PENETRATIVE AND SELECTIVE HEAT EFFECTS OF SHORT AND ULTRASHORT WAVES
Conrad K. Gale · 1935
1935 research on paramecia found that short and ultrashort waves had no specific electrical action, with death due solely to heat, and showed selective heating in electrolytic solutions.
Plain English Summary
This 1935 research investigated whether short and ultrashort waves have selective properties and thermic powers of penetration, using paramecia (single-celled organisms) and electrolytic solutions. With wavelengths of 6, 10 and 20 meters, the reaction of the paramecia was identical and ran parallel to the temperature curves. Experiments with electrolytic solutions showed that 8-meter and 15-meter waves penetrate water layers and heat solutions in different spaces.
Why This Matters
This 1935 study is an early investigation of how short and ultrashort radio waves act on living organisms. Paramecia cultures exposed to 6, 10 and 20 meter waves reacted identically, and the reaction followed the temperature curves, with death due solely to heat effect. Cultures controlled by chilling after prolonged exposure in the field showed no ill effects.
The study's focus on selective heating comes from the electrolytic solution experiments: short and ultrashort waves showed selective heat penetration, and the cross-sectional area of a substance played an important role in its heating reaction in an induced high frequency field.
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagrams extracted from the original research document.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 60 minutes for experiments 1, 2, and 3; 114 hours for experiment 5; 6 hours for experiment 6; 44.5 hours for experiment 7; 10 minutes for experiments 9 and 10; 15 minutes for experiment 11; 5 minutes for experiments 12 and 13; 15 minutes for experiment 15; 1 hour for experiments 17 and 18
Study Details
To determine whether short and ultrashort waves have selective properties and thermic powers of penetration with bodies placed in a field of Hertzian short frequencies.
Experiments were undertaken on paramecia cultures with wavelengths of 6, 10, and 20 meters. Fifteen ...
Experiments with paramecia showed that irrespective of the wavelength used (6, 10, or 20 meters), th...
Short and ultrashort waves have the power of selective heat penetration. The cross sectional area of a substance plays an important role in its heating reaction when placed in an induced high frequency field. Six, ten, and twenty meter wavelengths have no specific electrical action on unicellular organisms, death being due solely to heat effect.
Show BibTeX
@article{penetrative_and_selective_heat_effects_of_short_and_ultrashort_waves_g5849,
author = {Conrad K. Gale},
title = {PENETRATIVE AND SELECTIVE HEAT EFFECTS OF SHORT AND ULTRASHORT WAVES},
year = {1935},
}