An example of an historical belief that would be considered an alternative conception today:
"The old way of explaining things through the assumed existence of secret sympathies in various forms of matter, or through nature's 'abhorrence' of a vacuum, was derided only mechanical explanations would serve. The magnet was still a serious problem, because it seemed to confirm the idea of sympathetic attraction; but there was now a tendency to believe that it would some day be explicable on mechanical principles. One was now less inclined to believe in the ability of the magnet to recognise an adulterous woman or to bring about peace between man and wife."
Herbert Butterfield (1957) The Origins of Modern Science 1300-1800 (New Edition: Revised and enlarged). G. Bell and Sons Ltd., London.
The notion of 'sympathies' was once very prevalent – so, for example, a particular plant said to resemble an organ would be believed to act as medicine for curing ailments of that organ.
