By

PROFESSORGIORGIO PICCARDI
Dire.tar ol th" lnttitLre al thyrital Cheni.r,l
Univenirl ol Florence

TheChemicalBasisof
MedicalClimatolo{y

CHARLES C THON,{AS . PUBLISI.IER

Spriugfeld o Illinois . U.S.A.
 CbapterIII
THE CHEMICAL TESTS
TN ORDER TO EXPLAIN what the chemical tests are I have
I
clecidedto follou'a coursepreviouslv adopted,il,ith some success
on occasionof the BrusselsS_vmposiurn, October lg5g.
When a chernical operation ii perfornied and repeated several
.
times, onc will observedi{ferencesin the results ol]tairredove,,
pcriod. It is of coursewell known that our operationsallow a mar_
gin of error that mal be rather large or, un
ih" other hand, rather
snrall. This dependson the chemiial svstem emplol.ecl.Til" ,,u._
iations in the results are nonnallv attr.ibrited to experimental errors;
that is, to chance.
But the variationsmav be due, at leastin part, to externalcauses,
to conditionswhich have not been controll-ecl and which exist and
fluctuate independentlv of our wishes ancl about which
we are
gerrerallyunawarc. How are u,e to determinc their presence?The
solution to this problem was atten)ptedb.vdcvising'arrappropriate
r r r e t l r o do. n c .t a p a b l e o [ t o r . r l j r , g l r o \ \ . ' c \ t e n r a ] ; h " n o r n " i "
in_
fluenceour chemicaloDerations,
Two possibilitiesrveic considered:
1) It is possible that, on modifving external condiiions, the
chemical svstern.,,r'illreact in a markedly diflerent manner under
t l r e n e r v r . o n d iito n s ;
2) It is possible that, on modifl,ing the chemical system,
the
svstemu'ill react in a markedly clif{erentmanner againstthe same
er ternll in flrrenccs.
If the svstemreactsto onc of tlteseconditions,it is then possible
to condrrct a diferential erperintent by carrying out the saie
oper_
ation twice, simultaneouslr',using the same reactive agents
and
nlaintainingequal, at eyerv moment, tlc cornmol phvsiial
concli_
tions of the two expcriments :rt hard. ltempereiuie. pressure,
lrrrnridity,light, etc.), but nodiltlitrg in an appropriat" -inn".,
 i t1e ClletJlttal I I sls .ll

A) flte sp,aciat
conilitionsxtrotntling one of the tuo teacting
sq,9temsj
or else:
B) One of the reactingchetnical systens.
The resultsyielded bv the t\ro reacting svstenrsu.ill, as a rule,
no__lolgerbe identical becauseof the inrpirscclmoclificatiorr.It
u ill be noticcd, for examltle,tlrat a morc lrpitl scclime rrtation, ir
darker colour, a rroLe abrrnclantprecipitatiori or soruesrrclrcflcc,t
rvill be evidcncedbt. one of thc tu'o s\ sterrs.
T l r c l c * r i l l t l r e l c l o r el , e u n o l r r e n : r l r l , . r l i f l e r . , . ,r.,irt.l.r,, .irr , , , r r ,
tllrection-for extrmplc,a nore rapid sc(linreutationin the nrodi_
fied svstenr(or unclermoclifiedconditions)-or irt the o1tpositcdi-
rection. It may also bc thatno diffcrencervhateverresrritsbrrt tlris
caseis crtrernely rare.
The ctrsein which the sedimcntationis proclLrcetl mor.erluicklr.
in the moclified svstem has been called T, rvhilc R is thc nalrc
given io the inverse case. The case of perfect iclentitv is krrorvrr
asO.
Experinrental errors alwavs play their. part accorclirrgto tht,
_
chancc involvcd (I am noi coisiclcring tirc case of srltenrtrtic
errors) trncl superimposethemselveson thc effects of erternal
phenorrena,
chance,on a great number of experimerrtsgir.esas results:
,^I\re
50tlT, A result that on a great nunber of experinrerrtsis cli{fer_
ent from 502, is alwavs significant. Its value jrad to be thar onc
obserr.eclor more diferent from 50f-that is to strr,_againbcrrcr.
One derixes f ron the differenttal e\)er nent L dASi fl, f n X.
15 NOf DUE TO CHANCE, bq effecting a large ntntber ol
rlifferentktl erperilnents (not lesstian 10) eilher simitltoneouslrlo,r
u;ithin u xcnl short spaceof titne, ald, br.detcrntining the rclative
number of the dillerences produced ii clirection Ti that is, the
percentageof T.
The percentageof T is the numerical resrrltof tlrc clrctn{cal test.
Tlrc result of the chemical test is therefore S,IATISTICAL unrl
cun ranl from, 0 to 700.
The principal feature of the chernical test is, thcrefore the fol_
lorving:
To protkle a statistical nurnerical resvlt, not bt1 rtcutts of nrcas_
urcments, but by COUNTINC the nunber of times, in a
fxed
11 TheClenical Busisof JledicalClinutology

nlrmber of biperiments, a giDen clrcmical operation behar:esin a

detenninerl ?ndnncl \\'itll rcspect to another chemical operation
o{ the sametvpe.
The result of thc chcmical test is independent of temperature,
lrrcssrrreancl so on; in short, it is inrlependentof all the common
t ru(litionalxariables.

TH!] CHEMICAI, ]'EST IN CASE A

External phenomena,{ar awav or closeat hand, manifest them-
selvcsin thc spacein vvhichu'c lir e, as far as rve knorv, Lrvmeans
of clectromagneticor corpuscularratliation or by field variations.
Thus it is possibleto moclifv the sprrcialconditionssurrourding one
o{ tlre tu,o chenical svstems in the differcntial experiment bv
enclosingthe selectedsvsterril a metallic cliar.nberor, at least,by
placing a nretal plate over it. The metal rve lrave chosenis copper.
The svstenris thus screened,either u4rollv (as in the caseof the
chanrber) or in part (as in thc cascof the plate ) .
The copper screens,or at least partiallv screcns,certain radia-
tions anclmodifiesthe electricaland electromagneticfield.
If thcre are no {orces acting ir the surrounJing space,or onl}'
tlrose forces rvhicli trre rrot nrodifieclbv the copper, the response
to tlre clrenricaltest will be tlrat chreto chance: 50 (50%T\.
Brrt if in thc surrorurdingspaceforces are acting that are modi-
fied bv the copper, thcn undcnreath thc plate (or rvithin the
chamber) the conditions u'ill difler cornparedwith those on the
outside.
A sensitivechemical systemwill react to the differencein con-
ditions during its evolution before leaching the equilibrium.
In this re{:ard I rvill give tu'o highll' significant examples.

1) Polymerisationof Acrilonytrile
A solution of monomcr acrilonvtrile in water q'as divided and
placed into severaliclenticalglassllasks. Thc flasks$'ere enclosed
in tr snnll clrambcr or in a rvootlen chest, rvell protected against
temperature variations. Ilalf of thc chest containing the half of
the flasksrvascoveredrvith a thin copper screen,0.I mn in thick-
ness. After a sufficielt length of time the flasks*,ere taken out
and the solid poh'mer that had formecl was filtered, dried and
 Tlrc Cltntit t l'csts -1;

\\'eighedi Flonr l)ecembcr 1951 to APril t9:>4' 108 e\pcl'ilnerrts

\\'er; carlied out and if u'as establisheclthat the ucight of thc
pol\nrer sas lessr{nder tlrc screenE0 tinles oLrtof 10E;that is, in
751,iof the cases(Table III ).

TABLE III
Tnr Nu:r.rsrnor. Expeturrx.t'll Gttrtups
Yrslorxc ,q.Gur:lrrn \\'srctrr ol Pot,rrrtitt

OltLtide the j't€en

1951 1)ercntl,rr '- !

5 I
'' t{ 6
\lrrch
'' 1-1 I
-\pril
'' j l
\l,r'

" j,,h l )
'' ()rtobfr 2
: 0
'' .1 0
I)(acnrlicr
l9;,1 J.'1r,xr\ 5 I
'' l'-r,lrruarl t0 0
I9;-1 \l,Lrch l l
''
,\pril 0
'l
{)t'Ll u{l ts
,-,' ;l t(i

Frolr ir statistical poilt of vicrv, tJrercfore,the c{Iect of thc'

scleen \\'irs easilv ol)serval)le.Tlie ellect \\'its not aonstanteitlrcr
in signor irusi:e, all of vi,hichis rluite natural sircc spatialproper--
ties flrrctrrate incessantlv.
2) Precipitation and Sedimentationof Oxychloride of Bismuth
a) 1000 Blank Tests
We hlclrolised identical quantitics o{ thc sane solrrtiono{ tri-
chloricleof bismuth, rvith the san.requantitv of u lter, in two sets
of beakels. designatedbv the colorrrslecl arrclblue. TIrc hr<lrol
isis u'as eflecteclin pairs, one red beakcr uitlr one blrre beaker,
s i n u l t a r r r o u s l va r d u n d e r i d c n t i c a lc o r r i l i t i o n s1, 0 p a i r sa t a t i m c .
Fron October 15 to November 6, 195'1,a total;f I(X)Opaire(l
testswils ciuried orrt.
46 Tlrc ClrcrtticalBasisof trIedicalClitratolog!

In each group of l0 pairs, rve recoldecl how many times the

sedimentationof oxvchlorideof bisnruth had proceededmore rap-
idlv in the red beakers,and the pelcentagewas calculated. This
percentageconstitutedthe nunerical responseto the blank test.
Distributing the different responses according to their values,
between 0 and 100,a curvc was obtained much like that of Gauss

olo
.o.
30_

r0 _

0 s0 looT
Frc. L One thorrsand llanli tests (dotted line) antl one thorrsancl tests P
(black litte) c{tected in groups of ten, distributed according to the percentage
T given by each gloup. On the abscissa:the values of percentage T; on the
ordinate: the frequencv of percentage T. Note the pefect s,vmmetrv of the
distribution about v:rlue 50f in the case of the blank test and the dissym
metry of the distribution in the case of test P.

(Fig. 1), in symnetrical ratio to the ordinate 50. Tlie general

averageof the 1000resrrlts\r,as50..1%.
The blank test tltus rendere(lthe result due to clnnce.
b) 100(t P-Tests
Simultaneouslvrvith the blank tcsts,1000testswere carried out
that u'ere identical to thoseprevio:us,butthe redbeakersu)erecoD-
ercd bith a copper screen. This constituted,est P.
Distributing thc various results according to their values, be-
tween 0 and 100 tr curve was obtairred that was quite different
 Tltc Cltemical fcst;

from thit of Gauss,sho.ii'nrgan asr.mmetricalrapport g,ith thc or-

dinatc 50. The general averageof the resLrltswas 70.1?.
Test P therefore renderecla result quite clifferentfrorn that of
the blank test. ?his la,asno longer ch,ticc
Ttlatlingit.\lrlrt. bti th(:
influenceof ex.terioractions.

