472 



NATURE 



[March 15, 1900 



water-dropping collector. He showed me that he had 

 made an earnest study of the connection between atmo- 

 spheric electricity and diseases, and I am convinced that 

 his conclusions are of great importance. I feel, there- 

 fore, that I am doing a service in bringing before the 

 notice of readers of Nature the following account 

 of a paper, by Dr. Schliep, in Souderahdruck aus 

 Deutsche Medizinal-Zeitung. 



He first refers to the meteorological observations 

 usually made, and goes on to say that our knowledge of 

 atmospheric electricity is now as vague as was the know- 

 ledge of warmth before thermometric observation became 

 systematic. Dove, in 1837, and Humboldt, in his Cosmos, 

 mention the importance of the study of atmospheric 

 electricity. Dr. Graves, of Dublin, made observations and 

 said : " Practically these experiments are of importance, 

 because some causes of the periodicity of certain acute 

 diseases, their decrease and increase at certain hours of the 

 day, may be deduced from them." Hufeland also refers to 

 this matter. Dr. Buzorine,'of Wiirtemburg, in 1841, drew 

 attention to the fact that during the cholera epidemics of 

 the third decade of this century, there was a prevalence 

 of negative electrification of the atmosphere. Dr. Pallas, 

 a French physician, wrote on this subject in 1847, and 

 Dr. Craig, an Englishman, wrote about it in 1859. 



Dr. Schliep now describes his method of observation 

 with the gold-leaf electroscope, and gives the following 

 results. The first part of these may be said to be well 

 known to us. What seems to me of most importance is 

 the effect on organisms. 



Atmospheric electricity is generally positive. If the 

 sky is covered, the potential decreases or shows varia- 

 tions, and is from time to time negative. During rain, 

 negative potential is often observed. The approach of a 

 thunderstorm is generally marked by great alteration 

 towards the negative, followed by considerable oscilla- 

 tions in both directions, with a predominance of negative. 

 Usually the positive potential is higher and more regular 

 during the night than during the daytime. From 9 p.m. 

 to 3 a.m. the potential changes little. It diminishes by 

 daybreak, reaches its lowest value at 3 p.m., then 

 increases and reaches the maximum at 9 p.m. There is, 

 therefore, a minimum during the day, and an almost 

 constant maximum during the greater part of the night ; 

 that is to say, there is only one daily period. These facts 

 are deduced from the use of the registering apparatus of 

 Mascart. Other observers have found two maxima and 

 two minima, but they are probably only accidental varia- 

 tions. In every month there are a number of days on 

 which negative electrification can be observed, others, and 

 they are rare, when there is scarcely any electrification 

 noticeable. On most days there is positive potential. 



According to Marie Davy's observations in Paris, and 

 Dr. Schliep's at Baden, there are two days of positive 

 electrification for 28 negative. The winter shows higher 

 potential than the summer. 



Many terrestrial phenomena, such as earthquakes, are 

 said by trustworthy observers (Schubler, Humboldt) to 

 greatly influence atmospheric electricity. After an 

 auroral display there is strong positive electrification. 

 At greater elevations, especially on steep and high 

 mountains, the electrification is greater. 



Dr. Schliep makes the following statements about 

 the influence of atmospheric electricity on human 

 beings : — Negative electrification is tiring, positive is 

 exciting. Positive is favourable to the process of 

 oxidation, increases metabolism, circulation and secre- 

 tion. It may be that the increased formation of 

 ozone has an influence in this way also, but we can 

 imagine a direct stimulating influence of positive 

 electricity on the nervous system. We may affirm the 

 existence of this influence as, during strong electrification, 

 disturbances of the normal condition are noticeable, as in 

 sleeplessness, the existence of states of anxiety, hysteria, 



NO 1585, VOL. 61] 



neuralgia, and even sometimes inflammation of the 

 respiratory organs. One interesting confirmation of this 

 opinion is found in the observations which Eyselein has 

 made regarding the behaviour of nervous people, as in- 

 fluenced by the amount of ozone in the air. It seems 

 that if there is too little ozone, and especially if it com- 

 pletely and suddenly disappears, there is considerable 

 bodily disturbance ; whilst its sudden reappearance 

 causes a quick return of healthy feeling. It has also been 

 proved that a continuance of much ozone is not unfavour- 

 able to health. Ozone intensity less than No. 10 of 

 Zender's scale, but not much less, has a tonic effect on 

 nervous people, but intensities from 9 to 4 cause dis- 

 turbances. These facts agree with the observations I 

 have made in regard to the health of my patients, as 

 affected by atmospheric electricity. From these observ- 

 ations I conclude that a certain amount of nervous dis- 

 order, as well as a power of resistance, are associated 

 with positive electrification. As in many other cases, 

 there is therefore in this instance the possibility of 

 having too much of a good thing. 



Unhealthy symptoms, unfavourable to tissue-change, 

 accompany negative electrification. Feelings of fatigue 

 and lassitude, exhaustion of the nervous system, arrest of 

 perspiration, loss of tone in the blood-vessels, accompany 

 negative electrification. Congestion, bilious and apo- 

 plectic attacks and haemorrhages are the results The 

 development of bad gas, processes of decomposition, and 

 increase of bacilli are the accompanying phenomena. 

 Certain forms of disease, as angina, pneumonia, herpes, 

 may, to extents dependingupon local conditions, increase 

 with negative electricity, and seem to be related to the 

 souring of milk, the decomposition of meat, and the de- 

 velopment of bad smells in the street gutters and drains. 

 If we say that the bacilli are the cause of these things, it 

 may be true ; but it does not explain why bacilli find more 

 favourable conditions for their existence on some days 

 than on others with equal warmth, moisture, air-pressure, 

 &c. Dr. Schliep goes on to say that we get clearer notions 

 if we consider the difference between animal and plant 

 metabolism. 



We know the astonishing effect of a close thunder- 

 storm-day on vegetation, the sudden breaking forth of 

 buds, leaves and flowers, the quick development of the 

 young seed, and the sometimes rapid growth of such 

 plants as asparagus. Light, warmth and moisture are 

 of course the first conditions. The observation of this 

 remarkable phenomenon gave rise to an interesting 

 experiment of Becquerel. He selected four hyacinth 

 roots of equal size and sort, which he put in a weak salt 

 solution, two in a frame of glass, the third in a frame of 

 zinc, and the fourth in a frame of copper. The copper and 

 zinc were attached to each other by a wire. The vege- 

 tation developed most at the negative pole, less in the 

 neutral frame, and was least at the positive pole. It seems 

 that the roots of plants need a negative electric medium, 

 and the crust of the earth is constantly negative. What 

 increases the tissue-change in plants, decreases that of 

 the animal organism. Thus, very often, days good for 

 vegetation become tiresome for us. Walking in the streets 

 causes great fatigue. All animals are tired on these days. 

 They are the days of negative atmospheric electricity, 

 days on which the bacilli are triumphant ; wounds 

 become septic, and germs of epidemic diseases find 

 favourable conditions for development. It will concern 

 bacteriology to pay attention to the facts. In balneo- 

 meteorology, the most important object is the influence of 

 atmospheric electricity on the anomalies of the constitu- 

 tion. From its better study we shall be able to derive 

 hypotheses for our hygienic and therapeutic study, and 

 besides the importance of geographical position, warmth, 

 moisture, Sac, atmospheric electricity will also play an 

 important part in the classification of climates. We 

 shall not only have to distinguish between land and sea- 



