Index
(pp. 207-211)
A grant from the E.A. Barvoets Fund assisted in paying the costs of publishing this book.
ANDREW A. MARINO, PHD
ROBERT O. BECKER, MD
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
State University of New York
Upstate Medical Center
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Louisiana State University Medical Center
State University of New York Press
c1982 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
PREFACE
The relationship between electromagnetism and life has been a source of fascination and
controversy for more than 400 years. Today, interest in all facets of this relationship is at an
unprecedented pitch. The body's intrinsic electromagnetic phenomena have been rediscovered, and the
evidence suggests that, far from being unimportant by-products of biochemical activity as previously
believed, they play a vital role in diverse physiological processes. The earth has a natural
electromagnetic background, produced by the earth itself and by cosmic sources, and the age-old
question as to whether this background can be detected by living organisms has now been answered in
the affirmative the earth's electromagnetic background is an important environmental factor for all
living things. Clinical uses of electromagnetic energy are increasing and promise to expand into
important areas in the near future.
But the coin has another side. The environment is now thoroughly polluted by man-made
sources of electromagnetic radiation with frequencies and magnitudes never before present. Man's
activities have probably changed the earth's electromagnetic background to a greater degree than they
have changed any other natural physical attribute of the earth whether the land, water, or atmosphere.
The evidence now indicates that the present abnormal electromagnetic environment can constitute a
health risk.
This book is our attempt to synthesize the various aspects of the role of electricity in biology,
and to emphasize their underlying unity. To facilitate this, we divided primary responsibility for the
major subject areas. Parts 1 and 2, which treat historical factors and the bioregulatory role of
electromagnetic energy, were written by ROB; parts 3 and 4, which deal with bioeffects of artificial
electromagnetic energy, were written by AAM.
ELECTROMAGNETISM & LIFE - 4