I need a good basic overview book/article on the basics of
bioelectrics,(this is the study of the electrical properties of the
human body) and a summary of the research that has been done, and what
is known, applications, etc.  I have an MD degree, and know a modest
amount about electricity, circuits, voltage, etc.  I have searched
google using several search terms including "introduction to
bioelectric"  "basics of bioelectric", but am mainly coming up with
course listings from colleges.  Also, amazon.com-but everything either
looks too technical, or too "new age" weird and way out, and some of
the references are 10-20 years old.  Can you help me?

Dear kismet-ga,

Bioelectrics involves the use of pulsed power, i.e., the application
of very high-energy surges of electricity for extremely short periods
of time. The concept is not new, but research into the field remains
controversial. Due to the fact that, as you mentioned, articles on the
Internet devoted wholly or even partially to this issue are almost
nonexistent, I have attempted to divide this answer into the
subheadings you requested. I hope this meets your requirements.

Current Research

Research into development of novel bioelectric devices.
Dielectrophoretic Cell Separator, Cell Levitation, Cell
Electrorotation.
The Bioelectric Research Group
http://www.enel.ucalgary.ca/Research/Bioelectrics/BioRsch.htm


Electro Magnetic and bioelectrics in cancer therapy, electrical
stimulation of bone and soft tissue healing, electrofusion,
electroporation and cell separation technologies,
The Research of Dr. Kaler, University of Calgary
http://www.eng.ucalgary.ca/resrch_electrical/Elect_Kaler.htm


Subcellular Response to Narrow Band and Wide Band Radio Frequency
Radiation
http://www.odu.edu/engr/bioelectrics/research.html


Deactivation of Microorganisms by an Oscillating Magnetic Field,
Cancer Treatment by Oscillating Magnetic Field
http://www.bioelectric.ws/eng/oscillating.html



Applications

Microfluid Pumping Methodology (DEP driven microchannels)
http://www.enel.ucalgary.ca/Research/Bioelectrics/fluids.htm


Example of a current application
An incubator using bioelectrics (scroll down article for further
research)
http://www.hamptonroads.com/pilotonline/business/bz1216bio.html


Medical and Biological Applications of Pulsed Electric Fields
A speech by Karl H. Schoenbach
http://www.usc.edu/dept/ee/Conferences/highvoltage/conference/Schoenbach.html


I also looked into the available books on bioelectrics. While most
were exceptionally technical and deviated into the fields of
biomedicine and bioengineering, these titles did appear to be
promising:

The Body Electric
by Robert Becker (Author), Gary Selden (Author) 
Book Description: In this landmark book, Robert O. Becker, M.D., a
pioneer in the field of bioelectric science, presents a fascinating
look at the role electricity plays in healing, challenging the
traditional mechanistic model of the body.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688069711/biosyncresearchi/104-2445992-8445525


Bioelectric Phenomena
by Robert Plonsey
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0070503427/qid=1055787039/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_15/104-2445992-8445525?v=glance&s=books#product-details

You may also find the following link useful:
About BioElectrics Nernst Potentials (8 slides)
http://csm.jmu.edu/biology/courses/pa_clinical_physiology/HTML%20Presentation%20folder6/ppframe.htm

Search Strategy: 
Bioelectric+applications –course
Bioelectric+research
Basics+bioelectric –course
Recommended reading+bioelectric
Publications+bioelectric 
 
If necessary, please feel free to ask for a clarification on this
answer.
Hope this helps! 
sabrina_j6-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by kismet-ga on 16 Jun 2003 19:35 PDT

Dear Sabrina,
Thanks for your answer-I found the Plonsey book, but it is over 30
years old!
I think that "biolectrics" has a wider meaning than just the
application of high energy fields to biologic systems; I was
interested in a viewpoint of a grander scale, a kind of  overview of
electricity in biologic systems, and specifically the human body.
Maybe just searching electricity and human body might turn up
something...
thanks again for your help.
Kismet

---

Clarification of Answer by sabrina_j6-ga on 17 Jun 2003 12:02 PDT

As requested, I have researched on electricity in biologic systems and
electricity and the human body and have found a few relevant articles.
I hope you find these useful.

The Biological Interaction with Electricity - An Overview
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/mpce/rsch/pmeth/chpt1/sect1.htm


Bioelectricity in Mammals (tissue),Elizabeth Gerrow 2002 .
http://members.fortunecity.com/anemaw/bioelectricity.htm


Grounding the Body to Neutralize Bioelectrical Stress,
A. Clinton Ober
http://earthtether.net/grounding_body.html


Modern Low Voltage-Microcurrent Stimulation: A Comprehensive Overview
By Thomas W. Wing, DEC, ND, CA (please scroll down ½ the page for
relevant information)
http://www.electromethod.com/info%20page%2028.htm


A Microcurrent Primer (how electric microcurrents work in the body)
http://www.trivedigroup.com/btcpl/dat-microcurrent-primer.html


Three Dimensional Electrical Impedance of the Human Thorax
Peter Metherall  BEng(Hons) MMedSci
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/mpce/rsch/pmeth/

I hope this helps!
sabrina_j6-ga

Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis by James Oschman (2002) has some
good material on biological electricity and electronics, plus lots of
useful references. I am exploring this subject and found it very
useful.
Pamela Gray, Ph.D.