Gilbert, William (1544-1603), an English physician, was a pioneer in the modern study of magnetism and electricity. Unlike other scientists of his time, Gilbert did not merely speculate about the physical world. Instead, he described experiments that would prove his ideas true. He conducted experiments by changing and manipulating matter, rather than simply observing how undisturbed matter behaves. In one experiment, he heated magnets in a fire and observed how, when heated, they can lose their magnetism. Yet he was still strongly influenced by the ancient idea that matter has a kind of soul.
Gilbert’s book On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet of the Earth, published in 1600, influenced later investigators enormously. His greatest insight was that Earth is a huge magnet. He also studied electric charges. He originated the word electric for the force between objects that have been charged by friction (see Electricity (Static electricity) .
Gilbert was born on May 24, 1544, in Colchester, England, and was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge University. He was physician to Queen Elizabeth I. He attended her during her last illness and then continued as physician to King James I. Gilbert died on Dec. 10, 1603.
