The Survival of Bacteria in High-Frequency Electric Fields
S. E. Jacobs, Margaret J. Thornley, P. Maurice · 1950
1950 study found no evidence that high-frequency electric fields at 1-65 Mc./s. killed bacteria, even at voltage stresses high enough to cause rapid heating of poorly conducting treatment fluids.
Plain English Summary
Researchers in 1950 exposed bacteria, principally E. coli (Bact. coli) and Staph. aureus, in glass containers to high-frequency electric fields at 1-65 Mc./s. using external electrodes. Various periods and intensities were tried, but no lethal temperature was allowed to develop, and there was no evidence that any mortality was caused by the treatments, even when voltage stresses high enough to induce rapid heat development in poorly conducting treatment fluids were used.
Why This Matters
This early study found no bacterial mortality from high-frequency electric fields. The researchers did not allow a lethal temperature to develop in any experiment, and they saw no evidence that the treatments killed bacteria, even when voltage stresses were high enough to induce rapid heat development in poorly conducting treatment fluids. The study focused on microorganisms rather than human cells. It documents that biological effects of high-frequency fields were being tested in the laboratory in 1950.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_survival_of_bacteria_in_high_frequency_electric_fields_g5592,
author = {S. E. Jacobs and Margaret J. Thornley and P. Maurice},
title = {The Survival of Bacteria in High-Frequency Electric Fields},
year = {1950},
}