History of Magnetism

Early Uses of Magnetism

References to the early use of magnetism in the healing arts are found in most civilizations of the world:

• The earliest record of magnetism is found in a Chinese book entitled “Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine” (circa 2000 BC) where it is referred to in conjunction with the practice of acupuncture. ²
• Cleopatra is claimed to have worn a lodestone on her forehead to prevent aging. ²
• The famous Persian physician Ali Abbas describes using magnetism to relieve spasms and gout around 1000 AD. ³
• Galen, a noted Greek physician, author and educator, referred to magnetism as an excellent purgative. ³
• William Gilbert, from England (1544-1603), literally put magnetism on the map. After nearly two decades of study and experimentation, he published a world-view changing treatise entitled “De Magnete” or “On the Magnet” in 1600. It was the first scientific work published in English and proposed that the Earth itself is a magnet. He was also the first to believe that magnetism and electricity were two types of a single force. Gilbert was a medical doctor and in 1599 became president of the College of Physicians. He was later appointed royal physician, serving both Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, King James I.