THE CHENTICALTEST IN CASE B

Orie of thc chemical s\,stenrsrnav bc nroclifiedbv chemical or.
physical ntcans. \\re have chosen,for.practical,"r,rorrr. verv sim-
l e u r s . S i r c e t h e l ) r i " c i l ) ; t r t i , )trrrf o s r q l l l e"r ; d co i 1 , 1 r -
l l l e p l r r s i c r rm
nuth, pror.okedbv the hvdr.olvsisoi trichloricle,ilas adopteclfor.
our routjlre tests,rve rnodifiedthe s ater.bv nrernsof phttical rcti_
tation.
brrlb of mercury, that is, a closedglassglolre containinga drop
of"Anrercurv and neon at reduceclpressurerias gentll.stirrei in thc
water. On nior.ing the bulb, the mercur.yslides rqron thc glass;
the dotrble clectric layer between the, mercurv arii the qlass rs
strippt-.clancl an electrical dischrrr.gcis ltrodrrccclirr the interror
of ihe globe. The water utich is iir contact lvith tlie bulb is thrrs
lctivatecl. \Iercury bulbs as rvell as other devices,Iravc been enr_
plo)'ed in indrrstrrjfor the "phvsical" dcscalingof'boile.s,
The nrercurv bulb has been the subject of altudv br. Ilalla and
'rrpon
\ovotnr'. The sliding of the mercrrr-r thc gt"i. j,rJ,,""a i
electrorrrugneticemission. This entissionIras ,rit becn forrnd ",, at
lrigh-frerluencies , but onlq at lot t'requencies,3-4 KIIz. But thc
lo$-ire(lucnc). enission is nodulated at an extrente]r,srna]l frc_
quencr', l0- Hz-that is to strr, tlre 3-{ lr.Hz ernissiorixppcars lr
packagts of 10 IIz. It is rrseless at tliis point to qrcak of ihe pll.s_
ical-chcnricalproblents that actir,.ationpresents,-thc, stnrctrrrcol
w a t e r e t ( . I t i s e n o u g ht o k n o w n o $ . t h a t i t i s p o s s i b l et o
Prel.rart,
two lots of q'ater, cliemicallv identical (of tlrc sanic cc.niesiural
chemical composition), but pirvsicallydi{Ierent.
\Yith norrnal u;ater and actixated u)ater \ye arc trblc to conchrct
a d,iffercntiulerperiment ils in case B ancl to use it as a chcntical
test,
Suclra test mav be conducted out of doors,irr thc opcrrair: that
is to sar',in a location where there is no nretll ples(rrl. f.hi\ con_
18 - The ChemicalBasisof lledicaLClimutology

stitutes test F. On the other liand, the test ma)' be conducted

indoors, rvithin an area shielded bv copper (or underneath a
screen) . This constitutestcst D.

THREE CHEMICAL TESTS

The three typcs of chcmical test which x,e have employed up
to the present are collccted in the Table I\'.

TABLE IV

ir 'om,arcd
"'"u
"'r*o,,,oo
c",d,,i",: ,,

Test P norual *ater nomral *.ater

spacial conditi()ns spacial conditions
unmodiGed: open air rtolilied: un<ler copper

Test F nornral watcr r.tiut.tl w er

spur.irl conditions spacinl conditions
unrnodiffed: open air unmodified: open air

Test D norlltal waier )djlrled \|..ler

sp.rcial conditions spacial conditions
a:oli.{i'l. undcr cc,ppcr noctilied.. nnder coytper

RESEARCH ON THE CHEMICAL TESTS

With regard to thc cliemical tests,two types of researchwere
carried out:
a) Specialresearch,designeclto improve our knowlcdge of tlie
chemical tests.
b\ Routine reseurch,given to the studv of exterioractions,with
',vhich u'e deal later.

Special Research
1) Clt'sed and Open trletal Screet (Conpletely Sedled Copper
Chamberand Llorizontal Copper Plate)
It was vcrv important to know if, instead of working within a
completelv sealed copper chamber, rve could obtain results that
did not differ too greatlv bv rvorking undcr a copper plate. This
was necessarvsince we had to conduct routine tests in places
rvhereit was impossibleto employ a scaledmetal chamber.
 Tle Clrcntical Tt:sts .ts

TBsr b*Three series?of200 diserential precipitations (normal

water-activatedu.'ater) carried out in \Iay 1953,one in the open
air, one beneath a horizontal copper plate and one in a sealed
copper chamber (thicknessof thc copper of the chamber and tht,
p l a t e r 0 . 1 r r m ) , r ' i e l d e dt h e r . e s u l tcso l l e c t e di n t h e T a b l c \ ' .

TABLE \T

In opcn .rir
lleneatl the platc i;.0
\\:ithin thc chanrlx r

Thus therc was no great difierercc betq.cen the tu.o tests D.

We nav safclv assumethat exteriorforcesfall dorr.nvvard upon tJrt,
Earth from above. Therefore the "roof" u,ould be thc rnost rn_
portant part of thc chamber for the purposesof the chenticaltests.
All of this has onlv an indicative value sincc the testsg-ereso ferl,.
Tnsr P Five vears later (1958) it *.as obscrlcd that test p fol_
lowed a clifferentbehaviour pattern from that follos,eclbv test D.
The results of test P obtained bl using a hor.izonttrlr,rcial plirtc
showed a lrelraviour alntostrexersedto that slrorvnbv the resrrlts
of test I'obtained simultaneousllrrsiuga cornpletelrsealedcopper
chamber.
This cxplainswhy the test P resultsobtained in Florence usrng
_
thc copper cliamber lrave shown a positive ancl significantcor.re_
lation rvith solar activity, rvhile the resulis obtaincd in diflerent
stations during the ICY, wlen of necessitvsimplc copper platcs
rvere enrploved,have showrra negativeanclsignificant
'['he "n.."Ltjnrr.
screeliobviorrsl]'plavs a I'er1,.important part in the chemical
tests.
The problem of the screcrris highlv complicatedanclrequircs a
separatestrrdr'. On the other hand, how are u.e to comparetlre re_
sults of the expe ments carried out in 1953,rvith a ncar.minirrrrrur
of solar activit,r',with the resultsof the cxperinrentscardeclout irr
1958,rvith a near-maximurnof solar activitr,? Variations in solar
r c l i v i t t n r r r 5 bt e c l o s e l yc o n s i d c r e di n t l r i ss t u d r . .
50 The Chemicul Basisol MedicuLClinurtologtJ

2) Nature c,f tbe Metal ol tbe Screen

Numerousseriesof tests were canied out, activating water and
precipitating oxychloride of bismuth within small chambers of
illfi"r""t metals-copper, aluminiurn,iron and lead-so as to deter-
nrirrewhether the nature of the scr€enwas of irnportance,that is to
sar-if the action of the screen was merely electrostatic,or if it
s'is comparable to the actiort of a filter or selective rnirror.
The results of four series of 6,900 tests each ( normal water-acti-
r atecl rvater) carried out between Januarv 6, tg54 and l{arch 26,
1955are collectedin the Table VI geleral averages.

TABLE VI

%'f sPecifr
electricalcanductance

In open air 16.1 0.10r

Undcr Fc 15.1 10.
Under,{l 42.2
Under Cu 39.6

It is evidcnt tllat the nature of the metal plal's an important rdle

\Ve mav conclude that the most important characteristicof metal,
as far as tlre chemical testsare concerned,is its electricalconduc-
tivitv. Unfortunatell', phvsics has nothing to tell us on this sub-
ject. What we know regarding Faradav'scage is valid for electro-
static phenomena,brrt lot for the phenor.nena which rve are study-
ing, rvhere an entire range of electromagneticwaves falls on our
screens,
)) Structure ol the Steen
Sinceu'c have not onlv the nature of the metal to consider,but
rilsothe structure of thc screen,we have carried out someorientirtg
tests witlr ';t cornpact screen-^ continuous nietal plate-and a dis-
continuous screen or poutler screen-a metallic paint: that is, a
mctallic pou'der borurdbv an insulatingpaint.
\\'e hale tried out arr aluminttnr plate with a thicknessof 0.7
mnr and a piece of cardboard cotrteclrvitL 'a "pure alurninium
paint," Three series,each of 500 simplc tests (three single precip-
 l lte Cltenic,i T tst. 5I

itations) ; one in the open aii, one beneath tltc painteclcardboard

and one bcneath the plate, were canicd out betriecn April 7,
1955 and Aplil 14, 1955. Thc thrcc serics u'ere latcr corrrpared,
anclgive the lcstrltscollectedin the Table VII qeneralaveltgc.

TABLE VII

o,,r or doors-*.ithptrte i;'"

OLrtof doors-rvith po\{rlcr ;1.6
\l'itl, plrte rvith po*'cl r l;6

It is cvident that tLe screen{orrlcd lrv a metallic p<xvclcru'itlt

isolated grains also procluces a rotc$.ortlrv eflcct, alnrost likc
that produced bv the nretalplate.
But this dependsupon the radiation frrllin{: upon thc screen. It
u'ts noticed ntuch later that the trluminium ltltrte scrccneclto a
noticeablc extent the radioelectricemissionof l0 Ki{z fi.erlLrcncr,
but that thc carclboardpresentedhtrrdlv no obstacleto tire sarlc
emission. So thcn, which ravs are stoppccllrv tlre cliscontinLrous
screen? This ploblcm as well should bc studied lrv thc applo-
priate metlxrds. It is a mattcr of experimer)tirigrr.itlr verv diffcr-
ent freqnencies,above all with the ven. lou. freqrrcncies(\'LF),
onesfor rvlrich rve carrfind no scryiceablcinstmnrcnt.eithcr trars-
mitter or rcceiver. It would be necessar..r' to builcl tlrcrrr all spe-
c i al l r ' .
The problt'rn of the screensis slou'lv'beirr11
forccclupou us,
1) 7'est D, Tcst P and Screet Tbickness
In order to establishwhether tlte screcn plaved an irDportant
rdle in our tests,a long seriesof tests u,ils curricd orrt, actir,;rting
rvater *'ithin Icaclboxesof difierent thickness:0.3, l5 anclll0 nrur,
Betu.eenJune 25, 1953 and April 10, 19il, 7130 testsucre car-
licd out usilg the chamber of 0.3 nrnr tirickness,and 7130 uith
the chamber of 30 nlnr thickness. From January 26, lg5.1 to
April 10, 1954, 1500 tests were carried out using the chamber of
15 mm thickness,contemporaneouslvu'itlr tlrosc for ilrc 0.ll and
30 mm chanbers. The resultsue collectedin thc Table VIII
52 Tlrc ChemicalBusisttl Jledical Clinatologg

TABLE YIII

P b0 . 3 P b1 J P b3 A
il97 129
Scrir:sof ?130 tcsts '1I '1
'10-1 '129
Seriesof 15()0tests

for the thicknesses

The eflcct of thicknessis not verv rcmarkable
tlticknesswas,\'ariedlrom
o,ra'^*t trt questiorl,even tliougll the
follow Rossi'scurve' be-
i ," fOO. The'g"neral pattenr seenrsto
the 0 3
:";;;h" 15 ,tt,'lt,"."",i vielcledresults a bit greatcr than
the study ot
.,rA SO screcn. Brtt ilti' do"t not hclP rnuch in
"r- within the
tests. If that rvhich lvas observedcomes
"r. "f*-t"rfinteractionsbcts eerr cosrttictadiation and den'sescreens
solrereof
,,lr,iLr"""-"t a probl.rn 'thicktless, of secolclarv radiation' then the dense
,.**, g.eat presentsnothing but a uselesscompli-
"f it an
*f introduccd We then attemPtedto discover
"riir., """,-ifl I ' l t ec h e m i c a l t e s t s '
c x t r c n r c l t t l l t i n s e n e r t l r a d a n i : r f l r r c n t eo n
thick-
il;;;; be able to esteblish a' nrinimum lilni' for practical
"
,r"ir.
sublimationtn
Alu-irti.,m screenswere placed on cellophaneby
tcst-P technique'
o tulr,rr-, and were emplovert accordilrgto the
even with
\rerv notes'orthy efiects rvere constantly obtained'
allowed the
*r"*t *ftaft w'cre so thin (800 srgstrom ) that thev-
to an electrlc.tamp'
filtration of a weak blue light u-Len held tlp
iil;-;;"it agrees with thise obtained by Bortels-on biological
that from cigarette
tests. A veryihin sheet of alumit.iium foil, like
*o, to procluce nottrble eflect on the micro-
;;;k"g"t, ",rough
biological
'- svstem
carried out
i" ?aatat"", three series of I00 simple tcsts were
precipitabng
according to the test P technique, simultaneously-
.f bisniuth in the ipen air' underneath a screen of
."r"iuia.
0 5 t l r o u s r n d t l ro
s[
l n t n t t t t ' r e Jg o l . l t g o l d l e r I u s v J f o r t l ' e g i l d i n g '
underneatha
,. -ttlt,tt",.ltn thilkne,s, epplied to caldboard)' and
byiublimation on cellophane (8-10 gr' of
,"r""n nf golclclepositvrl
50 angstrornin thick-
o"fa f", t? tn,t"ie rtretc's of srrrface,about
in the
i"sr. ff* iesults which s'erc obtaincd are collected
Table IX.
a Te;ts 5.1
Tlrc ClrcnticaL

