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SHORT WAVE DIATHERMY – PRELIMINARY REPORT

Bioeffects Seen

FRANK HAMMOND KRUSEN, M.D. · 1939

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This 1939 medical study documented human biological responses to therapeutic RF electromagnetic fields decades before wireless technology emerged.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1939 preliminary report by Dr. F.H. Krusen examined short wave diathermy, a medical therapy using radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to generate deep tissue heating. The study represents early medical research into controlled EMF exposure for therapeutic purposes, documenting effects of RF radiation on human patients during clinical treatment.

Why This Matters

This 1939 research represents a fascinating historical perspective on medical EMF exposure that predates our modern wireless world by decades. While diathermy intentionally uses high-power RF fields for therapeutic heating, the study highlights how the medical community was already grappling with EMF bioeffects in controlled clinical settings. What's particularly relevant today is that diathermy devices operate in similar frequency ranges to many modern wireless technologies, yet deliver vastly higher power levels than cell phones or WiFi. This early medical research demonstrates that RF electromagnetic fields can produce measurable biological effects in humans, a principle that remains central to current EMF health debates. The difference lies in dosage and intent - diathermy deliberately uses high-intensity fields for therapeutic benefit, while today's concern focuses on chronic low-level exposures from ubiquitous wireless devices.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
FRANK HAMMOND KRUSEN, M.D. (1939). SHORT WAVE DIATHERMY – PRELIMINARY REPORT.
Show BibTeX
@article{short_wave_diathermy_preliminary_report_g6130,
  author = {FRANK HAMMOND KRUSEN and M.D.},
  title = {SHORT WAVE DIATHERMY – PRELIMINARY REPORT},
  year = {1939},
  
  
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Short wave diathermy was a medical therapy using radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to heat deep body tissues for therapeutic purposes. This 1939 study documented early clinical use of controlled RF exposure in medical settings.
The study demonstrates that RF electromagnetic fields can produce biological effects in humans, using similar frequencies to modern wireless devices but at much higher therapeutic power levels for intentional medical benefit.
Medical researchers were exploring therapeutic applications of RF electromagnetic fields for deep tissue heating, establishing early clinical protocols for controlled EMF exposure decades before wireless technology became widespread.
This preliminary report represents early documented research into human biological responses to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, predating modern wireless technology and EMF health debates by several decades.
Medical diathermy used high-intensity RF fields intentionally for therapeutic heating, while modern EMF concerns focus on chronic low-level exposures from ubiquitous wireless devices like phones and WiFi routers.