GILBERT, WILLIAM (1540-1603). A distin guished English natural philosopher and physi cian, who has been termed 'the father of magnetic philosophy.' He was born at Colchester, of which town his father was recorder. He was a member and subsequently fellow of Saint John's College, Cambridge; was B.A. in 1560, M.A. in 1564, and M.D. in 1569. About the year 1573 he settled in London as a practicing physician, joined the Col lege of Physicians, and was appointed physician to Queen Elizabeth. The time that he could spare from the duties of his profession was employed in philosophical experiments, particularly in re lation to the magnet; and in these he was as sisted by a pension from the Queen. After hold ing, various offices in the College of Physicians he was finally elected its president in 1600. At the death of the Queen he was continued in his office of Court physician by James I. until his death in 1603. His death seems to have taken place in London; but he was buried at Colchester, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, where there is a monument to his memory. He left his library, globes, instruments, and cabinet of minerals to the College of Physicians. From his birthplace, he is generally designated as Gilbert of_Colches ter. His important works are: De Magnete, May neticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete, Tel lure, Physiologia Nova (1600), of which there are several editions; and De Mundo nostro Sub lunar; Philosophia Nova (1651) (published from a manuscript in the library of Sir William Bos well). The first of these works has served as the
basis of subsequent investigations in terrestrial magnetism, and contained all the fundamental facts of the science as they were known at that time. Gilbert establishes the magnetic nature of the earth, which he regards as one great magnet, and discusses variations and the bearing of mag netic phenomena on navigation. He was the first to use the terms 'electric force,' electric attrac tion ' and 'magnetic pole,' and to point out that amber is not the only substance which, when rubbed, attracts light objects, but that the same faculty belongs to the resins, sealing-wax, sul phur, glass, etc. These substances he termed electries,' while the metals and other material which would not exert the force .of attraction upon being rubbed he called non-electrics. The publication of his treatise De Magnete, which was the first great work on physical science to be published in England, will always be regarded as constituting an epoch in the history of mag netism and the allied sciences. Consult: William Gilbert of Colchester, On the Loadstone and Mag netic Bodies, and on the Great Magnet, the Earth, translated by Mottelay (London, 1893), which contains a biographical memoir.