TABLE IX
?
'1
Ic (Cciertl ,tt ttrset t

Open rir clcpositedgold

.15.0
Opcrr air hanmered gold 7L0
I)cposito<lgolcl-hrmmcrrd gold ?6 . 0

It is eviclt.ntthat the hamlnered gold shorvsa verv noteworthv

aliflererce oLrt of doors while the depositeclgold rcveiils a sliglrt
alral negiitivc cffect. Fortl''-fir'e is not far from ffftr', u'hich rvould
bc the iesrrlt clttcto cltance. Or.rthe othel liand, I nlere 100 tests
docs not p.'rnit us to clrarv ant' definitivc corrclusiorrsAll tlrt:
srne, it i; ol)\'iousthat a Yerv noteworthY cfiect nla\' \'ct be ob-
tained rvith tlricknesses lesstltan onc micron.
With rcgard to the chenical tests,it will be neccssnn'to Pursu€
the studv of tLe eflects of screensof verv srnall tltickncsses This
:rr-eais cornpletelvnew, even from the poillt of vie$' of tlrc irlter'-
action of sclcenson electromagncticficlcls

1) Electronagnetic Fields ol Verl Lor Frequencl' (VLF) und

the Chenical T ests
)Jatural electromrgnetic fields of rerdioelectricfrecltencv pre-
sclt a rathcr particular point of interest, for tlrcv are capablc ol
quite visiblv infl,.rencingcolloidal svstens in evolutiorl if tltc
ficque.ro' is sufficierrtlv small. It u'otrld have been highh' irrter-
estii.rgto have correlatedthe resultsof mv chenical testsrvith the
irrteniitl of utmospherics(VLF). tsut in Italy tlie intensitl' of
atrnosDherics $-asnot measurcd;to have madc ttse of infornatiorl
fronr ilunich or Hambulg and so forth, placesverl far lron Flor-
cncc,v'ortld rtot have madc sense.
So trvo seriesof simple testswerc carrieclout, one at a distancc
of 2m and the other at a distanceof 20n from a transmitter rrith
a strength of 10 W, regulated on a frequencv of 10 KHz. At 2{hti
the intensjtv of the electro-magneticffeld, measttrcd bv a field
meter, \\'as a great deal weake; thar rt 2m. Ten sintrrltaneous
pairs of precipitationsof oxvcLloride of bisnruth $'ere eflected in
ihe norrrralrnanner';we then counted hol lnartt'tirnes the sedi-
nentation proceeded more raPidly {ar from the transmitter'
 The Clvmicol Basisol Medical Climatologg

_T

_ 80

-ou

J un e 1 9 5 6

t l l l t l I

15 30
l-rc.2, Aboxe:the behaviourof testP ir) June 1956 (screenefiect), Belou:
the behaviour of thc near-far chemicil test under the influx of an electro-
magnetic fielcl of I0 kHz frequeocv. Note the parallelism'

It was therefore a case of 2' naar-far test perfectly analogous to test

P, which is an indoors-outdoorstest.
From SeptemberI1, 1955to February29, 1956ten simultaneous
pairs of precipitationswere efiectedeachmorning at th 30, for a
total ol r /zu Dalrs.
 Tlrc Clr.ntical [t'tl. ' )
-

At 20nr,the sedimentationof oxvchlorideof bisrntrthproccctlerl

nrore rirpicllv in i2.i',t of the cases The scd;neritatiol v'ns tlttts'
on tlrc averar:e,retarded cluring the pcliotl irr clrrestiottllv tlre ef-
fect of the electrornagneticfield.
The tests were contintted bets'een Jrrnc 1. 1956 altl Jrrnc 25.
1956 usirrqtwo difierent freqrtencies:10 arrcll20 KIlz. anclcflr'r't-
'l'ltc
il( l6U lr.rirsof precipitrtiolrs for elclr ftccluctlcr'. tl'o serrcs
u i t . i t , t , . l J e t 1 p r a c l i c a l l r t l r e s t t l t r cl c s t r l t s .T h e p a t t e l n o f t l r t '
nelr far lesponsefor both thc 10 KIIz ucl tlrt' I20 KIIz tlctlrrelr-
cics,s'as rlmost parallcl to that of test I' (!'ig. 2l
T h c r e i s n o d o u b t t h a t e l e c t r o r n a g l r e tfi ice l d sp l a r ' . t v t r l i u r -
poltant rdle in thc chen-ricaltcsts

6) Eflect al Ahirude on tbe Cheuical'I'ests

It urrs latlter necessarvto ktlolv, frorl a geneliil poirlt of r itrt,
eltl rlls
if tlic altiiucle of the locltion \\lele tcsts r.'"t.' 1-'1111ist1
of anv irrpoltancc', so ils to be able to colnpale lcstrlts olrtairrcrl
in di{Ielcrt places.
l i q l r S c h o o l( 1 ' t ' c h n i s c l r t '
P r o f . F r i t s c ho f t h c V i e r r r r aT e c h r r i c aH
Hochsclrule\\'ierr ) olgiirlized sttrtlies,irr collabor'.rtior r u itlr tts' rtt
Kapr-un \[urserboden, altitucle 2000 nl, end Kriprtrrr \\'t'rksir:rl-
I u n g , a l t i t L r d eE 0 0 n , o n t h e I l o h c n t r r t r c t t (r A u s t l i l ) . t h L r i r t gt l r c
coustructionof tlic gleat ll'clroelectlic cltlls, ltorl \lav to I)ecelrr-
ber 19,5-1.
OtLcl studics rvcre carried out oler a six-rrorlth petiotl lrorlt
O c t o b c r 1 9 5 7t o \ l a r c h 1 9 5 Eb r ' l h e p c r s o r r t r colf t l r c ' \ s t l o r r o t r r i c a l
Institute of the L\riversitv of Tuebingcn, cUrectecl lrr Plof. Sicclcn-
topf, ut Jrrngfraujoch (3578 rn) and at Tuebingcn (li2li m) Thc
total resultsare collectetlin the I'able X.

TABLE X
','r'l (G,ttr:! :u tr:.qc:)
I I ) P
I',rprur \\'erksicdlung E00 {3.4i ;l I
KLrpruu Nlooserboden !000
1-L,cl)ingcn 328 :lE.i .15..1 61.0
'1i.J 5-1.i 1rl.:
Jungfraujoch
56 TlrcChemical
Bas;is
of lledicalClinatologg

\\rlrile at Kaprun verl'small dillerenceswcre observedbetween

the testscfiected at 20b0 n and at 600 m, the
Jungfraujochtests
levealed much higher values for tests F and D and lou,er values
for test P than was thc caseat Tuebingen.
It must, Iiowever, be kept in nrind tlrrt thc Kaprrrn tests were
concluctedirr 1954-that is, during tlrc minilnum of solar activity
-rvhile tLe
Jungfraujoch tests werc conducted in 1957 and 1958,
cluring tlre n'L{tr.ilnulrof solar activitr'. !-urtlremore, we rnust re-
nrenrber that Jungfrarrjochis 1,500 meters higher than \{ooser-
bodcn. A perfect sohrtionvvould clcmandbeing able to carrv out
s t i l l n o r e t c s t s ,d u l i n g b o t h a r r t i r i n r t r r rlrr d a - m a x i r n u mo f s o l a r
activit\', in the sameplace and using identical methods.

t
60

40

20

1953 1954
I
t l l t ll t t l
8 9 1 01 1 1 2 1 2 3 4 5
I,'rc;.
3. ClLerrlical
test F rt Vienna:rnd rLtKaprun \looscrboclenfrom Ucto
lrcr 1953 to \tav 195.1(monthlv aleraqes). DoItcd lhrc: test F rt Vrerrna
L:rrter(ullrrcrbach
(altitrrdc280 rn). Blac&lircr tcst F at Kaprun \looscr
boden (altitucle2000 m). The distancebctrventlie two placesabout 2g0
km. \otc the sinilarit) of thc behaviour.
 Tltc Clrctnical Tt:st.v 31

It is interestingto notE that the belraviourof thc tcsts li and D

at Karprrrn\Iooserboden ar)d.in \rienna s'as pllctictllv tlre sane
notwithstanding the distancebetueen thc t*"o stations (300 km)
and the clificrencein sca ler el ( 1800n ) . The testsobevecla qcrt-
c r a l p h c r o m c n a( F i g . 3 ) .

7) Diurr Eflect
It si:enreclreasonubleto rr orrclerif tlrcrc cristecll tlirrrrralellect.
llut bectrrrseof the clifficultiesinvolveclin calrvirq out cortjnllous
t e s t sd u r i n q t h e n i g l r t ( e v c r v n i g h t f o l s e v c l a lr r r o r r t l r s )I. h a l c
cleferrcd srrch a stuclr'.
At tlrc Tnebingcn Astrononical Olrselvaturr',directetl ll Plol.
Siedentopf,Dr. U. \{aver crrlicd out testsat noon trnclat rnithriqlrt
cluring tlie nonths of \Iar', Junc ard JrLlr',1958 fol a total of 360
cliffelentialprecipitationsat r)ool ancl780 at nrichri(lrt, Thc results
are collccted in the Table XL

TABLE XI

Dat ;Ebt t'. T (ifu'ttLlt ttettset)

D^Y Nr{;rrr-
19;; F I ) I ' F I ) I '
\l,ti J:.8 60.0 2rl.rl 116.; ij,l. j l,l.j
J'rr' .lt.t 55.2 -1;.; -15.0 58.rj -1.9.1
JL,lv N,-t 3{ll .rr i je l
lt! 11!
it.6 5.1.i i6.: .10..1 ;S. l rl1.(J

l95l
.\rrqust-S.pk'rnb( r ill.(t 51.,1 ;ai.0
lk)ittl ,'!{rrrgcs)

I have olrtainrrl this rlitLrprivatclr'fionr \liss \laler'.

