It is known that certain electromagnetic oscillatory phenomena occurring in connection with meteorological conditions are correlated with variations of biological and pathological parameters.
Characterization of the respective pulses (Very-Low-Frequency Atmospherics; hereinafter: atmospherics), particularly according to frequency and wave form, has been undertaken, among others, by H. Baumer and J. Eichmeier in: Eine Anlage zur Registrierung der Atmospherics bei 10 und 27 kHz, Archiv fur Meteorologie, Geophysik und Bioklimatologie [a System for Recording Atmospherics at 10 and 27 KHz, Archieves for Meterology Geophysics and Bioclimatology], Ser. A, 29, 143 to 155 (1980), and by W. Sonning, H. Baumer and J. Eichmeier in: Die Atmospherics-Aktivitat bei 10 und 27 kHz als Indikator fur die Dynamik der tropospharischen Wettervorgange [Atmospherics Activity at 10 and 27 KHz as an indicator for the Dynamics of Tropospheric Weather Processes], Archives For Meteorology, Geophysics and Bioclimatology, Ser. B, 29, pp. 299-312 (1981). Atmospherics are short-time pulses in the form of damped oscillations. Their respective duration comprises approximately 5 to 6 half-waves. They are a mixture of different frequencies. Using measuring techniques, atmospherics have been determined by Baumer according to their predominant frequency fraction of e.g. 6, 8, 10, 12 and 28 kHz. They will therefore be designated in the following as "according to Baumer"=atB.
A relationship has already been established between the frequency of occurrence of some definite atmospherics and various biological parameters. H. Baumer, in: Die Meteotropie eines Dichromat-Gelatinesystems, Technischer Informationsdienst des Bundesverbandes Druck e. V. [The Meteotropy of a Dichromatic-Gelatine System, published by the Technical Information Service of the Federal Association for Printing, Registered Assocation] II/1982, pp. 1 to 17, describes the difference in pulse rates in the 10 kHz and 28 kHz ranges and how they distinctly correlate with the diffusion behaviour of gelatine, which, in turn, influences the production process of rotogravure forms; cf. also H. Baumer and J. Eichmeier: Relationship between the Pulse Rate of Impulsstrahlung and the Diffusion Time of Ions in Gelatine Films, Int. J. Biometeor. 1980, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 271 to 276, as well as H. Baumer and J. Eichmeier: The Biophysically Active Wave Forms of Impulsstrahlung Incident on Gelatine Films, Int. J. Biometeor. 1982, Vol. 26, pp. 85-90.
The correlation of atmospherics with certain diseases such as epilepsy and cardiac infarction, for which some relationship with meteorological conditions had already been supposed before, has been described in the EP 0 120 991 A2 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,957); cf. also G. Ruhenstroth-Bauer, H. Baumer et al.: Epilepsy and Weather: A significant Correlation Between the Onset of Epileptic Seisures and Specific Impulsstrahlung - A Pilot Study, Int. J. Biometeor. 1984, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 333-340, and G. Ruhenstroth-Bauer, H. Baumer, among others: Myocardial Infarction and the Weather; A significant Positive Correlation between the Onset of Heart Infarct and 28 kHz Impulsstrahlung - A Pilot Study, Clin. Cardiol., 8, pp. 149-151 (1985).
Furthermore, a correlation has been found to exist between the 8 kHz and 10 kHz atmospherics and inflammatory processes in rats; see G. Ruhenstroth-Bauer, O. Rosing, and H. Baumer, Naturwissenschaften (Natural Sciences) 73, p. 625 (1986).
In addition, an important correlation between natural atmospheric spectra and the in vitro incorporation of (.sup.3 H)-thymidine into the nuclear DNA of C6-glioma-cells has been stated; cf. Vogl, G. Hoffmann, B. Stopfel, H. Baumer, O. Kemsky and G. Ruhenstroth-Bauer: Significant Correlations Between Atmospheric Spectra According to Baumer and the in vitro Incorporation of (.sup.3 H)-Thymidine into the Nuclear DNA of C6-Glioma-Cells, FEBS Letters, Vol. 288, No. 1, 2, pp. 244-246 (1991).
A summary of the relations between atmospherics and biological and pathological parameters known so far is to be found in G. Hoffmann, S. Vogl, H. Baumer, O. Kemsky and G. Ruhenstroth-Bauer: Significant Correlations Between Certain Spectra of Atmospherics and Different Biological and Pathological Parameters, in: Int. J. Biometeorol. (1991) 34, pp. 247-250.
It is not possible as yet, however, to detect any relation of causality between the occurrence of those atmospherics and the described biological and pathological parameters.