Mesmer, an 18th century physician, believed that hypnosis occurred as a result of "vital fluids" drawn from a magnet or lodestone and which drew their unique qualities from the sun, moon and stars.
"A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis"
Melvin Powers
In the only true sense of the word power, it applies with equal force to the lodestone as to the human will.
"The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley Volume III"
Percy Bysshe Shelley Edited by Thomas Hutchinson, M. A.
Anyhow, some genius found out that a small needle brought in contact with the so-called lodestone, or magnetic ore, absorbs the qualities of the lodestone, and when placed on a pivot will always point to the north.
"Editorials-from-the-Hearst-Newspapers"
Brisbane, Arthur