During the 19th century, mesmerism had become a popular medical treatment for numerous aliments and also a form of anesthesia for surgery. While it is generally seen as a parlor trick, mesmerism, which is now referred to as hypnosis, is beginning to reappear as a legitimate form of treatment. Mesmerism was at the height of its popularity during the 1840's, the time in which Edgar Allan Poe was writing. Poe was a popular writer and thus "it was logical that Poe, as a journalist sensitive to popular interest, should have exploited it" (Lind 1078), according to Sidney Lind in her 1947 article Poe and Mesmerism. Poe did explore it, by writing three stories, all mostly based on mesmerism. The stories that feature the practice are "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains", "Mesmeric Revelation" and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. In "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", which was written in 1845, Poe seemed to be influenced by the popularity of mesmerism, America's low life expectancy rates, the overall way the medical community was regarded at the time and by examining these different influential and motivating factors, we can better understand the information in the story. 

Mesmerism was proposed in the 1770's by German physician Franz Mesmer. The practice of mesmerism was very popular from the 1780's until about 1850. It was around 1850 when actual medicine was discovered and starting to be widely used as an alternative to the popular practice. The introduction of chloroform in the 1830s and ether in 1840s for use as anesthesia may have contributed to the decline of the use of mesmerism by healthcare professionals. However, mesmerism was still very much debated and discussed in medical journals in the 1840's. It is easy to see why Poe took such an interest in mesmerizing. Poe himself might have been trying to become involved in the discussions. Mendenhall says that Poe did this by "dissertating with the hopes that, one day, scientists would look on his fiction as a catalyst for new and innovative practices" (Mendenhall). At the time, new inventions and discoveries were advancing modern medicine. Poe may have been writing on the subject to encourage future scientists and doctors to move back towards the metaphysical way of looking at medicine. The influence that mesmerizing had on Poe was astounding, it was such a popular practice at the time that Poe wrote three stories about mesmerism. It was not a far stretch for Poe to transition to the topic of mesmerism from his other writings, as attested to by Matthew Taylor, author of Allen Poe's (Meta) physics. Taylor wrote, "So well suited to Poe's principles of literary composition that it was natural for him to work this new field, to attempt to achieve the sensational without deliberately attempting to mislead" (Taylor). Poe's writing widely focused on death, which he also seemed to be very interested in. In "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" Poe combines the two with an interest in prolonging life. 

Poe's fascination with life and death could have been two-fold. During Poe's life, the life expectancy of the average individual was much less than it is present day. Today, modern medicine has greatly increased the average life expectancy to approximately 78 years. However, the average life expectancy of individuals living in the United States in the mid-1800s was under 40 years of age. In Poe's story, "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", the main character attempted to extend the life of a dying man by mesmerizing him. The patient continued to be responsive even after death due to being under the spell, thereby extending the period of time that he was alive. Another reason that Poe might have been preoccupied with death enough to influence the writing of this story is more personal. During Poe's life, he lost many of his loved ones. By the young age of three, Poe became orphaned when his father deserted the family and his mother died soon after. Poe's young brother and the woman who raised him, Mrs. Allan also perished. Virginia, Poe's wife, was diagnosed with the same disease his brother, mother and foster mother had died of; tuberculosis. The person being mesmerized, M. Valdemar, was also dying of this disease, "his physicians had declared him in a confirmed phthisis [tuberculosis]" (Poe 14). She was very ill at the time the story was written and passed in 1847, just two years after the story's completion. These tragedies would have shaped Poe and his writing; influencing him to write about this topic and reflecting his hidden desire to lengthen the lives of his loved ones. 

Perhaps this story was written to shed light one of the major issues of the time, medical care. According to their research students that UNC Pembroke discovered that, during this time medical care "was most often inadequate and insufficient in meeting patients' needs.  Diseases were a major problem and led to many deaths" (Collins). Tuberculosis along with many other culprits claimed the lives of many American citizens. The inability the medical field to prevent and treat disease may have influenced Poe to write a story in the form of a medical record. He may have been trying to illustrate an individual's need to seek any care available.  Another theory is that Poe rejected mesmerism and did not want people to use it because it did not "lead down a road to human improvement" (Mendenhall). He could have written this story like an legitimate medical report to discourage people from using mesmerism as a medical treatment because he did not think it should be used. Another reason that he might have written "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" like a factual case was to highlight the lack of treatment of diseases. In the story the doctors did very little except observe what was going on. These are examples of what was happening socially during that time in history. With an understanding of these historical information, it can better help shape the understanding of the story.  

An understanding of all of these historical and cultural events can help shape the meaning of the story "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". The fact that mesmerism was a widespread idea combined with the low life expectancy because of both diseases and poor health care, it is easy to see why Poe chose to write a story about these subjects. This knowledge can completely change how the story is read and understood. Instead of a creepy fictional story with a weird disgusting ending, it can be read as an informative piece about the subjects popular and important to people in the mid-19th century.   

Collins, Timmy, William Harris, Mary K. Inman, Ronnie Locklear, Malaika Ratley, and Veronica Revels. "Health." Antebellum American, 1784-1865: University of North Carolina at Pembroke, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
