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The History of Bioelectromagnetism

FIGURE 2.2 Discovery of the Leyden jar in Musschenbroek’s laboratory. Te static electricity produced by the

rotating glass sphere electrostatic generator was conducted by the chain through the suspended bar to the water in

the glass (From Deschanel, 1876.)

From 1773, John Walsh (1725–1795), fellow of the Royal Society, England, sent a letter to Benjamin

Franklin (1706–1790), the American editor, philosopher, and statesman. He reported in his letter that

a visible spark and shock from the torpedo is the same sensation from a shock of a Leyden jar. In 1774,

Walsh published the results of the torpedo’s electricity together with the anatomical observations on

its electric organs sketched by John Hunter (1728–1793), a Scottish anatomist and surgeon (Figure 2.3)

(Walsh, 1773–1774; Rowbottom and Susskind, 1984). His observation is that the electricity of the animal

is generated by organs located on each side of the cranium and gills, somewhat resembling a galvanic

pile, and consisting wholly of perpendicular columns reaching from the upper to the under surface of

the body (Mottelay, 1922). John Hunter was the teacher of Edward Jenner (1749–1823), a British physi­

cian, and contributor of the smallpox vaccine.

Toward the end of the eighteenth century, unreasonable forms of medical treatment had popularity in

Europe and North America. Te doctrine of “animal magnetism” by Mesmer and “metallic tractor” by

Perkins were introduced in relation to electro- and magneto-therapy in their day. Both were very popu­

lar, but general practitioner frowned on these medical treatments (Rowbottom and Susskind, 1984).

Scientists in the eighteenth century regarded invisible fuids as the source of magnetism. Nearly 200 years

afer the death of Paracelsus, Franz Antoine Mesmer (1734–1815) was born in the village of Iznang near

Lake Constance. He accepted Paracelsus’s idea into his concept, and developed his theory, later called

“Mesmerism.” He studied medicine in Vienna. In 1765, his medical dissertation entitled On the infuence

of the planets upon the human body discussed that the infuence of the stars and planets on the human

body, health, and disease was by means of an invisible fuid (Parent, 2004). His theory derived from the

concept that the invisible fuid existed in the entire universe and infused both matter and spirit with its

vital force. Afer the publication of his dissertation, Mesmer met Maximilian Höll (1720–1792), a Jesuit

priest and astronomer of the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Using magnets, Höll experimented