New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-24
THE MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE.

Won RFICHFNBACH. Endowed WIN genius Us
hold as it is active and an intellect equally acute
and free from prejudice, after career OF nearly
thirty years in extensive industrial enterprises,
such as iron foundres, chemical laboratories, peet
sugar factories in which he amassed an immense
fortune. while his discoveries in chemistry and his
contributions to geology assured him high and
solid reputation, the ordinary tribe of savans
were astonshed to see him quitting the beaten
tracks of scientific research to venture INTO the
mysterious and shadowy domain OF human mag
netsm. hitherto resigned mainly to the possession OF
charlatans and wonder-workers by trade. Few
books of recent times have produced deeper
sensation in the world of scientific orthodoxy than
Reichenbach's Dyaomics Of Magnetism. In that
work the distinguished author discusses questions
which his colleagues had before avoided with all
the originality and boldness that must characterize
q scientific dscoverer and all the cearness ofstatc
ment and the GOODNESS ofselfpossesson with which
he would discuss an ordinary problem in geometry
or chemistry.
1t is the opinion of Baron Rechenbach that he
has discovered new fluid or rather new dynamic
element in nature. This is distinct from magnet
ism, electricity, heat and light, though akin to
them 1t is of finer and less palpable character
than either of those elements, and is perceptibe
only to persons of more delicate nervous organi-
cation. This element he calls "Od" name
whose etymology he has not yet explained-and
those who are subject to and perceive its intlu-
ence, he distinguishes as g sensitive" These are
the persons who generally regarded as ca
PRECIOUS and whimsical who cannot bear the color
of yellow, while more than Others they love the
color of blue; who hate to look at themselves in
glass who Will not sit on the middle of bench
with Others, but insist on having the corner seat
who cannot sleep on the left side who cannot eat
with spoon or fork of German silver, or of any
composition made to initiate silver; who cannot eat
warm, much-cooked fat or sweet food, but have
passion for sour dishes who dislike the heat of an
iron stove while they will bear even greater heat
from one of clay or porcelain who, in an omnibus
or railroad car, insist on having the windows open
no matter what the weather, and no matter
whether their fellow travellers fear colds and rheu-
matism or not who cannot bear to have any one
behind their chair and do not like to shake hands
who are subject to the influence of the moon and
shun its light as disagreeable, &c. &c. These Pc
culiarites says Reichenbach, you do not find sing
", but always the person possesses several:o
them. They are not mere caprices, but genuine
perceptions of real facts, which, however, the
mass of men are not organized to appreciate In
deed, he SAYS, there are two sorts of men, those
who have nothing of this impressibility, and those
who are acted upon in the manner above described.
The latter are, strictly speaking, sensitive, and
in fact are often more susceptible than the Mmosa.
And they are so in their nmost constitution, which
they can neither altogether lay off nor deaden.
The present statements are derived from Sc
ries of articles, which Rechenbach is now publish
ing in the Augsburg AAgemeine Zeitung, under
the title of Odisch- Magnetische Briete lOdylc-
Magnetic Letters.) In these articles he details
number of curious but simple experiments which
any one may verify for himself without difficulty
and which go far to establish the existence of this
new fluid or elemental force in nature. 1t is only
necessary to find person belonging to the class
our author calls sensitive" 1t is, he says, not
at all difficult to find such; they are numerous
who are perfectly healthy inquire for restless per-
sons who have unquiet Sleep who, when asleep,
cast off the covering, talk or get up in their Dreams
are troubled much by short fits of headache, often
complain Of sudden pain in the stomach, of being
out of sorts nerously, who do not like large COM
panies but prefer the society of a few friends or
even solitude. With rare exceptions these people
are of more or less sensitive constitution.
But these are only the trivial aspects of the SUBJ
ject when tried by the test of scientific expert
ment, things quite another scope are manifested
Procure natural crystal, as large one as posi-
BILE, either gypsum spar of about eight inches
long, or sulphur spar, or Gothard rock crystal
Of foot long, and lay it horizontally across the
corner of table or the arm of a chair so as to
leave the two extremities free. Then bring the
sensitive person up to it with directions to hold
the palm Of the left hand toward the ends Of the
crystal at distance of three, four six inches.
In the course Of minute he will tell you thai
from the apex Of the crystal a cool current
strikes the hand, but that when the hand is held
toward it's base a sensation of lukewarmness il
produced. The GOODNESS he will find pleasant and
refreshing the lukewarmness is accompanied by
an unpleasant, repulsive, and almost nauseating
sensation, which, if the hand is continued there,
presently scizes upon the arm and renders it, as j
were, altogether fatigued.
When Reichenbach first observed this phenome-
non it was as new as it was inexpicabe. Nobody
would believe it. Since then ne has repeated it on
hundreds of sensitive persons lat Vennal and it has
been tried in England, Scotland and France, and
any one can easily try it. Let a sensitive person
hold his left hand near other parts of crystal and
he will feel now tepid and now cool carnations,
but they will be ncomparably fainter than at tho
two opposite ends, which are also polar opposites
Persons who not sensitive perceive nothing.
Since these opposite sensations can be produced
without touching the crystals, at a distance OF
several inches aud with very sensitive persons Mt