A c c o l d i n gt o t l i e T u e b i n g e r l e s r r l t si.t u - o r r l csl e e r nt l r r t t l r t ' r ' tr,s
no notel olthv clar-night e{Iect. But tlre proltltrrr of clirrlnitlr lLnl
tion rnust bc studicd fruthcr. It cunnot lre ltsoh t'cl u'itlr oulv ts o
s c l i c so f c x l l e r i m c l r t sa c l a r ' .\ l r t t l r t r r t 'f j . r I e l , r l l r o I l i s c , r r r . l r r c t e r l
n i g l r t - t i n r et e s t s a t U c c l e - B l u s s e l sp,l a n s t o r c s u u r et l r i s I i n t ' o l
strrclvirt lr opportunen.lonent.
 58 The Cltentical Basisot' )lt,tlical Clintatolctgy

8) ElJec:tof Turbulence
The attention of manr. scientistsis todav
being drawn to*,ard
the plasrnas-the fluicls macle Lrp of clech.icalh.
p".ti"f"r,
positive ions and clectrons. trr the field of "fr"org"a
astropli-ysici, the at-
mosplieresof stars,interstellarnatter., nebulous
goirJ, urrlt
rs heirlgp1x511.,".. rn the fietclsof "o_"t,
:l::, Tll:1.:".1
rcrl-ctrcnlistr.\ lh_vsicsand phys_
. nretrllic liqlids and flanies1"bove ail salte.lflames,
l l t e l t t l n c so l I l r l .e l , 1 . t r iicl l c , , l c ., i r r et . o t r s i d e r e d
a sh e i n gD l a s m a s .
It is not vet knol.rr if an elcctrol-rtic solution
il"-"?Iria"r"a
a s l , e i n qr r l ) l r s l r r rr , I a p r g t i c l l r l . t r p e . "outa
o-dt\'.i plasrrrirtlrror.r,lrrrsbeen devcloped (Alft.en
.l anclotliers)
rvhich lias also led to laborat.,rv experini.nts
w,hich are openrng
lrJ)ir r('\\ fialdi ]l(tgtu.tultytlrulrpntnirs.
\l agle Lolryclrodviamrcs
r s , r c s t r d ) o r t l / c l n o \ c r n { . r tu [ a r r e r e c l r i c a f c o n d u c t o r
f l u i d i a ,o
nagnctic field. The clcctrical currents resulting
f.orrl tlr" _ou"_
ment modifv the field ancl, at tlie srme time,
aI thel, flo_ in the
nragrretic.fielcl, proclrrceurechanicalfor.ceswhich modify th"
_ou"-
ment of the fluicl.
Sincc rvater. salinc solutions ancl colloidal
solutions are also
H r t i t l s , c o r r t i t i rrr' il rerc{ t r ., ir,l h c . J r r r r q " . t
1 , " r t i " l " r .i . r r ,
i
c s t i l n i r s\t!rl l e l l r l rU t cr r r , , r , . r r r , . r r t _ t l r e " "On f" , i , " " , , o
t r r r b r r l e r r C t ,l_ r I i q r r i dS u C I r
ils water $.asari illpoftant or iur insignilicar.rt factor in our,chemical
ICSt)^.
To tlris end uc efk:ctecl,bet*,cerr\larcli l9
. anclApril 12, 1955,
tlrree lurrrdreclpairs of di{Iercntial tests *.itfr
_^i"i-*Ulf, fr"a
lcrneincd rrrolionl rr Ior I long tintc, unclera
cardboardscreenand
ult(ter I copper scrtelr 'l-lrcprecipitations
rvere carried out in tlte
opcr air'. 'fhe qcueral a\.errgc \\,as50.O_ther.esult
due to chance.
Betrveen\'lar.cli l9 arid \lat 1,1,lgJ5, rye carried
out 350 parr.s
of differcntial tests $,itll meclranicall_r.stinetl svaterir, t*o flrsks,
ole inside a calclboar.dbox arrcltlic othcr insi.le
tr copper box. The
prccipitationsv.eLecarried out in tlic opcn air.
The^gerrerala,rer-
ageri rs 56.8 Tlris v'as no lolger chauce, Therc
hadireen a slight
eltect.
Iletween April 28 and
Julr. 15, 1956,rvc canicd out a further 790
pails of differcntial tcsts u.ith u.ater.rvhich\\,as
agitated by bub_
bling in tu'o Ilasks,one insicle a ca.,..dboarcl
box ancl?he other'lnside
 The ChenitLtl Tt sts

a copper box, bothyith the sarnemodalitl'. The generalavcra{e

was,5.1.4.Once again we \!'ere able to note an effect, sliglrt lrrrt
meaningful.
Tlre daily data ynoothed ouf over decades,r'arv bctwecn 45 ancl
55 and iheir fluctuatioDscorresDondnerfectlv with the fluctuations
of test P (on another scale,of c'oursej. This demonstratedthat tlrc
sarnefactorsthat have influencedtest P har-eiuflucncedour ex1n.
ipent (Fig.4 ).
Our expcrimentshave thus revealcd sornethinghighlv unrrsuaJ:

A tffeLt ot' the s, reen in the taater. But this is onlv the beginning.
-
Unfortunately, the problem of the screenssUll hai to be studied.

on

7 A-

50-

r 95 6
_l
I
Frc. .1. rlbor:e: TestP. IJeloa: test wlter stirredunder cardbotr.d-rvrter
stincd under copper. On the tLbscissa: the tinre. On tle orclirutte: tIrc ptr_
centageof the two tests. Dail) lveragessmoothedbv ten.
 60 Tle Clemical Basisol JledicalClinatolosu

The Routine Research

Atter having sho$n tlre rcsults of studies specially conducted
with the aim of understandnrgthe properticsoi the clemical tests
and of setting out the problenis thai u,ill have to be resolved in the
future, we mav speakof the roLrtinetests,conducteclin Florelcc,
at the Insiihrte of Physical Chemishy of tle University, u.ith the
particular aim of estaLlishingr.hether the cLemical teits respond
to exterior actions and, in the afirmative case,whether it is pos_
sible to detcrmine which are the cxtemal phenomenawhich tn_
f l u e r r c et l r er e s u l t so f t h e c l r e n r i c . a
t cl s t s .
First I will set out the sum of the work carriecl out in this sohere
( T a b l eX I I ) .

TABLE XII
Nulrtrn or Tesrs Couucreo BnrwrEN
\'{ancrr l, 1951lxn Ocronrn 3I, Ig60:

14b304
Bh3o. )8h30n Total
Test F 36035 357r0 19350 9r095
'Iest
D 36038 35709 l9rl50 9109?
Test P 22150 22110 181r0 693?0
Test P ICY 19880 r9860
Cleneral total 287412

The ffgures concern the period from lvlarch 1, lg5l, to October

31, 1960,a total of nine and a half vears. The routine tests F, D
and P rvere conducted every day, inchrcling holitlays.
Beginning October l, 1952,routinc testiwere initiated at tsrus_
selsby Madame Capcl Boute, Chef des Trayaux at the Institute of
Electrochemistr_vand \Ietallurgv of the Universit6 Libre, with the
assent,assistanceand advicc of IL Decroly, Director of the Inst!
tute. Since July 1, 1957,studieshave been carried out. thanks to
the kindnessof M. Bourgeoisat the Belgian Roval Observatorv,in
a titrv wooden pavilion that has no metal constitucnts.
Beginning February 13, 1953, routine tests were carried out at
Untertullnerbach, near Vienna, at tlre Wiental-Wasserleilulg,
thanks to the kind iuterest of enginecr H. Doat, Director of the
W. !V. Society. The testswere interrupted on December31, Ig55,
becausethe W. W. was taken over by the Citv of Vienna. It was
 Thc Chtntic, Tt.;t: lil

trulv trnforttrnatethat a scrics of tests that hatl gonc orl for forrr
r.eai'sshoulclbe interrupteclriglit in the lriddle of thc IGY.
During the IGY and the subsequcntIGC (International (ittr-
plrvsicalCooperation) routinc tcstswere Put irrto opcrationin scv
c r a l l o c a l i t i e si n t h e * ' o l l d ( T a b l e X I I I ) .

TABLE XIII

R r t ; ; t l ; ( U c c l e )- O b s c n a t o i r e R o l a l d c B c l g i q u c .
Iir.r;,r{rr-Astronomisches lnstitut der Uni\ ersitrel.
J! , . q i t . i i a . L \teteorol{}gical Obscnatory
l: i 4 t]r ( LtnI ert I l, e/ barr./ \\:iental Wasserlciturg.
7 /iril "
Oss€rvlLtorio Ceofisico Sperjtrentale.
(,trr,.r -lnstituto Cleofisico e Cerxletico dcll'Lrnircrsiti.
'Istituto
Rd (Cr:rellana G/rrle)-DistaccaneDto dell cli Fisicu dtll t ri\1rlitir.
Librer rlle Sewiae \f6t€orologiclue du Cabon.
L.apalil ille-Stviac \I6t6orologiquc du Congo rt dc lirrr(lit Unrn(li.
F./t Dapb;n Scrviccs \Iat€orologiqucs tlc \1adag,rscar. cles Clonlrrcs ct rl, l,L
RdLrni0n.
Ktturelen I:laal: E t a b l i s s e m e n t S c i e n i i f i , t u e d r T e r r i t o i r r d c s l I n 1 , s - { 1 r \ t r . r l f s( t
Antrrctiques Frangaises(T.A.A.F.).

5 r l / a r a - - S c b r x r l o f l r l e d i c i n e , D e p a f t D r c n t o t P h y s i o L r g r ' .I l o k k , r i d o L r r i r e r ' i t r
Krntnoro-Rtsearch Institutc for Diathctic \fedicinc. Dcprrtill(r)t of l)l,r'i.l,,rr
ancl flygicne, Ku amoto Univeisit).
liouelle ,lnttertLan Etablissement Scientifique drr Tcrritoirc rlts Terrcs \rr.l,,rl, '
ei.\nLirrrhques Fran(risc\ (T.-{.A.F).
l|t e t?at 8*drtin (Ant3rctical Etrhlissencnt du CoDtre Nriion.ll d| Rolr,r,lr,..
I ' > o l a i r c sd e B e l g i q u e . 2 . e m e E x p c d i t i o n A n t a r c t i q , , c .
'r'r,,1,.
Nordlvsobsen atoriet.

The data gathered at Florencc has bee.l stuclieclLoth lrr nrr''

self ancl bv specialists: Prof. C).Burkarcl,firivcrsitv of Grrz: Dr.
Becker, Fraunofer Institute, Freiburg i,,/B;Dr. \losctti, Geoltlrvsi'
cal Observatorv,Trieste; Prof. Ber..g, Unit ersitl of ColoqrreqDr'. Lr.
\ [lver, Universitv of Tuebingen.
'l'lte
relationshipbetaeen test D and,solar actbittj imrnediatclr'
becane eviclent. Nonetheless,it $'as rrecessar\. to establishstrrtis-
ticallv its degree of accuracv and to rutcovcr rlv otler lrlirtiorr-
sLips that might not appear so openl\'. It is in tlris aret tlrrrt llie
'1'lr('
u'ork of tLe above-namedspecialisishas been so \aluable.
follorving is :r sumnarv of the resultsthev lravc attained.

Tmr D
SeculorY uriation The annrral,rlonthlr. and dailv aveltg('s r'(.-
veal a sccular variation, markeclbv a ven' ]orv minimun) in I9.i>J,
 The Chentical Basis of Iledical Clinratologg

with the minimumof solaractivitv(Fig.

in perfectcorrespondence
5). Beckerhas demonstrated that this correspondence
is statrs-
ticallvvalid.

?o-

50

40

1 n

F N ( r ) $ l O r a l N @ O )
l r ) | ' ) r n ( o l J ) t n ( o r o r o
o r o t o ) o r o r o r o r o o !

Frc. 5. Secular variation of test F (dotted line) aod test D (black line).
,{nnual averages. On tlrc abscissa: time il vears. On tlre ofdinate: tl\e per
centages F and D. Note the minirntrm il 1954.

