Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-04-15
ANIMAL MAGNETISM.
Some Very Interesting Experiments

Some Very Interesting Experiments.
Mr.. A. A. Knudson, in a lecture be-
fore the Brooklyn Institute the other
evening, told some very interesting
things about the properties of magnetism
and incidentally did humanity valuable
service by showing that magnetism has
no effect, harmful or otherwise, on ami
mails or upon the human system, quacks
and magnetic doctors to the contrary,
notwithstanding The audience was
kept Laughing while Mr.. Knudson
shocked successfully a canary, globe
of fish, cat and rabbit with ITO
volts of magnetism, both fowl,
fishes and animals, showing an amusing
Indifference to the magnetic force, which
was strong enough to make nails stand
on end and against which one had to ex-
ert his full. strength to pull away heavy
iron bar. The magnet was so powerful
that it made nails and screws stick to the
faces of persons whose heads rested on
the iron, yet such force acting directly
through the head of the persons who
tried the experiment worked no i'll effects
on the men whatever. Magnetic force,
said Mr. Knudson, will act through a
stone wall on the body q an ANIMAL but
it has no affinity for the molecules of any
other Substance than ir1n.
The loadstone, which is the one min
eral with magnetic properties found in
nature, has been known from antiquity
1t is found in various parts of the world,
whole mountains OF it existing in Nor
way and Sweden and the United States.
If bar of harder ed steel is rubbed
against loadstone, the steel will par
take of this property and will have be-
come magnetized. Another method of
charging a steel bar with magnetism is
to pass current of electricity around it,
bv means of insulated coil of wire.
The earth acts in many respects like a
great magnet. 1t has magnetic North
Pole and magnetic South Pole, which
in most longitudes are West or East of
its geographical poles. Mr.. Knudson
suggested as a hypothesis that the mag
netic poles toward which the poles OF
the magnetic needle point, revolve
around the geographical poles in the
course of period of years. 1t is to be
hoped that Lieut. Pcary in his next ex-
petition to the North will reach the
northern magnetic pole, at which point
the magnetic dipping needle will point
vertically earthward.
Passing to the consideration of mag
netism on the human life and life in gen
eral, Mr.. Kuudson said: "There seems
to be an impression in the minds of some
people that magnetism, like electricity,
has some curative or possibly an injuri-
Gus effect upon the human system. Now
we propose to demonstrate by practical
experiment that there is no perceptibe
effect upon any of the organs of the sys-
TEN when in the magnetic field. Our
first illustration will be with the tele-
phone. suppose that most of you
know that inside OF every telephone re-
ceiver is a strong metal magnet, and it
may be surprising to many who daily use
the telephone to know that when one is
placed to the ear the whole head is pene-
trated through and through with mag
netism from the magnet Mr.. Knud-
son put sounder to his ear, whereupon
the different poles of a magnet needle
were respectively attracted to and re-
PEELED from his head
After placing canary bird, glass OF
fish, somewhat uneasy cat and a VIC.
lently jumping rabbit upon his big mag
net and showing that the magnetism
didn't bother them in the least, Mr..
Kundson asked for persons in the audi
ence to come forward and be magnetized.
They did become magnetized and very
strongly, too, for their heads attached
every sort of iron substance from mag
netic needle to ten-penny nail, but
they declared they felt no sensations,
peasurable or painful, from the mag
nctism which pervadei them. The audi
ence heartily applauded this part of the
demonstration
At the close of the lecture an interest
ing discussion was participated in by the
electricians in the audience.