THE 4000 YEAR HISTORY OF THERAPEUTIC USE OF MAGNETS

In the oldest Chinese medical tests dating back to 2000 B.C., there are references to the application of loadstones at acupuncture sites.

The ancient Aryans in India knew about magnets and some of their properties. They also believed that magnets possessed cryptic, healing properties.

The ancient Greeks too, were acquainted with natural magnets. They called them lapus-vivas (live-stones) and drew them from  fields rich in deposits of magnetic stones in southern Greece. The properties of magnets have been spoken of in the works of Aristotle, Plato and Homer.

The Egyptians, too, used lodestones for therapeutic purposes. In fact, even Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian princess always wore a tiny magnet on her forehead to retain her youthfulness and beauty.

Laymen too, attributed miraculous properties to magnets. For e.g., a man would keep a magnet on his person to keep his beloved attracted to him.

However, the knowledge of healing properties of magnets gradually disappeared since there were physicians who chose to remain secretive about it.

But some 2500 years back, people’s curiosity regarding magnets was re-awakened. Yet, till the end of the 15th century, most people knew only two properties of magnets; their ability to stabilize in the north-south direction, if hung freely, and the ability to induce (temporary) magnetism.

Then, in the 16th century, Paracelsus, a Swiss scientist claimed that magnets have healing properties.

Dr. Willian Gilbert, in modern times propounded the theory that the earth is a huge magnet. Scientists like Michael Faraday proved that a wire carrying an electric current has a magnetic field produced around it.

The study of magnets is important in physics, chemistry and industry, and many experiments are carried out throughout the world. A branch of science called ‘Biomagnetics’ has arisen to determine the effects of magnets on living beings. For e.g., researchers in the Baylor College of Medicine found that magnets placed over pain trigger points resulted in pain relief in post-polio patients.

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Created and designed by Karen Menezes
Revised: 23 Jun 2000 15:32:35 -0400