The Natural Philosophy of William Gilbert and His Predecessors

The year 1600 saw the publication by an English physician, William Gilbert, of a book on the loadstone. Entitled De magnete, it has traditionally been credited with laying a foundation for the modern science of electricity and magnetism. The following essay is an attempt to examine the basis for such a tradition by determining what Gilbert's original contributions to these sciences were, and to make explicit the sense in which he may be considered as being dependent upon earlier work. In this manner a more accurate estimate of his position in the history of science may be made.