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Published on: May 15, 2021
Early history of bioelectromagnetics
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6392.
Abstract:
The early history of bioelectromagnetics is reviewed as I experienced it. The period of time chosen extends from my joining the Institute for Physical Foundations of Medicine in Frankfurt in 1937 to the early 1970s, when I retired from the chair of my department at the University of Pennsylvania. Several themes emerge from these recollections. First, clinical and biological work led almost immediately to a heated controversy about the role of athermal vs. thermal effects; this issue has never been settled to the satisfaction of most. Second, good quantitative work on electrical properties and dosimetry began early, well before World War II; its impact on future developments was significant.
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