Abstract

VALLEJO, Mauro  and  CONFORTE, Anna. Georges Borda and the first hypnosis treatise published in Buenos Aires (1886). Anu. investig. [online]. 2015, vol.22, n.2, pp.243-250. ISSN 1851-1686.

In 1886, a book entitled "The wonders of hypnotism" was printed in Buenos Aires. Written by a french author called Georges Borda, the text constitues the earliest piece about hypnosis published in the city. Halfway between the language of medicine and the spreader eagerness, those pages propitiated a difussion of the hypnotism's facts among the qualified audience of Argentine's capital. The aim of this paper is to analyze the central features of this book, which up to the present had not caught the attention of historians. Besides tracking its nuclear statements, the task is to locate Borda's intervention in the context of the scientific culture of the end of the century, with particular emphasis on the tensions and negotiations held between the Buenos Aires' medicine and other lay actors of the social scene.

Keywords : Hypnotism; Quackery; 19th century.