It can truly be said that the nearest approach to a solution of the question as to the analogy between electric and magnetic forces, which had remained unsettled since the time of Van Swinden (see A.D. 1784), was given by Ritter, who announced “that a needle composed of silver and zinc arranged itself in the magnetic meridian and was slightly attracted and repelled by the poles of a magnet; that by placing a gold coin in the voltaic circuit, he had succeeded in giving to it positive and negative electric poles; that the polarity so communicated was retained by the gold after it had been in contact with other metals, and appeared therefore to partake of the nature of magnetism; that a gold needle under similar circumstances acquired still more decided magnetic properties; that a metallic wire, after being exposed to the voltaic current, took a direction N.E. and S.W.” Dr. Roget gives these same extracts in his article on “Electro-Magnetism,” and justly remarks that Ritter’s speculations were of too crude a nature to throw any distinct light on the true connection between magnetism and electricity, nor was much notice taken of Ritter’s announcements, owing to the vague manner in which they were made. No satisfactory results were in fact obtained until Oersted (at A.D. 1820) made his famous discovery which forms the basis of the science of electro-magnetism.
References.—The “Encyclopædia Britannica” article relating to the influence of magnetism on chemical action, for an account of Ritter’s other experiments; also Faraday’s “Experimental Researches,” No. 1033; Ritter’s “Physisch. Chem. Abhand.,” etc., 3 vols., Leipzig, 1806; Poggendorff, Vol. II. p. 652; Tyndall’s notes on Electric Polarization; Donovan’s “Essay on the Origin, Progress and Present State of Galvanism,” Dublin, 1816; “Société Philomathique,” An. IV. p. 181; An. IX. p. 39; An. XI. pp. 128, 197; An. XII. p. 145; Bull. Soc. Phil., Nos. 53, 76, 79; Nuova Scelta d’Opus., Vol. I. pp. 201, 334; Bibl. Brit., XXXI; “Reichsanzeiger,” 1802, Bd. I, No. 66, and Bd. II, No. 194; also F. L. Augustin’s “Versuch einer geschichte ...” 1803, p. 75; Gilbert’s Annalen, II, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XIII, XV, XVI; Voigt’s Magazin, Vol. II. p. 356; Gehlen’s Journal, Vol. III for 1804, and Vol. VI for 1806; “Denkschr. d. Münch.,” 1808 and 1814; Phil. Mag., Vol. XXIII. chap. ix. pp. 54, 55 (for experiments from Van Mons’ Journal, No. 17), Vols. XXIV. p. 186; XXV. p. 368; LVIII. p. 43; L. F. F. Crell, “Chemische Annalen” for 1801; Nicholson’s Journal, Vols. IV. p. 511; VI. p. 223; VII. p. 288, VIII. pp. 176, 184; “Gottling’s Almanach” for 1801; Leithead, “Electricity,” p. 255; “Encycl. Metropolitana,” article “Galvanism,” Vol. IV. p. 206; “Biographie Générale,” Vol. XLII. p. 322; Larousse, “Dict. Universel,” Vol. XIII. p. 1234; Pierre Sue, aîné, “Histoire du Galvanisme,” Paris, An. X, 1802, Vol. I. pp. 226, 266; Vol. II. pp. 112–119, 156; Joseph Izarn, “Manuel du Galvanisme,” Paris, An. XII, 1804, pp. 84–87, 249, 255–261; Brugnatelli, “Notizie ... nell’ anno 1804,” Pavia, 1805, p. 16, also his Annali di chimica, Vol. XXII. p. 1; Journal de Physique, Vol. LVII. pp. 345, 406; Annales de Chimie, Vols. XLI. p. 208; LXIV. pp. 64–80; Jour. de Chim. de Van Mons, No. 14, p. 212, for the experiments of Van Marum and Oersted, made with Ritter’s apparatus; Sturgeon’s “Scientific Researches,” Bury, 1850, pp. 7, 8, and Prof. Millin’s “Magazin Encyclopédique”; “Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie,” Leipzig, 1875, Vol. XXVIII. pp. 675–678; “Bibl. Britan.,” Vol. XXXI. 1806, p. 97, Vol. XXV. 1807, pp. 364–386 (Lettre de M. le Dr. Thouvenel).
