On Attempts to Interpret Maxwell’s Equations Mechanically—A Review

This paper is devoted to a review of attempts to interpret Maxwell’s equation from a mechanics point-of-view. Three variants will be presented, discussed, and compared. (a) Early attempts (MacCullagh, Maxwell, Sommerfeld) based on (extended) linear elasticity; (b) The viewpoint of Zhilin, which interprets the æther and electromagnetic waves in terms of a micropolar medium and propagation therein; (c) The viewpoint of Ivanova, who goes beyond Zhilin’s approach and even describes the existence of charge and the creation of charged particles and antiparticles from the micropolar viewpoint. All of this is of interest, first, from the historical perspective and, second, as an interpretative aid of notions for which humans have no direct tangible experience.