A sympathetic alphabet was a supposed form of communication used in the 17th century by
Rosicrusians and
Magnetisers. Two parties would remove a section of skin from their arms or hands and mutually transplant it while still fresh. It was believed that the transplanted piece of flesh kept a close sympathy with the original limb so that its owner was still aware of any injury done to it. On the transplanted flesh was tattooed an alphabet whereby, by pricking the letters with a magnetic needle, the users believed they could communicate instantaneously across great distances.
A similar myth from the same time period claimed that needles alone could be used to communicate over long distances. After touching two needles against a "special species of
lodestone
Lodestones are naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron. The property of magnetism was first discovered in antiquity through lodestones. Pieces of lodestone, suspen ...
," they would become "sympathetic" to each other, and from then on always point in the same direction regardless of distance. These needles would then be installed inside a dial, with the alphabet listed around the rim. By pointing one of the needles in the direction of a particular letter the other needle would follow suit, allowing for distant correspondence. The early
Cooke and Wheatstone electric telegraph
Cooke is a surname derived from the occupation of cook. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexander Cooke (died 1614), English actor
* Alfred Tyrone Cooke, of the Indo-Pakistani wars
* Alistair Cooke KBE (1908–2004), British-American j ...
also worked by deflecting magnetic needles, but without the need to resort to magic needles. Their needles were deflected using
electromagnetic induction
Electromagnetic or magnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Michael Faraday is generally credited with the discovery of induction in 1831, and James Clerk ...
.
A novel titled "Le nez d'un notaire" by
Edmond About
Edmond is a given name related to Edmund. Persons named Edmond include:
* Edmond Canaple (1797–1876), French politician
* Edmond Chehade (born 1993), Lebanese footballer
* Edmond Conn (1914–1998), American farmer, businessman, and politician ...
, and later a television series, is based on the concept of a sympathetic alphabet.
[ Fahie, John Joseph]
"A history of the electric telegraphy, to the year 1837"
''The Electrical Journal'', Volume XI, 1883, Page 65.
References
Tattooing
{{Europe-hist-stub