Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand
Encyclopedia
Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand (April 25, 1795 – January 22, 1831) was a French physician and mesmerist who was a native of Rennes
. He was the father of archaeologist Alexandre Bertrand
(1820–1902) and mathematician
Joseph Bertrand
(1822–1900). He was also an ally of philosopher Pierre Leroux
(1798–1871) and the Saint-Simonians
.
Bertrand is remembered for his scientific investigations of animal magnetism
and somnambulism. In his public lectures on animal magnetism he spoke confidently about the existence of "magnetic fluid", but through experience and reflection he later changed his mind, becoming a leading critic of its existence.
From 1825 to 1830 Bertrand published numerous articles in the progressive journal Le Globe
.
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. He was the father of archaeologist Alexandre Bertrand
Alexandre Bertrand
Alexandre Louis Joseph Bertrand was a French archaeologist who was a native of Rennes. He was the son of physician Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand and elder brother to mathematician Joseph Louis François Bertrand .Bertrand studied at Ecole Normale Superieure de la rue d'Ulm, and after a...
(1820–1902) and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
Joseph Bertrand
Joseph Louis François Bertrand
Joseph Louis François Bertrand was a French mathematician who worked in the fields of number theory, differential geometry, probability theory, economics and thermodynamics....
(1822–1900). He was also an ally of philosopher Pierre Leroux
Pierre Leroux
Pierre Henri Leroux , French philosopher and political economist, was born at Bercy, now a part of Paris, the son of an artisan.- Life :...
(1798–1871) and the Saint-Simonians
Saint-Simonianism
Saint-Simonianism was a French political and social movement of the first half of the 19th century, inspired by the ideas of Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon ....
.
Bertrand is remembered for his scientific investigations of animal magnetism
Animal magnetism
Animal magnetism , in modern usage, refers to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. As postulated by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, the term referred to a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium believed to reside in the bodies of animate beings...
and somnambulism. In his public lectures on animal magnetism he spoke confidently about the existence of "magnetic fluid", but through experience and reflection he later changed his mind, becoming a leading critic of its existence.
From 1825 to 1830 Bertrand published numerous articles in the progressive journal Le Globe
Le Globe
Le Globe was a French newspaper, published between 1824 and 1832, created with the goal of publishing Romantic creations. It was established by Pierre Leroux. After 1828, the paper became political and Liberal in tone....
.
Selected Writings
- Traité du somnambulisme et des différentes modifications qu'il présente (Treatise on sleepwalking and the various changes it presents), Paris, Dentu, 1823.
- Lettres sur les révolutions du globe, Paris, Bossange brothers, 1824.
- Lettres sur la physique, Paris, Bossange, 1824 and 1825.
- De l'extase (Of Ecstasy), Paris, 1826.
- Du magnétisme en France et des jugements qu'en ont porté les sociétés savantes (Of magnetism in France and judgments of the learned societies), Paris, Baillière, 1826.- Republication L'Harmattan, 2004 - ISBN 2-74-756319-7.