A.D. 1803.—Basse (Frédéric Henri), of Hamel, makes one of the earliest trials of the transmission of galvanism through water and soil, the results of which appear in his work, “Galvanische Versuche,” etc., published at Leipzig the year following.
Along the frozen water of the ditch or moat surrounding the town of Hamel he suspended, on fir posts, 500 feet of wire, at a height of six feet above the surface of the ice, then making two holes in the ice and dipping into them the ends of the wire, in the circuit of which were included a galvanic battery and a suitable electroscope, he found the current circulating freely. Similar experiments were made in the Weser; afterwards, with two wells, 21 feet deep and 200 feet apart; and, lastly, across a meadow 3000 to 4000 feet wide. Whenever the ground was dry it was only necessary to wet it in order to feel a shock sent through an insulated wire from the distant battery. Erman, of Berlin, in 1803, and Sömmering, of Munich, in 1811, performed like experiments, the one in the water of the Havel, near Potsdam, and the other along the river Isar.
Fahie, from whom we take the above, alludes to Gilbert’s Annalen der Physik, Vol. XIV. pp. 26 and 385, as well as to Hamel’s “Historical Account,” p. 17, of Cooke’s reprint, and adds that Fechner, of Leipzig, after referring to Basse’s and Erman’s experiments in his “Lehrbuch des Galvanismus,” p. 268, goes on to explain the conductibility of the earth in accordance with Ohm’s law. As he immediately after alludes to the proposals for electric telegraphs, he has sometimes been credited with the knowledge of the fact that the earth could be used to complete the circuit in such cases. This, however, is not so, as we learn from a letter which Fechner addressed to Prof. Zetzsche, on the 19th of February 1872.
References.—Zetzsche’s “Geschichte der Elektrischen Telegraphie,” p. 19. See Dr. Turnbull’s Lectures in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. XXI. pp. 273–274; “Scientific Papers of the Royal Society,” Vol. I. p. 203.
A.D. 1803.—Thillaye-Platel (Antoine), French savant, who was afterward appointed pharmacist in the Paris Hôtel-Dieu, gives out as the result of numerous investigations a great many useful precepts on the medical application of electricity and galvanism, which will be found in his thesis presented to the Paris Ecole de Médecine on the 15th Floréal, An. XI. These precepts, De la Rive says (“Treatise on Elect.,” translated by C. V. Walker, London, 1858, Vol. III. pp. 587, 588), are followed to this day and are extremely simple, requiring only the use of metallic brushes held by an insulated handle and put into communication with the conductor of the machine; and directing the application of electricity in its mildest form as well as its gradual increase to as much as the invalid is able to support, besides allowing of the concurrent employment of other means acting in the same direction, such as frictions, blisters, etc.
Antoine Thillaye-Platel’s uncle, Jean Baptiste Jacques Thillaye (1752–1822), French physician and Professor of Anatomy at Rouen and in Paris, published “Eléments de l’Elect. et du Galv.,” Paris, 1816–1817, ten years after the death of his nephew (Poggendorff, Vol. II. p. 1094; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. XV. p. 131).
De la Rive alludes to cures effected by several specialists and particularly to Father R. B. Fabre-Palaprat’s translation made in 1828 of La Beaume’s English work on the medical efficacy of electricity and galvanism, originally published in 1820–1826. The latter, he says, is preceded by a preface wherein the translator rivals the author on the wonderful effects of the electric fluid as a sovereign remedy for nearly all maladies.
