émile coué, a french apothecary, working between 1882 and 1910, discovered what later came to be known as the "placebo effect". he reassured his clients by praising each remedy's efficiency and leaving a small positive notice with each medication. in 1901 coué began to study under hypnosis. in 1913, coué and his wife founded "la société lorraine de psychologie appliquée". his book "self-mastery through conscious autosuggestion" was published in england (1920) and in the united states (1922).