Philippe Nizier – genius doctor or charlatan?

He was one of the most famous magicians of all time, the adviser of the Russian tsar, who treated the most distinguished people of Europe. He predicted the birth of the heir to Nicholas II and his own death.
Philippe Nizier was born in 1849. He was considered a genius from an early age, some people even proclaimed him returned Jesus. And after his death in 1905 he became known as maestro Philippe. He never studied anything and said he received a gift from God: “I was six years old, when I gained the ability to heal.” The boy was obviously gifted, but none of the adults around him advised him to get the medical profession. At the age of fourteen he became a butcher’s apprentice in Lyon where he demonstrated his healing ability for the first time. Later he began healing people. However, he didn’t believe in medicine. Nizier was closer to the shamans. His methods of treatment were not traditional, therefore aroused the protests of scientists and doctors, envy colleagues who unsuccessfully treated serious illnesses.
Some people believed he was only a hypnotist, able to convince the patient that the pain had gone. But it wasn’t so. He helped many people and even saved from amputation – when the surgeons claimed that gangrene had begun! How could it be? Probably with the help of the Lord and talent to diagnosis and treatment. But soon there were rumors that he was a true charlatan and practiced occult medicine. He felt uncomfortable in Lyon. He had to look for a new home…

Rumors of omnipotent healer spread throughout Europe. They even said he was able to raise the dead! Philippe rarely touched his patients during treatment, he only spoke to the sick, and then prayed.
In 1877, he married Jeanne Landar, the widow, who had lovely, but very sick daughter. Nizier cured her, and she began to help her stepfather. Philippe and Jeanne had two children together.
By that time, his fame had spread far beyond Lyon: he treated the Tunisian Bey, went to heal in Cincinnati, where he, by the way, was offered a doctorate in medicine at the University… In 1885 he was made an honorary citizen of the Italian city of Acre “for services to science and humanity”, but at home, in Lyon, he was arrested in 1887, then again in 1890 – for the illegal practice. Philippe usually avoided serious trouble, thanks to powerful friends: one of them, for example, was Gerard Encausse better known as Papus – famous occultist and the doctor.
In October 1895 Philippe opened the School of magnetism in Lyon with the help of Papus.
In September 1900 the Grand Duke Vladimir was one of the few Russian nobles, who visited Philippe in Lyon. On December 29 Nizier came to Russia and stayed there for two months.
Since then, when the royal family came to France, they certainly visited Philippe in Lyon. In 1901 Nizier met with the last Russian emperor and his wife in Nice. On September 21, 1901 Nizier, being a guest at the imperial court, predicted the birth of the heir Alexei in 1904, and he also spoke about the tragic defeat in the war and the overthrow of the monarchy.
Nicholas decided to give Nizier a doctorate in Russia, but at first Philippe had the examination, very unusual exam. In the presence of the jury Nizier asked for a list of numbers of hospital beds in the nearby hospital. During the session, Philippe diagnosed each patient, being in a building located a mile away from the hospital! And it turned out that all diagnoses were correct and he even healed some patients.
Master Philip knew about his own death. He said he would leave his physical body on August 2, 1905. He was right.
Who was he: all-powerful magician, charlatan or genius doctor? The main thing, he was a wise man. His favorite aphorism – “If our souls are healthy, then the body would not hurt” – is arguably the most important principle of modern medicine. And Nizier was convinced that our physical appearance is a reflection of our soul, and to improve our appearance, enough to become kinder. Let’s try?