Albert Abrams—Inventor of Radionics

This chapter describes the life of the American doctor, researcher, and entrepreneur Albert Abrams (1863–1924). After a successful career in conventional medicine, Abrams became convinced that diseases could be detected via radiation emanating from the body. Based on this assumption, he developed and marketed several diagnostic and therapeutic devices. They earned him a fortune as well as the title of one of the most fantastic quacks in the history of medicine. Abrams’ ideas live on in the form of a range of radionics instruments which, even though repeatedly shown to be worthless, are still popular with many alternative practitioners.