations in the hospital amphitheater to seat all those who wished to attend.

In addition to using hypnosis in major operations, Elliotson also used “prestige suggestion” for some direct cures. He also conducted some experiments with trance diagnosis and predictions, yet he still probably did more actually to promote hypnotism to the medical world in a scientific way than any of his forerunners.

The medical community continued the attacks on him, however. This soon made him very unpopular with the public – and even less popular with the hospital authorities, who asked him to discontinue his experiments.

Firmly convinced he was right, he refused to stop. After a stormy scene, he left the hospital and university, never to return. And as you might expect, all traces of mesmerism were “cleaned away” behind him by a specially appointed commission.

Elliotson continued to fight for medical acceptance of his experiments for over thirty years any way he could. He published a journal called “Zoist” which indirectly resulted in benefits for thousands of people in later years through the work of James Esdaile. But with most of his work ignored, he dies a bitter man in 1868. It´s a shame that he couldn´t have enjoyed more of the respect he so justly deserved while he was still living.