Annual Variation One observesan annual variation marked by

a very low minimum, correspondingto the month of March (Fig.
6). Also noticeable is a secondaryminimum which corresponds
witli the month of August. Becker has demonstrated that the
l\{arch minimum is real and that the August minimum is no longer
so. We must wait until we have more information. But today,
after ten years,the August minimum existsalwaysand we can con-
sider it. The existenceof an annual rhvthm leads one to envisage
a relationshipbetween the result of test D and the movement of
the Eartli. I will return to this point later.
Short-term Variation. These variations, often verv marked, rnay
be connected with difierent phenomena. During the long periods
a parallelism was ascertained between the behaviour of test D and
 l rla L /tr ,tltr,./ L \/\

50
A r
\,11\
i r li u
r/\iill fl
3C

\i
\l

t 0_

Y3 .i,,:

Frr;. 6. -A.uru.rlYilrixlion of test D . l ) r i h i L r c r , r q

s rs r r r o o t rl ,l rl r t, r ()l
tltt abscissa: tlre tinc. On t/l ' t , l i t , , . t ' . , 1 , . \ , t . r , ,

tlle intensitl of tlte cosnticracliutiorrr.r,cor.tk,rl lrl l,r.of.Stt,irl rrirrrri.r

a t I l a f e l e k a r 'n, e a r h r n s l r r u c k( F i g . i ) . I I o s t , r . t , r .i t. I n s n o t l r t , r , r r
possilie to pursue these stucliesat anl lclgth. 'l.lrc cnrissiorrol
particlesfrorl thc sun is rclatccl to tlre solar lc,tii itr.

Tr:sr F
SacularVuriatiotr. Tcst F rer ealsa Irighlr t,r itlclt secrrlali irr.irL_
t i o n , a l t l r o u g hi t i s l e s sn a r . k c , ct l r a n t l r a t o l t e s t D i | i g . 5 1 . T l r c
v a l ' i a t i o na l s o r e v e a ] sa r r r i r r ' n t u r r rt . l r i c l rc o r . t e s l t o n r,l.si t l t t t t j t .
but rrot as low as that of test D. Tlte scctrlritltelt,l,iotrr o[ tcst l-
a p p t ' l r sd i s t u r b e c l T. h i s s h o r r l dr r o t l t e s r r r l t r . i s i l g[ o, l t c s t 1 . i.s r r o t
plotccte'd, as is Test D, agairst naturlll e]ectr.olngrreti(,Ii(,1(ls.
Beckcr has dentorrstratedthtrt the gcrreraJr.elatiorrsiriplrr,tu.t,r,rr
test F anclsolaractivity is statisticalh.\.alid
 6{ 7lte Clterrticoltsa.:tis
of )Icdical Clinatologg

ou- Fi
HT

40_

20_

1953

ll ta
Frc;. 7. Tt_'stD in |lorencc rDcl the int.rrrsit].
of cosniic radiatjon on the
I{rLfelc'k.rr',
(Innsbm&) durirq t\\r perio(ls ui tt,,""
,nuntt,, fru ,nn
d./rrci$alrthe tjrlre. On t/ra o?..1i|diarlcsi l) ltrcl
thc intensit),"""ti.'
of thc cosrnrc
ra(lilrtion iol lrbitrar.r, scrrle).

Annual Variation. Test F in thc vears of rare

sun activity re-
vcalsan annual sinusoidalvariation;.hich dife.s
ercattillr;m that
of test D. The nrinimurn occursin slrmm€rJ
ttt",rlorirn'r_ ir, *rrr_
ter. This variation has bcen studied bv Becker.
In tf*,a"^,t
behrriorLr.of test F results not too difierently
Fl^".1,,1:l'tU)
trom thoseol tcst ,a1,r.
D.
Slutrt-terntYariation. Test F r.er.eals sliort_termvariatiols rvhich
mir.r' lle connected rvith cliflcrent phcnomena.
n""1". lr", a"rn-
onstratedtllc existenccof a ver1.hiilliarrt
efiect uI soti, eruntiorc
l r i d B r r r k a r dl r i t rt c r r r r l e dt l r c exrsteDceoi
en eflect of magnetic
stor.ms.
TEsr p
Tcst P has been studied both b,r Brcker and
br trIarer. I can
onll list ver.r.briefty the information*itl, *ni"ii ti"i
;;;; p,,_
 'l (];
lt Cltttttica[ 7 t'lt':

v i l t e l vf u r n i s h e dn l e . T l r e s ea L r t l r o tl sl a v en o t i i s\ ( ' t P r r l ) l i s l r i 't(l lr r l i r
r e s u l t sr,v h i c ha r o ( i l r i t ct t ' c ' t ' t t tI, r v i l l r r r t t r ' l ts ; t t l l r i r li r ' r / / ' r r t t r r /
a l s o b e c o n n e c t e d t i t l t s o k u u : t i t i t r 7 . ' I ' l r c l t ' s r rtl ot sl lot 'l I r r I i r r r r r r
significantand positive for tlie Flolercc tL'st. Tcst l) lras liildcrl
s i g r i f i c a n ta n d n e g a t i v cl e s t r l t si r r o t l r c r k r c a l i t i t , s . \ s I h l r t ' s u i r l
beforc, onlv in Florence clo r.r'eutilise a conrplttt.h.scrlcclcoppt'r'
chartrlrer. The otlrer stations usc nothing ltut a siurple cripper
p l a t c u i t h u ' h i c h t l t c v c o v c r h a l f o f t l r r b e a k c l si r r * l r i c l r t l r t '
ll.th'ollsis of oxr,chlorickrof bismrrth is takirq pliicc. As st' Ir,nc
said, the problenl of test l'is rclateclto tlre ploblenr of thc scrt'crs.
Sincc laborirtorv tcsts Irave clcn rorrstrateclthat clcctrontaglctic
fielclsof lelativelv lov'fleclrrencvin{luencctlrc flocculationirnrl tlrc
seclinrentation of the oxvchloriclcof l)ismLrtlr,it u orrld alsobc rrcc,-
essarvto relate tlre result of test P to tltc uttnosplrcric.s ot, in getr
e r a l ,t o t e u e s t r i a l s, o l a ra n c lc o s n i c r a d i o e l c t : t r itc: t r i i s r i o rlrt . r l o r r l t l
c o n s c r l r r c n t lbl 'e n c c c s s , l v t o f r r l t l r c l l e l a t c i t t o t l r t ' s t a t t 'o l t l r t '
ionosphere,that is to sar',to solarphenomcua.Er cn tlring is bonncl
rrp il an inccssantlr-fluctuatingrvliole.

THE CON{PUTATIONOF THE ITESLTLTS

\\'c have counted alu'avsthc r-esrrlts, asl e lnr c saiclLrcfolc.I p-
on ilre suggestionof Prof. \rarr c'lelElst, \lls. Capel BoLrtt,lras cr-
a m i n e ctl h e p o s s i b i l i t vo f i n c r e a s i n gt l r c l c s u l t so l r t r r i l e dl l . l o l r r l r l
lirethoclrvitliout doing othel clrcnicll operirtiorrs.
I t J se n o u g h ,i l e { l i : c t ,f o r t h i s t o b e a b l c t o r o t c t l r c s u c c c s s r L r
olclel of thc scdimentationsin caclr scliesof cliflcr-cntcrltcrinx,nts.
\ - a u c l e rE l s t h : r d a s c e r t a i r t cnc rl a t l r c r r t r t i c l l l lt l r r t o r r r .c r r t r L l s , r
o b t a i n f o r N p a i r o f s i n u l t a n c , ' u sp r u c i p i t r t i o r ; 5\ r ' r n l i r . l , u t o l
thoselesultsonh'2N-1 rvcre inclepenclent.
Orc of thc t$'o succcssiveoperltions strinclarclisecl ftl tlrt l(l)
Icsearch consistof 5 pairs of sirnultarrcorrs Pr.cciPitatioDs for clclr
test, and thev u'erc capablc of giririg 2.;-l 9 r'csrrltsinstt'aclol
5. Totalh': 18 resultsirrstcaclof 10.
-I'o
lellise this appleciablegair irr tlre stltistical fit'ltl flonr tliLilr
rcsrrlts,rvithout naking neu' precipitatiorrs,\[rs, Crpcl BoLrtt,.LrlrL-
cd a svstemwl)ich aided in establisJring tlru ulcleril rviriclrtlrt' st'il,
imentationscame, The data obtaincclfron Yan clcr Elst s nrctlrorl
66 Tlrc Clrcntical Basisol Jledical Clinatologrl

\\.'elc Qalledcor?rpleteresults, the normal data rvere called di.ogonal

r esults.
Tlie observation and calculation of the complete results in
Brusselswas made from December 1, 1957, until September30,
1958. From a conparison of the diagonal with the complete data
it \\'as appiuent that ther. give practicallv the santeresults. Our
ffrst method of counting rvas also good. We could therefore con-
tinue to usc the normal method.

CIIENIICAI, TESTSAND TE\{PERATURE

Tlrc routine experinter)tshavc givcn lrs a way of determining
ovel a long peliocl of tirne if tlie great fluctutrtionof the chemical
tests dcpends rrporr the varittions of tlre ternperatureof the en-
virorrrnent. The great fluctuatiorrsol the chcniical tests are inrla-
petttlentof tha ternperature\ ar.iatioDs( Fig. 8 ) .
In spite o{ the extrernecomplexitv o{ the research,in spite of
difliculties rvith rcgard to nraterial and personnel,the chemical
tests havc viclded results that are verr.precise and yery clear.
Tlis is tle fist time that a xerq conunonplacechemical operu-
tion, conductetl uccording to u nerDnethocl, relatixe and statis-
tical, has prociderl tlrc nteansof tliscoxeri.ngwhether important
phe.nornena arc laking pluce in utrrouncling spaceand, ab,oxeaII,
on tlrc Sun.
Arrd, firiallr', it is tlrc first tinrc tlrut it lrus been possible to ascer-
tain, by chenical means, thcther something is disturbing our
colloidal systetnsin eaolution ond, corrsequentty,our biol6gical
systems.
 The Cl*.rrtical T t:ts

r l

ii l
5 0 -.1
tr
I
t'
r l

30

fr
-l

10

11 12 1 2 3 4 5
1952 1953
Frc. 8. Test D and the temperatuteof rvaterduring sevcnmonths '{hor:r''
test D. B€lorr; t}te temperature of water. Daily avelagessmoothedbv ten
The tempelatureof wate! fluctuatesbetweentwo degrees(17 and 19"C)
There is no correspondencebetween temperature and test D
 68 The Clrcnical Basisol Jledical Clinutologg

9, 10, 11 and 12 are shown the monthly

IaffSr.."r_ averaqesot
test F anclD over ten yearsand thr.eescries
a.,fj,
testP. "f """.^!* "f

% - D

t0
t '
,nut ,nu, ,ru, ' ,nrnl j955 r!56 'l '
'gsz ,gso ,nun, ,ouo ,
Frc. 9. Test D overten years.llonthll'
averages, Ot tlrc abscissa: the
tirne. On the ortlinate: test D. Note the secularvariation.

