Proponents of Kirlian photography believe that these special halos are related to acupuncture meridians, and claim that the "energy field" reveals changes in health and emotional states. Kirlian photography also claims to be able to be used to determine the effectiveness of chiropractic care.
Scientific researchers have shown, however, that the effects of Kirlian photography are based on physical factors that have long been understood by scientists.
Named after Semyon Davidovich Kirlian (1900-1980), a Russian electrical engineer, Kirlian observed that electrical sparks could take "pictures of themselves" when passed through photographic emulsion.
This phenomenon had been known to physicists and electrical engineers since the early days of photography. But in 1939, Crean claimed to have discovered a supernatural human energy field.
The process of Kirlian photography requires a device that is supplied with high voltage, high frequency, alternating current. The basic process is the phenomenon of "corona discharge" -- a phenomenon that occurs when an electrode creates an electric field and a grounded object is affected by the field and emits electrical sparks. When these sparks pass through the negative, they create a beautiful halo jet effect.
Kerian himself didn't understand the science of it. He believed that the blurred halo area surrounding the object was due to its "energy field.
Russian scientists didn't give a damn.
But in the early 1960s, Russian newspapers and magazines reported that he had made a "great discovery". As word spread, journalists and pseudo-scientists from Europe and the United States flocked to him, and a wave of "learning about energy fields" and "exploring bioenergetic fields" ensued
Kirlian photography is claimed to be able to detect all illnesses (even before the symptoms are visible) and emotional states. Many "energy healers," "clairvoyants," and other mystical healers still rely on Kirlian photography today.
However, scientific investigations have found that there are many factors that can affect the outcome of a photograph, such as the type of negative, the voltage of the instrument, the electrical resistance of the body, the presence or absence of a good earth ground, the humidity of the air, the time of exposure, the time of development, and even the order in which the photographs are taken, to name just a few. In addition, a coin and a small drop of water can produce a Kirlian "energy field" just like a living object.
In fact, there are at least 22 physical, chemical, and photochemical properties that can affect the corona discharge rendering of a Kirlian photograph