The Relationship Between Deep Tissue Temperature and Blood Flow During Electromagnetic Irradiation
Alfred W. Richardson, Charles J. Imig, Barbara L. Feucht, Harry M. Hines · 1950
1950s research proved microwaves measurably alter blood flow and tissue heating in living animals.
Plain English Summary
This 1950 study examined how microwave radiation affects blood flow and tissue temperature in dogs. Researchers found that microwaves effectively heated muscle tissue and increased blood flow in peripheral structures, while short wave diathermy showed mixed results. The research helped establish early understanding of how electromagnetic fields interact with biological tissues.
Why This Matters
This pioneering research from 1950 reveals something crucial that often gets overlooked in today's EMF debates: electromagnetic fields have measurable biological effects, period. The fact that microwaves could reliably increase blood flow and heat deep tissues in dogs wasn't controversial then because researchers were studying these effects for therapeutic purposes, not trying to prove wireless technology was safe.
What makes this study particularly relevant today is that it demonstrates clear vascular responses to microwave exposure at a time when the technology was new and the research was independent of commercial interests. The reality is that if microwaves can alter blood flow patterns in dogs, we need to seriously consider what similar frequencies might be doing to human circulation during our constant exposure to wireless devices.
Finding
The results as a whole indicate that the effects of treatments with short wave diathermy and with microwaves upon blood flow depend not upon the specific effects of any wavelength but upon the degree of induced tissue hyperthermia. If degrees of deep tissue hyperthermia comparable to those found in animal experiments are required to produce increases in blood flow in human -subjects, it would appear as if the therapeutic dosages most fre- quently employed would be insufficient. to induce appreciable changes in the blood flow in deep tissues.
In their words
“The results as a whole indicate that the effects of treatments with short wave diathermy and with microwaves upon blood flow depend not upon the specific effects of any wavelength but upon the degree of induced tissue hyperthermia. If degrees of deep tissue hyperthermia comparable to those found in animal experiments are required to produce increases in blood flow in human -subjects, it would appear as if the therapeutic dosages most fre- quently employed would be insufficient. to induce appreciable changes in the blood flow in deep tissues.”
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagrams extracted from the original research document.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_relationship_between_deep_tissue_temperature_and_blood_flow_during_electroma_g4828,
author = {Alfred W. Richardson and Charles J. Imig and Barbara L. Feucht and Harry M. Hines},
title = {The Relationship Between Deep Tissue Temperature and Blood Flow During Electromagnetic Irradiation},
year = {1950},
}