Biological Effects of Magnetic Fields
Study of the biological effect of magnetic fields is both a very old and a very recent area of investigation. A connection between health and the mysterious force of the lodestone has been suspected since the dawn of human culture. Nevertheless, only duri
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BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MAGNETIC FIELDS
Edited by
Madeleine F. Barnothy Professor of Physics, University of Illinois, College of Pharmacy
PLENUM PRESS NEW YORK 1964
First Printing - November 1964 Second Printing - December 1965
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 64-13146
ISBN 978-1-4757-0216-3
ISBN 978-1-4757-0214-9 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-1-4757-0214-9
©1964 Plenum P1'ess Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1964 A Division of Consultants Bureau Enterprises, Inc. 227 West 17th Street New York, N. Y.10011
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher
Preface Study of the biological effect of magnetic fields is both a very old and a very recent area of investigation. A connection between health and the mysterious force of the lodestone has been suspected since the dawn of human culture. Nevertheless, only during the last decades has reliable evidence of biological effects of the magnetic field been discovered. The purpose of this book is to bring together in one volume the present-day knowledge in all the active fields of biomagnetic research and at the same time to provide a theoretical and practical background to all scientists who wish to engage in investigations in this new discipline. The need for such a comprehensive survey of current information became evident to the editor from the interest manifested in the biomagnetic symposia and from the extended correspondence maintained by the Biomagnetic Research Foundation. It is hoped that the book will aid in attracting the interest of specialists and may thus serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. Biomagnetism is a borderline discipline, the successful investigation of which requires proficiency in biology and physics alike. In setting up experiments, there are certain practices which are obvious to those learned in one of the arts, but are not evident to those versed in the other alone. It is not uncommon that such seemingly unimportant features playa decisive role in experimental results. All contributors were asked, therefore, to stress comprehensiveness and to furnish detailed descriptions. Thus the reader will find the parts dealing with questions in his own discipline perhaps somewhat elementary. Each contributor has attempted to be critical in the evaluation of previous information in the field of his specialty, so that the book is not merely a catalog of findings, but a sound analysis of progress. Some chapters. contain hypotheses regarding the mechanism by which the magnetic field may exert its influence. Even if these speculations should fail to be supported by future observations, their critical reading or refutation may lead someone to an acceptable explanation. The book has been divided into four parts: theoretical considerations, experiments in vivo, experiments in vitro, and effects of very weak fields, followed by an up-to-date bibliography. Effects of timevariable magnetic fields are not included in this volume, because such fields induce ele
