A goat-headed man caresses a sleeping ewe-headed woman; representing the notion of animal magnetism and its application by physicians. Etching after M. Voltz (?), 1815.

  • Voltz, Michael, 1784-1858.
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17847i
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view A goat-headed man caresses a sleeping ewe-headed woman; representing the notion of animal magnetism and its application by physicians. Etching after M. Voltz (?), 1815.

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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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Credit

A goat-headed man caresses a sleeping ewe-headed woman; representing the notion of animal magnetism and its application by physicians. Etching after M. Voltz (?), 1815. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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About this work

Description

The goat-doctor has removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. A clyster appears to be emerging from his jacket pocket. The painting on the wall shows an eagle descending on a classically dressed woman, who sits next to a cup from which ascends a snake. This may refer to one of the stories from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', which lying next to the woman on the bed. Otto Baur traces the meaning of this print back to an anonymous French print of 1784 called 'Le doigt magique ou le magnetisme animal' which is lettered 'simium semper simius', a parody of Hahnemann's slogan on the treatment of like with like. This much discussed notion was thus compounded with the controversy over Mesmer's researches. In the French print however, the woman is still human

Physical description

1 print : etching ; platemark 25.6 x 18 cm

Lettering

Thierischer Magnetismus. Eine ernste Beschäftigung für tiefe Denker und gläubige Gemüther

Creator/production credits

The speculation that the design is by Voltz is made by Eugen Holländer and Otto Baur

References note

On this picture and others with the same theme, see Otto Baur, 'Bestarium Humanum', Munich: Heinz Moos, 1974, p. 60; Eugen Holländer, Die Karikatur and Satire in der Medizin, Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke, 1921, plate IX

Reference

Wellcome Collection 17847i

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