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The History of Bioelectromagnetism

FIGURE 2.1 Magnetizing hot iron by hammering (Gilbert’s Blacksmith, From Mottelay 1893, English version

translated from original, Dover edition, 1958.)

same, and the theory of Earth’s magnetism. Trough the second book, the systematic study of amber,

a distinction between the attractive properties of magnet and amber was discussed. Many magnetic

and electrostatic experiments were reported. Book three was concerned with the directive properties

of magnets, with the magnetization of needles and the distribution of magnetism in a terrella. Te ter­

rella is little Earth and formed as a spherical magnet, which serves as a model. From this terrella model,

Gilbert drew the analogy between the Earth’s magnetic feld and terrella’s magnetic feld. He introduced

the Earth’s magnetism with more detail in book four, and showed declination and magnetic dip with

the description of an instrument such as the action of a loadstone, and the degree of dip below the

horizon is developed in book fve. Te fnal book six concerned stellular and terrestrial motions associ­

ated with magnetism. He coined the term “electric” to denote the attractive property of substances like

amber-electrostatic phenomena. Te term “electric” comes from elektron, the ancient Greece. In his

book, Gilbert gave many examples of the therapeutic use of magnets (Rowbottom and Susskind, 1984).

Gilbert’s assertions were based on rigorous experimentation. According to Humboldt, Gilbert used for

the frst time the words electric force, electric attraction, and electric emanations. Although the original

book and scientifc work by Gilbert belonged to the Royal College of Physicians as his bequest, they were

destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Otto von Guericke (1602–1686), Major of Magdeburg, physicist and inventor, Germany, had studied

Gilbert’s experiments further, and discovered experimentally the phenomena of static electricity. Using

a rotating sulfur sphere with an iron axle, and mounted on a revolving axis, a frictional electric machine

was frst constructed by him in 1663. When the sulfur sphere rotated, and rubbed, static electricity was