We developed a special method of corona discharge electrography (known also as Kirlian photography) of water drops with computer analysis of images. With this method it is possible to compare corona discharge patterns around water drops, exposed previously to various external influences (electromagnetic fields, subtle (presumably electromagnetic) fields stemming from organsims, homeopatic treatment etc). In the context of human health and disease it can improve presently often used Kirlian photography in diagnostic purposes, especially regarding the objectivity and quantitative mode of analysis.

Our method differs from the usual corona discharge photography in the mechanisms of image formation. It relies on chemical reactions and deposition of substances transported in the discharge area rather than on the usual photoreactions. Higher reproducibility of results is achieved through simultaneous imaging of two drops, one from control and the other from treated sample. Their corona discharge patterns are compared in the computer analysis, where the most important overall, angular and radial characteristics of each image are captured and expressed through a suitable set of "luminosity" parameters. Results show distinct behavior of corona discharge patterns, both radially and angularly and depend on the previous treatment of water samples. The use of water drops enable us to avoid some most usual problems associated with the direct electrophotography of organisms or their parts (skin temperature and resistance, sweat activity, ion composition etc., as well as the effects of atmospheric conditions on them). The round shape of water drops prevented also sharp edge effects on corona discharge and is also most suitable for angular-radial computer analysis of images. The method is also free of subjective opinions, which is achieved through computer analysis of images.

Figure 1: Experimental setup.

Figure 2: Grid of 104 x 104 values (in MS-Excel) corresponding to the luminosity of each pixel in the original picture.