The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-06-16
THE INCUR Err
thursday Iunela, 1851.
Magnetic Light.

, A distinguished German chemist and philos
opher, Baron Won Reichenbsch, has lately is
sued work entitled .'Physico- psychologists
researches on the dynamies of Magnetism, Elec
ticity, Heat, Light, CrystaEzation and Chemisn
in their relation to vital force" Reichenbacf
commenced his researches, it appears by some
experiments To ascertain the action Of magnets
upon the human system. He found that mag
nets supporting about ten pounds, if drawn
downward without contact with the body,
would produce certain marked sensations upon
certain persons Females, children, somnam-
bulists and persons laboring under nervous dis
eases, were found most susceptible Of the in
fiuence, though sometimes those who were
healthy were found more or less impossible.
On some Of the subjects the action of the mag
net was 50 intense as to produce fainting,
spasrps, &C. A Miss Sturmann, suffering from
atubercular affection of the lungs, was so af-
fected by holding strong magnet at the distance
ofslx PAGES from her feet as she lay in bed, that
shesunk into Inconsistencies When the anna
ment was attached to the magnet, she felt no
peculiar sensation. Another lady, subject to at
tacks of catalepsy, could detectthe approach Of
an open magnet though It was brought into the
room without her knowledge of the intention.
The magnets were found to powerfully attract
the hands of patients even when in a state of
inconsistencies. Another remarkably dscov-
cry was the result of the Baron's experiments.
In the class Of patients with the aid of whom
he pursued his investigations, there is usually
an extraordinary exaltation of the sensuouS
perceptions, and the author having been intro
duced to a young lady who was subject to va
rIous nervous diseases, and in whom this exalta-
tion of sense Of sight occurred to so great de-
gree that she could distinctly tell the colors of
the clothing, furniture, &C., in her room, in the
darkness Of night the author conceived the idea
Of making atrial to see whether such accute
sense Of perception could not discover some
phenomena of light on the magnet in the dark.
II this could be done, he thought he should
have key TO an explanation of the Aurora
Borealis, which seems to be nothing but an
electric phenomenon, the nature of which is
still inexplicable. The patient distinctly saw
flame streaming from each pole, which ceased
when the magnet was closed. The fiery ap-
pearance was about equal in size at each pole.
With the recovery of the health of the patient.
the sensitiveness of her vision departed, but the
author found another, healthy and sensible that
answered his purpose much better. When
magnet was placed before her in the dark, she
saw it emit light not only when open but when
closed also, but the luminous appearance of the
closed magnet was not concentrated at any par.
ticular points, but was spread all over the sur
face. There was no attraction or intermingling
of the flames, nor even an indication of ten
dency to this between the poles, nor was there
any observable difference between the condi-
ton of them.
These discoveries are very interesting, and di-
rectly lead to establishing the truth Of animal
magnetism, in which the author was an unbe-
liever.