References.—For M. Thillaye’s experiments with M. Butet on galvanic electricity, made at the Paris École de Médecine, see the Bulletin des Sciences de la Soc. Philom., No. 43, Vendémiaire An. IX, also Vol. IX. p. 231, of the “Recueil Périodique de la Soc. Libre de Médecine du Louvre.” Consult likewise, Poggendorff, Vol. II. p. 1094; “Royal Society Catalogue of Scientific Papers,” Vol. V. p. 954; De la Rive’s “Treatise,” Vol. III. pp. 587, 588; P. Sue, aîné, “Histoire du Galvanisme,” Vol. III. p. 14. Some of the other authors who have treated of the same subject are: F. Zwinger, 1697–1707; W. B. Nebel, 1719; Oppermanno, 1746; E. Sguario, 1746; G. C. Pivati, 1747–1750; G. Veratti, 1748–1750; O. de Villeneuve, 1748; L. Jallabert, 1748–1750; G. F. Bianchini, 1749; Mellarde, of Turin, 1749; Palma, 1749; F. Sauvages de la Croix, 1749–1760; J. B. Bohadsch, 1751; O. M. Pagani, 1751; S. T. Quellmaz, 1753; A. von Haller, 1753–1757; Linné (Linnæus), 1754; P. Paulsohn, 1754; E. F. Runeberg, 1757; P. Brydone, 1757; Lower, 1760; De Lassone, 1763; Wm. Watson, 1763; G. F. Hjotberg, 1765; J. G. Teske, 1765; P. A. Marrherr, 1766; Gardane, 1768–1778; J. G. Krunitz, 1769; R. Symes, 1771; Sigaud de la Fond, 1771; C. A. Gerhard, 1772; Abbé Sans, 1772–1778; J. Janin de Combe Blanche, 1773; J. B. Becket, 1773; Marrigues à Montfort L’Amaury, 1773; G. F. Gardini, 1774; J. G. Schaffer, 1776; Mauduyt, 1776–1786; De Thouri, 1777; A. A. Senft, 1778; Masars de Cazéles, 1780–1788; P. F. Nicolas, 1782; Bonnefoy, 1782; Niccolas, 1783; K. G. Kuhn, 1783, 1797; C. W. Hufeland, 1783; Cosnier, Maloet, Darcet, etc., 1783; J. P. Marat, 1784; G. Vivenzio, 1784; Carmoy, 1784–1785; G. Piccinelli, 1785; L. E. de Tressan, “Essai ...” 1786, p. 233, etc.; Krunitz-Kirtz, 1787; Porna and Arnaud, 1787; F. Lowndes, 1787–1791; J. H. D. Petetin, 1787, 1808; G. Pickel, 1788; Van Troostwijk and Krayenhoff, 1788; R. W. D. Thorp, 1790; G. Wilkinson, 1792; C. H. Pfaff, 1793; G. Klein, 1794; M. Imhof, 1796; C. H. Wilkinson, 1799; C. A. Struve, 1802; Maurice, 1810; J. Morgan, 1815; Le Blanc, 1819; P. A. Pascalis, 1819; J. Price, 1821; K. Sundelin, 1822; Girardin, 1823; Ch. Bew, 1824; Sarlandière, 1825; S. G. Marianini, 1833; F. Puccinotti, 1834; François Magendie, 1836, 1837; Gourdon, 1838; C. Matteucci, Piria, etc., 1838, 1858; Breton Frères, 1844; B. Mojon, Jr., 1845; J. E. Riadore, 1845; A. Restelli, 1846; Budge, 1846; F. Hollick, 1847; R. Froriep, 1850; C. V. Rauch, 1851; H. Valerius, 1852; Burci, 1852; Marie-Davy, 1852–1853; W. Gull, 1852; C. Beckensteiner, 1852–1870; F. Channing, 1852; F. F. Videt, 1853; R. M. Lawrance, 1853–1858; G. M. Cavalleri, 1854, 1857; Briand, 1854; M. Kierski, 1854; P. Zetzell, 1856; Ad. Becquerel, 1856–1860; E. Pfluger, 1856, 1858; Pulvermacher, 1856; P. C. Pinson, 1857; H. Ziemssen, 1857–1866; Philipeaux, 1857; J. Dropsy, 1857; M. Meyer, 1857–1869; Nivelet, 1860–1863; A. Tripier, 1861; J. Rosenthal, 1862; Desparquets, 1862; M. P. Poggioli (Mémoire lu à l’Institut, Oct. 31, 1853; “Annual of Scientific Disc.,” 1865, p. 327); G. Niamias, “Della elettr. ... medicina,” 1851 (“An. of Sci. Disc.,” 1865, p. 327); A. C. Garrat, 1866; H. Lobb, 1867; Aug. Beer, 1868; H. M. Collis (“An. of Sci. Dis.,” 1869, p. 175); Toutain, 1870; J. R. Reynolds, 1872; Onimus and Legros, 1872; as well as Jobert de Lamballe, Richter and Erdmon, T. Guitard, J. J. Hemmer, H. van Holsbeek, T. Percival, J. D. Reuss and Mr. Ware (in Kuhn, Hist. II. p. 183).