308 Dr. Buchner's Hypothesis regarding Magnetism. 



HYPOTHESIS REGARDING MAGNETISM. BY DR. BUCHNER. 



" There are still," says Dr. Blichner, f* so many obscure 

 things in the phsenomena of magnetism, that it would be rash 

 to present any explanation of these phaenomena, otherwise than 

 as a mere hypothesis. We may admit as demonstrated, that 

 the magnetic influences are as extensive in their operation as 

 light, caloric, and electricity, but that they are in a state of 

 reciprocal neutralization, which prevents their being made 

 sensible. There is but a small number of bodies which have 

 the property of breaking this state of equilibrium, and mani- 

 festing north and south polarities. Among these we distin- 

 guish the loadstone, iron, steel, nickel, cobalt, &c. To what 

 is this remarkable property owing? Is it to a peculiar cry- 

 stallization of these bodies, or rather to some defect of equili- 

 brium in their chemical constitution ? Of this we are ignorant. 

 It seems to me, that it may be admitted, that, as light ema- 

 nates from the sun toward the earth, magnetism in return 

 emanates from the earth toward the sun, in a state of neutra- 

 lization in the equatorial zone, which receives the greatest 

 quantity of light, and in a state of polarization toward the poles 

 of the globe, which receive the least of it. It cannot be re- 

 fused to admit, that light, caloric, electricity and magnetism, 

 are in a certain mutual relation of causality : the question is 

 merely, what is this relation ? The following hypothesis ap- 

 pears to me the most simple and most natural. 



" The planets receive from the sun light and electricity in 

 the neutral state ; they decompose these principles, and repro- 

 duce, in their turn, caloric, and the two polarized electric 

 principles. But caloric dilates bodies, and breaks in them 

 the equilibrium of their cohesion, and of their chemical con- 

 stitution. Then caloric itself undergoes a modification, which 

 is still enigmatical to us, in virtue of which it is transformed 

 into magnetism. All ponderable bodies are conductors of 

 magnetism, for which they appear to have little affinity. Or- 

 ganized and living bodies, such as our own, are sensible to 

 light and heat ; but we want a sense for the magnetism with 

 which we are constantly surrounded and penetrated : hence 

 the difficulty of understanding this agent aright. If we inha- 

 bited the sun, perhaps, in place of a sense for perceiving light, 

 we should possess a sense for perceiving magnetism. 



" In the present hypothesis, magnetism would not emanate 

 from the earth only, but also from all bodies in the universe 

 that are illuminated by the sun. We may consider as proofs 

 of these magnetic emanations; 1st, The magnetic currents 

 which are established in the conducting wire of an electro- 

 chemical apparatus or in a thermo -magnetic metal; for the 



earth 