. 1 ,_ F

, o-
i
l
- i i 1
l

" - [' ',u4 l 1i , , ' ]

1 1
jtl,i--rii
{* l"'' ,/'4tr'/'il
|
30 -

"'
l0 - l t i
' , l j
r95r 1952 tgg: tgs, r955 I
,nru ,nr, 1950 195
S 1 96 0
l'rc. 10. Test F over ten years.
\fonthly averages. On tlte
abscisra: the
tifie. Otr the otdindte: lcst F,
 The Cltenica[ l'c,;ts {j1l

'[ rI
n'ut
[,r,nrt',/l' ,tl

r y i ' ld I

t0

I rgss I I
i 9 56 :g57

Frc. 1I. Test D during tlie large rcsurgerrceof solirr irftivit\.. I)rLilr
rrlr_
ages srnoothedb), ten. On the abscissLt:tlre rirrre. t)rr i/,r u/.1i,rr/ir
r fi,\t I).

t955 I ::t: i
!: |:"
Frc. l!. F during the large resurgenceof solar acti\it\. Drrih. uvcrrrqls
-Test
s:roothed b1' te:o. Onthc abscis,ru:the tirne. t)rr t,trr,,i.lirrrh j hst I,.
 7O The Chemical Batis ol )ledical Clilnatologu

. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1951

I. Piccardi, G.r On the physical dcscaling of boiler and on the rela_

tionship between enviroDmerrtal and some chemical_physical
'fecnira
phenomenu. I t a l i a n a , 6 r3 i i , I g 5 l .
1952

2. Piccardi, G.: Environmental actions: torvards the understanding

of actions coming from the cxternal environment. Tecnica ltali_
ana, 7: 133, 1952.
3. Piccardi, G.: Terrestrial phvsics,phvsical chenistrv and the stuclv
of nretcoropathies.Nr.rnlir,sRadiolo gicus,_lg;209, 1952.
-1. Piccardi, G.: A propos of a relationship
betu,cen environrncntal
ancl phvsical-chemical pheronrena. Tcuit.tt Italiuna, 7:1g3,
1vD:.

1953

5. I'iccardi, C.: Still regalliug a relationship betrveenenvironrnental

and chemical-phvsicalphenomena.Te;ticu lteliane, gr 65, Igj3.
6. Piccardi, G.: -4.propos of a relationship between environmental
and chcrnicallh-y'sicalphenorncna: the eflect of the screelrrrg
on space. Gcofsica e lleteorologia, I r 1g, Ig5B,
7. Piccardi, C.: \lore on a rclationship between elvironmental and
chem ical-phl sical phenonena and on the effect of the screen-
ing on space. Ceoftsica e Lleteorolo gia,.l j42, lg5g.
-
8. Piccardi, G.: New results of a relatio;ship between environment-
al and, chemrcal-phvsical phenomena. Ceofuica e Meteorologia,
-lr 60, 1953.
9. Piccardi, G.: Relationship betrveen chemical_physicalphenom-
ena and geophysical factors. Geofsica e Meleorologii, 1: l0B,
I953.
I0. Piccardi, G.: On the phvsical dcscaling of boilers and on
the
influence of environmental factors on some chemical-physical
phcnoncna. Centre belge d,ttude de la Corosion (Ceiei"or),
93, 1953.
ll. I'iccardi, G., and Capel-Boutc, C.: On the rapport between
envi_
ronmental and chernical-phvsicalphcnomena: the first results
of the expcrimcnts contlrrcteclir Ilrrrssels. Ceofsica c lleteoro-
logia, 1: 84, 795J.
 Tlu, CllenticdLTe.\te il

12. Piccardi, G., and Doat, H.Y.: Rappori betrveerrcheurical-phvsr<al

-
and environglental phenomcna: the first results of thc erp,..,,
ments conducted in Vienna. Ceoltsica e Jleteorologia, 1:106.
r953.
r95li
I 3 . I ' i c c a r d i , G . , a n d F r i t s c h , \ ' . : C e o c o s r n i .J r ) d L l r r n r i c l l
r)lr\sr(.a
phenonrena: the eflect ol .rlijtrrdr.. G, ofi.ri,Lt , Jlctt),r,,togi4,
2: 57, 7954.
1-1. Piccardi, G.: Spacial actiols rrpon c,lrenrical_phvsical pro(.(,ss(,s
,\dt!,.r rii.rserl.r., 4lr 5-19.I951.
15. ['iccarcli,C.: Ou the irrflutncc of erterrrit].atnlosplleri(..an(l (r)s,
n t i c l g c n t s o r r t h c c h e n r i c a l - p l r v s i c tl l i. o c h e r r i c i ial n c ll r i o l o q r r a t
l)roccsses.Tccnico ltalianu,91 5gl, l9i{.
1 6 . I i c c a r c l i ,G . : , \ n i r x ) r g a r ) i ct e s t f o r t b e s t r r c l vo f t l r r i r r l l L r t , r r r t . o
c o s m i ca r r c a l tntospherip c l r c r r , , r n e ro
r lr r r l , , . r r r i t . r l _ l l r r . r u D
: r rl . , , r
c s s e s .\ V € f e l u n d L e b c n , 6 : I I e l t 1 0 _ 1 21. 9 5 - 1 .

1955
17. llecker. U.r lielatiol bctrver:n bisl.ruth oxichLrriclt preciltitrrtior
s
(Piccardi's inorganic test) ard solar ructivitr'. -.\rc,ir..\,1r,1c,r.
Ceoplrys.Bioklin., R 6:511. 1955.
1 , . l i r L r t e ,C . : E f f e c t su p o n $ , a t e r o f e l e c t r i c[ i i : l t l sr n d o f r l r l i . r t i o r r
of atnroslrhcricand cosnic origin. :\rcli. JIctcor. ()t,opltr1.;. Bio-
klint., B 7: 517, t9SE.
19. Iloute, C.r Eflects upon watcr of clectric ffr:lclsancl of rr1(lrxtrol
,,f atrnosph,eric -rnd cosmic origitt. T'ecnit:altalktna, j(): \3 lgr;.
-. .
:r). rJoute.C.: (Jn the unreproductibilitv of some phYsical_cbcmical
processes. Ind.ustrie Chimeuc Belge, 20: Ig:>i.
2L Burkard, O.: Some statistical ,"r""r"h nn piccardi's reactiol of
^- '^ Irrecipitation. Arch. IIeteor. Ceophqs. Biotklim., B 6:506, Ig:>5.
22. Piccardi, G, r New results witl.t the inorganic tcst for the strrrlv of
spacial influxes: a simpliriecltcst (p_test). \\,atter und Lcitt,rt,
7; Heft 7, t955.
13. Piccardi, G.: O_nan inorganic test for tho sttrclr of atmosphcrrc
ancl cosnic influxes. Geofisicae )lclcctrctlogkr,.3:31,Ig5;.
_
21. Piccirrcli,G.: T*'o chenrical tests for the strrclr of c.osnric.solrrr
. , , 1 l , r r e s l r i i Ll l) l r e l j o I l r ( . l (j i. ro. r r r i,l I r , t . r . r , : r i i , , L, l:.,iI I r , r , r r . ,
Scientifirlues-Contrnission ltixte poLtr J'6trlle des relutiorrs
t r r t r c l e s p h d n o r r i n e ss o l a i r e sc t t e r r t , s t r c s _ l : i i u r r i or nl r r ( i : t , 1 r _
t e m b r t ' 1 9 5 5i D u b l i n . p . 2 9 .
72 Tlte ClrcmicalBasisol l|edical Climutology

25. Piccarcli,G.: Somenaturalisticobservationsorr the kinetics of poh,-

merisation. Atti Simposio Internationale di Chimica lIacro-
molecolarc-La Ricerca Scientifca, 2,5:89, 1955.
26. Piccarcli,G., and Doat, H. Y.: On the annual variation recorded
at Vicnnir orr the basis of the inorgaric test, Ceofisicae lleteor
ologia, 3: 30, L955.

1956
27. Bortels, II.: Ilvpothetical rveather radiation as a possible agent
of cosmic, meteorological ancl biological reactions. Wiss. Zeit.
Ilutnboldt Uniu. Berlin, inatlvnr. naturti.iss.Reihe,61 115, 1956.
2E. \'Iosetti, F.: Periodicity in the result of Piccartli's chemical test
rvith rnetallic screeuiug. Tecnica ltaliqna,9lr 235, 1956.
29. Piccardi, G.: The influerrcc of terrestrial, solar and cosmic phe-
noitena oD phvsical-chernicalaud biological reactions. Ciel ct
Terrc, 72: 55I, 1956.
30. Piccardi, G.: Studiesof chemical tests from April 1, 1955to lrlarclr
31, 1956. Gcoft{ca c lIt:teorologia, 4:22, 1956.
31. Piccarcli, G.: Phvsical, cheuricirl ancl biological eflects as an ex-
pression of spacial iufluences. Wiener trIed,iz. W ochenschr.,
47:975, 1956.
32. Piccardi, G.: Cosmic influerrcesoli srtrncphvsical-chenical phc.
nomena. C/rroligue \Iincs d'()utre-lIcr., 22I, 1956.
33. Piccardi, G.: Chemical-physical ancl biological phenornerra ol
terrestrial solar and cosmic origin. La Settinwna \Iedicu, 41:
389, 1956.
3.1. Piccardi, G., ald Cini, R.: The action of an electronagrreticffeld
of 10 KHz frequencv on the chemical testsr the problem of the
influx of "atmospherics." Gcofsica e trIeteorologia,4:25, I9it6.

1957
35. Piccardi, G., and Barbolani di \lontauto, E.: Ellect of a metallic
screen upon water at rest and in movemeut. Tecnica ltaliatu,
22: 13, 1957.
36. Piccardi, G,: The extensior of the researchrvith chemical tesrs tr
diverse parts of the earth. Ceofsica e trIeteorologia, 5j ll 1957.
37. Piccardi, G.: For the mechanization of cheu.ricaltests: the syn-
cronous mixer Nlodel 20A. Ceolisica e Lleteorologia, 5:I3,
r957.
38. Piccardi,G., Barbolanidi \lontauto, E., and \Iosetti, F.: Test P
and its 1luctuatiorrs.
TecnicaItaliuna,22: l, 795i.
 I ltC I lr tllta.ll l;\1\

39,-Piccardi, G., and Nlosetti, F.: The sturlv of fluctuatiug pltenorl

cna in biocliriiatology,First Ilioclimatological C)orgrcss.\'rt'nrta.
September23-27,1957. Intern. lour. ol Bioclinrutoktgqanrl llio-
nrcteorology,l; part 1, 1957.

1958
-10. Piccarcli, G.: Cosmic pherrorncna irucl bioclinrikrlog) . \l rltr,'r
lletliz. Wocherrschr.,.108r126. 1958.
.11. I'iccardi, C.: Cosmic pbenornena arrtl humrr cvelts. 7 (1 /r( (r
Itdiana, 21: l, L958.

1959
,12. Halla, l'.. and Nowotnv, H.: Specitrl processes for thc phr sic,ll
clcscalingof boilers. IIe.tall Rtinung und Vorbtltundlung, 7r 10i.
1958.
.13. Piccarcli,G.: Ol the structure of \\'ilter iiual thc irr{hrxof lorv frr,-
quencv electrornagnetic fields. La Rict,rco Scicutilicu, 29: l2i>2.
1959.
f-1. Piccardi,G.: Astrophvsicalphcnorucrraurcl terrestrialIrappcrr
ings. Les conferencesclu Palaiscle la D6court'rtt'. ['rrirlrriiri
de Paris,SerieB: n.27,1959.
1960
-15. l'iciardi, G.: Rescarchorr chcruic:rltestslt th. el,rl of thc lrrtcl
national Gcophlsical Ct>operatiori. Ctttfsico t' )lt:ttorttktgitt.
7;57,.1960.
16. IntcrnatioualSvmposiumott solartelrestrialrelationships in plrrs-
ical chernistry'
arrdbiologt',llrrrssels
Octobc'rE. Slrrd 10. l!lrl\.
I'ressesAcad6mi<,1ues
Europricnnes, Bmssels.1960.

