Austrian physician, an early experimenter in hypnosis, which was formerly (and popularly) called mesmerism after him.
He claimed to reduce people to trance state by consciously exerted animal magnetism, their willpower being entirely subordinated to his. Expelled by the police from Vienna, he created a sensation in Paris in 1778, but was denounced as a charlatan in 1785.
The emblem reflects the Vatican's importance as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The colours of the flag are based on the gold and silver of the papal keys. Effective date: 8 June 1929.