638 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol.. II., No. 41. 



appears that he holds the doctrine that atmos- 

 pheric electricitj' follows, or is controlled by, 

 the course of underground electric currents. 

 He claims, moreover, to be endowed with a 

 peculiar sensitiveness that enables him, by 

 walking over the ground with the forked stick 

 in his hands, to detect the location of these 

 currents. The last touch is given to this 

 theory b^' the statement that it is necessarj' 

 for the gifted manipulator of the rod to wear 

 rubber boots during the operation of divining, 

 in order that he ma}- be insulated from the 

 ground. 



In regard to the human bodj' and the reme- 

 dies for its ills, people have always been super- 

 stitious ; and so, naturallj' enough, the number 

 of ' electric ' and ' magnetic ' nostrums offered 

 to aflflicted humanity is verj' great. Their 

 descriptions, however, are nearlj' always worth 

 reading. Custom cannot stale the infinite 

 variety of their absurdities. Here is a speci- 

 men which came to hand a few days since in 

 the advertising columns of a college paper : — 



"Labor, study, and research in America, Europe, 

 and Eastern lands, have resulted in the Magnetic 

 Lung Protector, . . . which, . . . with the continu- 

 ous stream of magnetism permeating through the 

 afiBicted organs, must restore them to a healthy 

 action." 



There is a class of people who call them- 

 selves magnetic physicians, — people who cure, 

 in a modern way, by the laying-on of hands. 

 They are apparently closely allied to the spirit- 

 ualistic Bciedlums, and widently intend to use 

 soinething more than a figure of speech in 

 calling themselves magnetic. There is, for 

 instance, in Gl" ne:u' San Francisco, a certain 



Dr. H , who givee people wlrat he calls 



magnetic b,aths. IIo claims to magnetize the 

 water for the baths bj- dipping his hand in it. 

 He is Said to have an extensive practice. We 

 have heard that the notorious Slade, whose 

 feats made such an impression upon Professor 

 Zollner, clatoed to possess a literal magnetic 

 power, enabling him to rotate the plane of 

 polarization of light. 



Whatever may be the case with these pecul- 

 iar people, it appears that others, not especially 



superstitious, do believe themselves particularly 

 endowed or charged with electricit\', because, 

 for instance, thej' succeed in drawing sparks 

 from their hair or clothing during cold weather. 

 Of course, some people do have drier hair, 

 or drier skins, than others, and do, therefore,^ 

 . as frictional electrical machines, surpass the 

 majority of their fellow-mortals. Moreover, 

 physiologists believe that in living bodies there 

 exist slight electric currents capable of being- 

 detected by very sensitive apparatus. But 

 apparentl}' it is not with an}' intelligent refer- 

 ence to these esceedingl}' minute currents, or 

 to an electric charge acquired by friction, that 

 a man speaks, when he offers to rub a weak or 

 disabled arm because he is ' strong, and full 

 of electricity, you know.' The fact is, we 

 do not know, and we wish the man would 

 explain. 



It would appear that such terms as ' animal 

 magnetism,' and 'personal magnetism,' origi- 

 nating, no doubt, in metaphor, are sometimes 

 taken almost literally. We have met one or 

 two veiy intelligent people who seemed to- 

 have a vague idea that psychological problems 

 might be attacked b}' means of the laws of 

 electricity and magnetism. 



This list of frauds and delusions might l)e 

 greall}' extended. Enough has been said, how- 

 ever, to illustrate some of the kinds of error 

 into which people are led by their ignorance- 

 of the results and methods of scientific re- 

 search. The need of a wider and more inti- 

 mate knowledge of ph3'sics in the education of 

 all classes would, no doubt, be general!}- ac- 

 knowledged. It should be observed, however, 

 that the kind of half-knowledge of this subject 

 which is frequently obtained from newsi)apers, 

 and even from public lectures and po[nilar 

 scientific books, is the very pabulmn of such 

 errors and humbugs as we have described. A 

 woman hears a lecture on sympathetic vibra- 

 tions, fundamental tones, etc., notes the trem- 

 bling of a church under the music of the organ, 

 and writes to her religious paper an enthusias- 

 tic letter explaining the fall of Jericho in a 

 scientific manner, — and all in the interests of 

 revealed religion. 



