<p>In 1779, Franz Anton Mesmer wrote an 88-page book, M&eacute;moire sur la d&eacute;couverte du magn&eacute;tisme animal, to which he appended his famous 27 Propositions. While undertaking research, G.F. Frankau obtained, on loan from a private library, an original edition of Mesmer&#39;s M&eacute;moire sur la d&eacute;couverte de Magn&eacute;tism Animal. Realising its medico-historical importance and tempted by a layman&#39;s vanity to undertake the translation himself, he eventually decided that the task could only be accomplished by an expert; He secured the services of Captain V. R. Myers of the Berlitz School of Languages. Myer&rsquo;s rendering of the eighteenth-century French is highly praiseworthy. The adjective 'mesmeric&rdquo;, the substantive 'mesmerism', and the verb to 'mesmerise' have not changed their meanings since they first became current&mdash;posterity&#39;s unique tribute to a unique man.</p>