The Human Atmosphere

The Human AtmosphereBy Walter J. KilnerOne of the primary articles of faith of the New Age movement is that the human body has energy fields surrounding it, and that those fields can be used to diagnose the internal state of the body (and mind). This idea can be traced to fringe science of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, including, the 'Animal Magnetism' of Mesmer, the 'Odic force' of Baron Carl von Reichenbach, and Edwin D. Babbit, and the work of Dr. Walter J. Kilner, the author of this book. Kilner was the first to use the term 'human aura' in a medical context.About the Author: "Walter Kilner, M.D., a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital in London was one of the first recorded individuals to scientifically study the aura. Through a series of objective and subjective experiments, Kilner was able to invent a crude detection device, which he stated, could observe auric activity. By separating two pieces of glass, cementing them around the edges except for one small opening, pouring a bluish dye called dicyanin (coal-tar dye from Germany) into the hollow glass and sealing the glass, Kilner invented an apparatus that was sensitive to the ultraviolet energy spectrum. Dr. Kilner could then observe, by peering through the lens, vaporous energy (auras) extending from living bodies. It seems, according to Kilner, that the longer one looks through the blue colored lens, the more sensitive the eyes become to ultraviolet and higher light spectrums. It is in this range that Kilner believed auras occur. In his book, entitled The Human Atmosphere (1911), Dr. Kilner presents 'scientific evidence' for the existence of the aura. According to Kilner's research, he and his associates were able, on many occasions, to perceive auric formations extending several inches from patients' naked bodies. Within the pages of Kilner's work, he also describes a series of experiments that the reader may try. The only drawbacks to Kilner's method are the extreme difficulty in obtaining the blue dye and the potential for serious injury to skin or eyes if the apparatus was to leak (i.e., blindness and burning)."

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