POLYN{ERIZATION AS A CI.IEMIC,{L ]'EST

Thc Polymerizationof the Acrylonitryle as a ChemicalTest
){erv and more precise experinrentson acrvlonitrllc \\'clc crr-
r i . d o r r ti n 1 9 6 0a. c c o r t l i n gt J t l r et e s tP t c c l ,n i , 1rrc ' .
A single solution of acrylonitnle in u'ater, to uhich uas aclclccl
tlie proper quantitv of potassiumpersulphateas an activator,\\'as
divided in etlual mcasureinto 20 flasks. Ten flasks$'ere placcd il
a blackenedcardboardbox and the remaining tcn \a'ereplrced ir) a
copper container which was likev'ise blackened and wliich v:rs
idcntical in shapeand dimensionsio tLe ffrst, The trvo contiliners
 11 Tle Cltettical Ba.ri, ol J'le(licdl Clitutologg

$'ere tl.tenput into a double-tvalled cardboard box which was later

wrapped in a laver of wool for better insulation. It was
verified
that the apparatus assuredthe samc thermic historv in
the two
containcls (between 0.1" C). .{fter 2_l hours the boxes
were
opened and the polur.rer q'hich hardformed in the flasks
was fil-
tered, dried and weighed. The surface tensionof the
clear liouid
wasmolstrred.
Tlre surfacetension of an aqueousacrvlonitryle solution
lessens
as the quantitv of nronomer rcn,louitn.ie present in
the solution
incrcases.Polvrner acrrlonitlr,le has no efi-ecton surface tension.
For this reason,the neasurenent of sLrrfacetension tells
us horv
muclr nronorner ircrvlonitrl lc, lras remainccl in the so]Lrtion
and
t l r r sh o u n r r r r l lrc r v l o r r i t n l el r u sl , e e rpr u l r m e r i z e d .
S i r r c ct l r c p r r hr r r e ri s L r c l r r t . c l .t l r e , i r a n t i t r .o i * l r t " r . r . e r n a r n r n g
orr m c r r a ri e s c l e p e r r d i r rogr r t l r e l e i r g t l ro f t l r e p o l . m e r
. t l r c_ l ) o l \
moleculesm : a r r v s h o r t c l r a i n sh o l d m o r . ew a t e r t l r a n f e w e r ' l o n g
chains, the amount oJ polvrler acn,lonitn.le fr"irrg tfr","*",
U"i
cause a greater.nurnber of heads is involved. Tlte gross
oeight
o{ tlie poh mer nra_vthus vary depending upon thE
manner rn
rihich it is polrlrerizcd, even tllouglt it conlin; the same
quantrtv
of acrrlonitrvle.
The rceight of polynter and tlte rluuntity of auylonitrtlle
poly_
t t r r i : c . J t l o u t ) l t u r ' " . r u l l t l n t r r ( \ t o y l . [ . . o ,i h i , i e , r s o nr r "
Lr,."
taken hotlr figLrr:es into tcconrrt, thc u.eight of the polt,rnerand the
quantitv of acr.r'lonitrvlepolr.merized.
Thc thermostaticcardboard box u,asplaced in a room situated
on the first floor of our Institutc, jrrst bclow the roof, rvhich
is of
rvood ancl terra cotta and contains no notcworthv metal
cornpo_
ncnts, and thercforc not uble to scr.eenappreci;bly the atmos_
pherics. This rvasverificd u,ith an appr.oprrateinstrument.
Evcrvthing was arranged so that ;ltei 36 hours the quantity
of
poll nrcr lormed should not itnrount to nore than half oi the rlon_
omcr introducecl,ancl so that it should, indeed, bc considerabh.
ress.
At first, we consider.edonh thc rveiglt of tlre polr mcr formed.
The studv of the fluctuationsin tlre rluintity of acrtlonitrr le polr.
m c r ; z ( d r m e a s r r r e Jl n s , r l f i t c et e r r i i u l ) w a s p o s t p o n e dr r n t i l
e
later datc.
 The Chentical Tetts

Fbr the sakeof siniplicitv \,!'enoted the total rrclglit of thc l)ol\'-
rner acrllonitrvle ob'tainedfrom the 10 fl:rsksin the carclboarrllrox
and the 10 flasks in the copper containcr: we then coLrntctl/rorr.
nmnq lhnes in the space of one month tIrc quu tittl of pohlrtar
hatl lteen greater in the copper containerand rclatcclthc rcstrlt to
100. In this way, the opcration camc.to corresporrcl to a tnrt' unil
p r o p c r t c s tP .
In tlre room under the loof, tlte tenperature varittl colsidcnrltlr
f i o n r o n e d a v t o a n o t h e ra n d v ' i t h t h e a r r i r a l o f t l r e f i r s t s r r r r r r r r t i r
heat it u'as often necessarvto reclLrcctltt'clrraltitl of
ltcrsLrlltltirtc
adclcclto the solution so ihat the polvnrerizatio,iu orrlclrrot takc
place too rapidly, reachin€ia total pol.rmcrizttion of ntonollr.r.
'I'lris
did not invalidate the differerrtialniethocl.
The percentageof times that a greater ri'ciglrt of polrlrer u'as
obtained in the copper container in tltc-'courseof a nroltlr rrlricrl
oxer the montls. The patternsof the rnonthh' percentagcsr.elitiVc
to the polvrnerizationunder the roof I'ere also parallel to that ol
inorganic test P(oxvchloride of bismuth).
TLis neans that the very actionsthat had nodifiecl the poh rrrer'-
iz.ationprocess- had also modiffed the precipitation of os clrloricle
of bisn.ruth.
One seestlrat thcsc actioru lracl to be a certain clLrration.bc-
catrsctlrt' proccssof polyrnerizationas clesireclll us is r u.r s]os.
Irr spite of this, the total result rvaspracticallv the slnrc as tlrirt of
tlre inolganic te.stP.
Silcc tlre drrration of polvnrerizationrrar be corrtlollcd tt l ill.
w e a r c a b l e , I r y e r n p l o y i n ga c n l o r r i t r rl e . t , r t r l , t . r i r rt e s t r r l l r i r , l r
iutegrate the effectsof externalforcesin the best
lxtssiblcu.ar.
Polvnrerizationand the Lovr-frequencyElectrorragncricField
In Chapter III rvc rcferr.edbrieflr' to the srrbjectof polr.rrt:rizir
t i o n o f a c r v l o n i t r v l ei n a n a q u e o u ss o l u t i o n ,t r c l t i l g t l r c p r o l r l l r r r
as one cloesa problcrn of natural scicrrce.\\'e triecl to slrorr.lrorr.
t l i e l l h c n o m e n ar v h i c h t a k c p l a c c i r r t h e s p t c e u l r i c l r s u r L o r r r r cr rl s
act uPon the polvmerizationof acrvlonitn le.
I t i s n o t h a r d t o a d m i t t o a p c l i g ; l 1 1 1 1i .l r f l r r r . n c(el r c t , , \ f a c i i i l
.
plrenontena;the free radicals plar. a verv irlportant role in thc
polvntcrization of rnanr. substances.\\re knorv that fr.eerldrclrts
';6
Tlrc Chetnical Ba.gisof lledical Clinntologl

of water prime the poll'merization of acrylonitryle. These radicals

are generated not only by appropriate chemical reactions (e'g.,
hydrogen peroxide l ferrous sulphate) and by other phvsical-
chemicalprocesses, but also bv ionizing radiations.
It is enough to know then that the ionizing radiationsoriginat-
ing in surroundingspacecan reach the Earth, in order to concede
that the pohlmerization of acrylonitryle uill aluays be subiect to
soontaneouslu establislrcd conditions which are bevond our con-
trol. and whi;h //rctrdte inccssanllt1.
However, natural phenomena other tlnn ionizing radiations can
influence the plocess of polvnierization. One can demonstrate the
existenceof tlris influence in a rather general way by conducting
testsoutside of and ra'ithina thin copper screen.
Piccardi and Cini have studied at lensth the influenceexercised
lrv a low-freqrrencvelectromagneticfield ( 10 kHz) on the precip-
itation of oxychloride of bismuth and they wanted to study the
influence of the same low-frequencies on the polymerization of
acrvlonitryle.
The new experimentsrvereroutine and for this reasonthev were
standardized.
Solution A; iUonomer acn lonitrl'le (Badische-Anilinund Soda
Fabrik) dissolvedin distilled rvater,in the proportion of 60 ml per
litre of solution.
Solution B: ,10gr of persulphate of ammonia dissolved in I litre
of distilled water.
Solution C; 3.5 gr of bisr.rlphiteof sodium dissolvedin I litre of
distilled water.
To each litre of SolutionA we added 10 ml of Solution B and 20
rnl of Sohrtion C (Solrrtion ABC). Solution ABC thus prepared
remained pcrfectlv limpid a sufficientlvlong time, at least a half
hour at 20' C; it coulclbe divided and placed in sevcralcontainers
and the containerstaken and put awav without dificulty, before
the polvmerizationbegan to take place.
Blank Tests
Solution ABC was poured into three setsof l0 flasks,numbered
1, 2 and 3. The flasks,of Pyrex glass,had a capacity of 100ml. Tnto
each flask we poured onlv 50 ml of solution so that the flasks were
 The Cltemical Tegts

half filled and the solution ofiered the greatestpossible srrrfat'tr

towarcls the top. Affer fflling, the flasks rvere closcd u'itli rrrbber
sropP€rs.
ihe th.ee scts of flaskswerc placed in one wooclenbox, rvhiclr
rvas long and narrow, irr three parallel rows. Thc bor rr-asserlctl
br,. rtooclencover and it u'as lcft bv itself in a cklscclroom. Aftcr'
li-1.1 hortrs the flasks were removeclarld their cotltents filterctl
The filtering was carried out with a PumP, using tliree iderrtit'tl
funnels, numbered I, 2 and 3, each rcccir ilg the colitents of tlre
corrcspondingset. Thus we collectedthc total tparrtitv o[ poh nrer'
fom.rcdin each set. The polymel u'as dried at 110 C, ttntil a trrtt-
stancv o{ v'eight was reaclted,then it was u'cighed. The qtrarrtitv
of rnolorner remaining in the litpid rvascheckedbv measuremcnts
of surftrcctension (4).
The rvcights of polvmer obtained varied fretgeritlv from one
dav to anotlrer,bn| for one single erperintent, tlte reiglis gitttt
bryeach set u)ercequal or nearly equal. The clillererrces lre\ er srlr-
passed2%.
The method of operation thereforc seened to be vcrv satis[ac-
tor\',

