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  1. Discover
  2. Paper: 'Treasure of Knowledge'
  3. Unit: Observation and Experimentation

'Pseudodoxia Epidemica' manuscript (17th century)

External links

Concerning the Loadstone, 'Pseudodoxia Epidemica'

Related sources

Image for p. 8
Image for Title page of Pseudodoxia Epidemica (1672)
Image for Lodestone with stand

Commentary

'Pseudodoxia Epidemica' manuscript (17th century)
Collection: 
Fellows' Library, Winchester College

Full Title: Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, manuscript on paper, 17th century

This page shows the beginning of ‘Concerning the Loadstone’, the longest section of Pseudodoxia Epidemica. Browne was captivated by the lodestone’s ‘secret and invisible’ forces. He experimented on the mineral in a variety of ways so that he could better understand the mysteries of magnetism. In one part, he describes combining a ground lodestone with vinegar to make a substance that is no longer magnetic.