A review by abigailbat
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff

4.0

Oh, Ben Franklin. We're fascinated by you! In addition to being another interesting story about Ben Franklin, this book emphasizes Franklin's use the scientific method to disprove the claims of physician Franz Mesmer who claimed that he could use the powers of the cosmos (harnessed through his wand) to heal people of any ailment and to get them to do or sense whatever he wanted (the roots of what is today known as hypnotism). Franklin's work with Dr. Mesmer eventually lead to the discovery of what is now known as the placebo effect and his experiments were the first blind tests that are now used for scientific experiments. So, yes, this is another true story about Ben Franklin, but it's also a great demonstration of the scientific method.