Tests rvith the ElectromagneticField

The flasksof the ihrce setsv'ere filled with Solution ABC .is irr
the caseof the blank tests. Thcn rvere distribtrteclin tbe follorr irrl
fashion:
Sef I - The flaskswere placed in a c1'linclricalcopPcrcontairlcr,
set on the ground, rvhich could be corrpletelv scalt.clbv a copPer
cover, On the inside of this container,a sccontl,snrallcr,crlincler
of copper was fixed coaxiallr',electricallv isolated fronr tlre first.
Tlic flaskswere placed betwcen the two c! lirrdcrs. TheIr thc covt't'
u'as put in place and an electromagltcticfield lvasapplieclbctu ccrr
tlrc tu'o cvlindcrs.
The field was produced bv a gerrcratoru ith a porver of 10 \\'
tbe .^\F \{od. lC: 101, of t}re Firm Darniani & Ciappi, Flot'cnce.
This u'as the samc gcneratorused fol sttrth'ilg the precipitltiol of
oxvcliloride of bismuth. It rvirsregulateclorr l30 knr uavc lettt]tlr.
that is to sav on a frequencv of 10 kFIz, as il the caseof thc cxr'-
 78 'l'he
ChenricalBusisof lledicul Clinatologg

chloride of bisnrutlr. Tlie copper screen constituted a shield

againstthe exteriorfields.
Sel 2 * The flaskswere set in a containerquite identical to that
o{ Set 1 TIre positiorrof thc flrsks rvrs the sanre.Onl1,,the electro-
magnetic ficld u'as not applied. Tlre cUppcr screencorrstituteda
shielclagainstthe cxternalficld.
Saf ,3- The flasksrvere set in a blackencd car.dboardcontarner,
identical in sizc'and shape to the trvo previously described. The
position of the flaskswas agaiu the same;no electrt.rmagnetic field,
no copper errclosingthe flasks. Tlre cerdboard screendid not con-
stitute a shield againstthe externalfields.
The testsri-ele.begun at 7 p.m. arrdwere interrupted at 9 o'clock
the following morning, for the polyrnerizationwis not to be al-
lou'ed to surpass,generally,fuT, of the monomer. The three con-
tainers were permanentll' kept irr a room rvith the temperature
carefullv regulated ^t 2l + 0,I C. The generator.completely
screened,was also in the same roont. A field indicator tuned on
the 30 km wave length did not show anv appreciableemissionin
the room while tlre generatorwas runnrng.
We mcasuredthe temperatrrlc inside ihe cortuiners lnd insidc
the flasksand found that if polvmerizationdid not take place, the
temperatureinside the flasksw-asidentical to that of the roonr.
If polymerization took place, the temperaturein the flasksrose
sonretenth of a degree bccauseof the heat given ofi by the poly_
merization.
The bisulphite sodium solution was also daily controlled by
iodometry, so as to assurethe constancy of its reductive power.
Expcriments were made from December 1, lg59 to
January 7,
1960.
Three tests out of 37 did not gir.'eanv polvner, in spite of the
constancvof the experimerrtalconditiols. These tests are nol be
reiected bt must be consicleredas quite successfultests whiclt
gar.e a nil weight of polllter.
The 34 remaining tests gave thc following results:
l) The total u'eights of polrmer given in the three sets,in one
sirrgle experirrrert, differed among tlrcrnselaes nuch more than
uas the casein the blank tests: up tu 5A
 The Cltentical Tcsts i9

2 ) C o m p a r i n gt h e s ' e i g l r t so f S e t 1 ( f f e l d a : r d s l i i e k l ) r l i t h t l r c
c o r r c s p o n d i nu g ' e i g h t so f S e t2 ( n o f i e l d ,s h i e l d ) ,i t r v a sf o r r n t lt h r L t
Set 1 gave a greater g'eight of pollmcr 19 tinresover 3.1. TIrat is
alorrt 567.
3 ) C o n p a r i n g t h e l . e i g b t s o f S e t 1 ( f i e J cal l r l s l r i e l c l )r l i t l r t l r e
corlesponding w e i g l r t so f S e t 3 ( r o f i c l d . l o s h i c l d ) , i t q . a sf o r r r r l
that Set I gave a greater$'eiglrt of polvnrer20 timcs ortr 3-1..l.lrat
is aborrt 597.
.1) Conparing thc ueiglits of Sci I (lo ficld,
s l r i e l d )r l i t l r t l r c
c o r r e s p o n d i r iug' e i g h t so f S e t 3 ( n o 6 c l d , n o s h i e ' l c l )i ,t v . a sf o r n r c l
tJrrt Set 3€rrr c :l qreatcr u.eiqht of polvrner.l9 timcs over tl3. TIrat
ls ill)olrt J/".
\\'c, tlrerefore obscrved un effect ot' the electronugnettc
h(ld.
snrrrlllrLrtappreciablc,and an effect of shielr!,alsosnralllrut alrlrre
cilblt. It is evident that, being gi\.en the chcrlical iclentitr.ciIt]rt,
p o h r n c r i z a b l em i l t e r i a lL r n dt l r e i d c n t i t l o f t l r c t e n r p e r a t r r "e n c lo f
tlre otlrcr trlditional variables,the t'actors,"r7.,orrrilrl" dislttrlt-
t'or
ing tlte pohlnterizatiotlbere onltl tlutsa introdrrcetlltrl ortsaltt,.s
( elcr:trutmgnetic
feltl und sliekllor those of a spacialorigin. llft
in tlris conncction it is le.cessarvto tlke nott of a,,c,,,,,,-,,.,, ,,,,
polt,int fact, it seemsto us: ",,
5) Thc total ueight of polvnrcr collectcd in a sct of l0 ilasks
lar-iesgrcatlv from one dav to anotlter-:froIrt 0 to l9 gr.,for:10 gr
of nronornerirtroduccd into the l0 flasks;that is toiar.. frorrr (t
t o 6 3 i l o f t h e r n o n o m e r .A l l o f t h i s i r r s p i t eo l t l r c
|e1f1,c.i11;,11,,,.
itv of i-ohrtionsA, B and C, rvhich,,r"."
1r."1,u.",1arrclrreasrrr.ccl
aneu' each dar..
J'lre variation is fclt a, the satne tinrc bry tlte //rree sels, rr.hic,lr
sinrrrltaneorrslv give either verv smlll *.eiqlits, nreclirul u.eiqlrts,
lalqe leights or ven'ltrrgc rveights.

Correlation *ith Chemical Test p

lividerrtlv tlrere are natural phenonrerutuhich operate r itlt
nrLtclttnore force than our fekls and screens. \\.e har e tlrcr.efor
t
conelated the weights of pohrner frrrnisheclbv Set l3 (uo fie)cl.rro
slrield) rvith the results of Test p (5) u,hicli $.ere registcr.d rit
F'lorence.
 80 The Chemical Ba.tis ol \Iedical Clinatology

The correlation is significant-or better-very goocl. The Rarver's

correlation number, is indeed 0.28. It therefoie Lreconesrreces_
sary to think that the obsen'ed r.ariationsare trulv due to the in_
flrrencoe f s p a c i ap
l lrenomenl.

poll'nrerization of acrylonitryle in an aqueous medium,

_The
which is certainlv clepeudeuton tlie structure o-f water and on
variationsin this structure,seernsthen to be infuenced br,:
I \ a l o w - f r e q r r c n cer l e c t r'.rr r u g r e t i cf i e l d .
2) a metal shield;
3) natural phenomena, for the moment unidentified, which
op,eratemuch nore porver{ullv than an electromagnetic field of l0
'eliminated
kI{2, and thc effect is thercforc not completely bv a
t l r i n c o p p e rs l ri e l d .
Thc same "forces" rvhich act upon the polymcrization of acry_
lonitrvle are felt by a quite different chemical process; the hy_
-of
drolvsis of trichloricle of bismuth *,itli formation insoluble oxy_
chloride in a colloidal state. Brrt unclertlese conclitions,polvmer_
ization is a ratller Iong process,hvdrolvsisof trichloride of biimuth
is extremelyrapid.
These two proccsses,so di{Ierent,have nothing in common save
tlre medium in which thel' take pl ace: *^ater.
Tliis is most instructivefol us.
A Remark
In mv expositiorr in this particular chapter perhaps I have gone
too far ir)to minute details prolonging the discussion,but, given
thc complexitv and singularitr.of the rlaterial, there was no other
recourse.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. Piccardi,C.: Someexternalinflrrences orr the polvrnerizatiou.Il-
terrrationalSvmposiumon \IacromolecularChemistry,trIilan,
September26-29, 195.1,Turin, Septernber30_October2, 1954.
Supplemento a "La RicercaScientiffca."Anno,25,7gES.
2, Piccardi,G., and Cini, R.: The irctionof an electromagnetic ffeld
of 10 KHz frequencv on the chernicaltestsi the problem of the
influx of "atmosplrcri.cs."
Geofiicu e lleteorologii,4;25, 1g56.
 TlrcClrcnicalTests
3. Pjccardi.G.. and Cini, R.: poh mtrization
iurrlIo\\_lrcquerrc\.(,1(,c-
trolnagDetic field. InternatiorrirlSrrrltosiurl orr \l.rc'r,rnroiccul.r
Chemistn.,\Ioscorv,
June 14_lS,i96b, !ortrwrl of potrltinr sci_
.tnce,ln print.

APPENDIX
.(lnstructions lor lGy research)
Prcparationof the Bismuth Chloridc Solution
Chemiculs
I ) Concentr.atecl hr..clrochloric acid ( crrnrnrt,r.cial
- ' - " ' - rrrrrr.c
- " ' - )I '.
2 t B i s n u t h c a r . b o r r a t(ec o m n r e r c i a l ) .
i3) Water (clrinkable).
Preparalion
Dllute 7:8 the acid rvitli drinklblt, u.ater.,
lor. cx. atld i liter.s
water to I liter acid. \tr/eobtain 6liter.s
hlcLochl,;.lc,rclcl t.; \.
( apploximateh').
Dissolte 35 grnrs bisntutlr carborrate
per Iiter trcicl l. j \. l.lrr
s o r l . o n r sr e a d yt o r ' s e . I t i s n e c e s s a ^ , t o
a s c e r t . i rirf t l r e d i s s o r r r _
tion is complete. \\'itb a glelter amorrnt
of solutiou 1,=rff-Oti-iit"., ,
t l r c , ( l r s 5 o l u tp i or n
o c e siss c u n r P l e tier l t i , r : I l r , | | 1 r. \r l , . , r r 1 ., . .
,,,.,,,_
e r l r ' l t 't o f r c p : r r ea l a r g c ra r r r o r r r r, l s o l r r t i r , r r
r r r r rkl e , , 1i lt i r ,r r 1 1 l r r . :
or plirstic dernijohn.
Ilecot'ering
Bisrtruth is clear, It is convcnient to recover
i t . A s s c n t b l et l r c
contents of the beakers after the experiment,
d e c a r r tt h c c l c l r
lirluicl and keep the u-hite precipitate of giOCt.
Ren ark
It is not neccssarvthtrt the cortrpositiorr
_ of tlrc solution be alrso_
Iutell exact. It is instead necessary
to take thc solution front tlrt,
samebottle for each experiment.
P-Tesr
Nuntber l0 beakersfrorn I to l0 s.ith
blue colorrr ancl l0 u.r r
re<l colonr.
Pour in eachnurnberedbeaker5 ml solution.
Take 20 beakerswithout nurlbcr and
pour 25 nrl u.ater in cacL.
82 The ChemicalBasisol lledical ClinatologV

Place the blue numbered beakers in open air and the red num-
bered beakers under a large plate of copper-or better in a room
completelv covered with copper plates.
Place 70 beakers without number (containing 25 ml water)
rrear the blue numbered beakers and 10 near the red nuurbered
beakers.
Pour the v'ater simultaneouslvin a blue numbered beaker and
i r ra r e c ln r r m l r e r e b
c le e k e ru i t h : , o , n . , , u m b e r .
When the sedimentationbegins, take the beakersand pair the
beakerswith thc same nrrmber,one blue and the other red.
Reatl how many times the precipitate is lower in the red num-
bered beakers and calculatc tlre percentageof these, This per-
centagcis thc nrrmericalanss'erof thc chernicaltest P.
F-Test and D-Test
For F and D tcst the opcratior.i is similar, but we must fill the
blue and the red numbered beakersalternativelyr,"'ithnormal and
activated water-that is, the odd numbered v'ith nonnal and the
eoennrrmberedwith activated water.
Forur the pair rvith an odd numbercd and an even numbcred
beakerof the sarnecolour.
Better than glassbeakersnre polvstvrol tubesfr-rrphamaceutical
r.rse.The diarneter of the beakers is approximately 30 mm (in-
ternal).
For activation use a glassbulb u'ith mercury and neon (already
describedin this cliapter) or magnetic field.
N{echanizationof Chcmical Tests
For the rcscarchduring thc IGY a svncronoLrs rnixer (\Iodel 20
A) u as br-rilt rvhich pernits tht-. cficcting of 20 plecipitations
simultaneouslvunder standard conditions.