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EMR and the Brain: A Brief Literature Review

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Emerging Electromagnetic Medicine

Abstract

Man has lived in the presence of electric fields for many centuries most of which predate the invention of the electrical generator. Current theory, as well as history, tells us that early man recognized that he had no control over lighting and that magnetic mineral ore, lodestone, did not appear to have any biological effect. However, contact with the fish, Torpedo which inhabits the Mediterranean, could produce shocking results when in contact with the body. The biological effects of the Torpedo fish were described by Plato, Aristotle and many others in ancient Greek and Roman texts. The first medical use of electric fish is found in a report by S. Largus in the first century.22 Prior to the Renaissance, electric fish were used by Arab physicians to treat sleeping disorders,37 migraine, melancholy and epilepsy.50 This use of electric fish represents an ancient precursor of electroshock therapy for severe depression. The ancient physicians did not recognize that these fish were producing an electrical current, rather the cure was thought to result from some excretion of a semi-material nature. It was recognized, however, that the electric fish had to be alive to produce any beneficial effects. Thus, therapy was limited to sites near the seashore where fish could be caught and maintained fresh and alive until used for treatment.

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Authors
  1. Paul Tyler
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74104-3189, USA

    Mary Ellen O’Connor Ph.D.

  2. Bioelectronics Corporation, The Technical Advancement Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA

    Richard H. C. Bentall F.R.C.S. Ed.

  3. Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland, 20857, USA

    John C. Monahan

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Tyler, P. (1990). EMR and the Brain: A Brief Literature Review. In: O’Connor, M.E., Bentall, R.H.C., Monahan, J.C. (eds) Emerging Electromagnetic Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3386-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3386-2_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-97224-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3386-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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