Although he had a preference for literature the French Physiologist Charles Richet studied medicine to please his father, a distinguished surgeon. As a medical student in Paris Charles Richet became interested in hypnosis. This led to the publication of his first paperDu Somnabulism provoqué. His experimental work covered a large field—the physiology of nerve and muscle, respiration, body temperature regulation, liver function, and dietetics. In 1885 he found that a small centre within the brain responding to bacterial toxins and foreign proteins was responsible …