A Vacuum Tube Micro-voltmeter for the Measurement of Bio-electric Phenomena

Abstract

The formulation of the electrodynamic theory of life (Burr, ’32, Burr and Northrop, ’35) required that four questions be asked of nature. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Do living organisms possess steady state, or direct current, potential differences? Can these potential differences be measured in such a way as to be free from the usual ambiguities of electrical measurement, i.e., can the determination of potential differences be made independently of resistance changes and current flow? Do these potential differences reflect an unorganized chaos or are they related in such a way as to produce definable electrodynamic fields? If such fields are present, are they merely by-products of the living process or are they determinants of the pattern of organization? A little reflection will indicate that the answers to the above questions can be found only as a result of the development of a new technique. It is essential that a device be designed with which potential gradients can be determined independently of resistance changes in the system measured and without the introduction of the artefact of current drain from the system measured. Virtually none of the traditional instruments for direct current measurement satisfy these requirements. The few that do, present other technical features which make them extremely difficult to handle. In addition to the difficulties of measurement, there is the equally important consideration of the contact of the measuring instrument with the living system. The contact of any metal with living tissue introduces innumerable artefacts which cannot be controlled. Ideally, connection to the animal should be made through stable, reversible electrodes which introduce few or no artefacts into the measurement. A network which fulfills the above conditions has been designed

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

The authors describe the need for a new measurement technique for bio-electric (DC) potential differences and report that a network/device meeting requirements (independent of resistance changes, no current drain, minimized electrode artefacts) has been designed.

Outcomes measured

• Measurement of steady-state (direct current) potential differences in living organisms
• Development of a technique/device to measure potential gradients independent of resistance changes and without current drain
• Reduction of measurement artefacts from metal contact with living tissue via stable, reversible electrodes

Limitations

• Abstract does not provide performance data, validation results, or quantitative measurement outcomes
• No details given on the specific design, calibration, or testing of the device in the abstract

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    "outcomes": [
        "Measurement of steady-state (direct current) potential differences in living organisms",
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        "Reduction of measurement artefacts from metal contact with living tissue via stable, reversible electrodes"
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    "keywords": [
        "vacuum tube",
        "micro-voltmeter",
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        "electrodes",
        "measurement artefacts",
        "potential gradients"
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