Physico-physiological researches on the dynamics of magnetism, electricity, heat, light, crystallization, and chemism, in their relations to vital force / by Baron Charles Von Reichenbach; with the addition of a preface and critical notes by John Ashburner.

Carl Reichenbach

Date:: 1850

Credit: Physico-physiological researches on the dynamics of magnetism, electricity, heat, light, crystallization, and chemism, in their relations to vital force / by Baron Charles Von Reichenbach; with the addition of a preface and critical notes by John Ashburner. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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$10. I laid before her a straight magnetic rod. It was about 1 i feet long, quadrangular, and about 1 \ inches broad, like common bar iron. She made from this the drawing subjoined in fig. 4. At the pole directed towards the north, therefore at the negative end of the magnet, eig> 4. she saw a large flame; at the opposite, positive end, a smaller, about half as large, waving, dancing, and shooting out rays, as in the horse- shoe, red below, green in the middle, and blue above. From each of the four edges of either polar extremity issued a strong light, each inde- pendently flowing out at an angle of 45° to the plane of the base, and having a somewhat rota- tory motion, not exhibited by the chief, central, flickering flame ; thus there was a twofold dis- tribution at each pole. A similarity exists in the statements of Miss Nowotny, who also per- ceived a stronger and more elongated flame at each solid angle of the horse-shoe. The four edges of the rod were clothed with a weaker light, just like the individual layers of the horse- shoe ; this exhibiting the red, green, and blue colours, but otherwise issuing steadily and with- out motion. It did not present any decrease along its whole extent, and neither edges nor indifferent points could be recognised, as was the case in the horse- shoe. 1]. Placing the magnetic bar in the meridian or in the magnetic parallel, with the poles directed forward or back- ward or in the direction of the dip, did not appear to exert any important influence in the shape or direction of the flames, the terrestrial magnetism not being strong enough to effect any considerable opposing action. 12. 1 now took an electro-dynamic apparatus, on the one hand to make an electro-magnet before her eyes, on the$