Electromagnetic Fields and the Life Environment (Book Reviews)

This book, by the Russian biophysicist who has been a leader in the study of the effects of electromagnetic fields on living organisms, is less practically and more scientifically oriented and as such will be of primary interest to research scientists, particularly well-heeled ones. Presman is not specifically concerned with microwaves or radio waves and still less with standards establishing maximum permissible values. Rather, much of the text is taken up with experimental investigations of the biological action of electromagnetic fields, notably studies originating in the Soviet Union, but his report is more in the nature of a catalog than of a critical review. As may be expected, considerable attention is given to the "role of electromagnetic fields in the regulation of the vital activity of organisms:" four chapters treating such diverse subjects as the relationship between biological phenomena and solar activity, electromagnetic regulation systems in living organisms, and parapsychological investigations. The reader who has heard that Soviet scientists have accumulated vast evidence of adverse effects of nonionizing radiation on the central nervous system of man will be disappointed by Presman's account of this topic which consists mainly of a report on some animal experiments and a reference to Kholodov's 1966 monograph (in Russian) on such effects. One might almost suspect that Presman has not been overly impressed by his countrymen's data and has decided to soft-pedal their conclusions, lest they be too critically scrutinized by English-speaking readers.