Kirlian photography

"Electrography" redirects here. For other uses, see Electrography (disambiguation).
Kirlian photograph of two coins

Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges. It is named after Soviet scientist Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a high-voltage source, an image is produced on the photographic plate.[1] The technique has been variously known as "electrography",[2] "electrophotography",[3] "corona discharge photography" (CDP),[4] "bioelectrography",[5] "gas discharge visualization (GDV)",[6] "electrophotonic imaging (EPI)",[7] and, in Russian literature, "Kirlianography".

Kirlian photography has been the subject of scientific research, parapsychology research, and art. Paranormal claims have been made about Kirlian photography, but these claims are rejected by the scientific community.[8][9] To a large extent, it has been used in alternative medicine research.[10]

  1. ^ Julie McCarron-Benson in Skeptical - a Handbook of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, ed Donald Laycock, David Vernon, Colin Groves, Simon Brown, Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989, ISBN 0-7316-5794-2, p11
  2. ^ Konikiewicz, Leonard W. (1978). Introduction to electrography: A handbook for prospective researchers of the Kirlian effect in biomedicine. Leonard's Associates.
  3. ^ Lane, Earle (1975). Electrophotography. And/Or Press (San Francisco).
  4. ^ Boyers, David G. & Tiller, William A. (1973). "Corona discharge photography". Journal of Applied Physics. 44 (7): 3102–3112. Bibcode:1973JAP....44.3102B. doi:10.1063/1.1662715.
  5. ^ Konikiewicz, Leonard W.; Griff, Leonard C. (1984). Bioelectrography, a new method for detecting cancer and monitoring body physiology. Leonard Associates Press (Harrisburg, PA).
  6. ^ Bankovskii, N. G.; Korotkov, K. G.; Petrov, N. N. (Apr 1986). "Physical processes of image formation during gas-discharge visualization (the Kirlian effect) (Review)". Radiotekhnika I Elektronika. 31: 625–643. Bibcode:1986RaEl...31..625B.
  7. ^ Wisneski, Leonard A. & Anderson, Lucy (2010). The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-4200-8290-6.
  8. ^ Singer, Barry. (1981). Kirlian Photography. In George O. Abell, Barry Singer. Science and the Paranormal. pp. 196-208. ISBN 978-0862450373
  9. ^ Watkins, Arleen J; Bickell, William S. (1986). A Study of the Kirlian Effect. Skeptical Inquirer 10: 244-257.
  10. ^ Stenger, Victor J. (1999). "Bioenergetic Fields". The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. 3 (1). Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.