Dr. Ruth B. Drown was a pioneering inventor and radionics practitioner whose work challenged and angered the medical establishment over the course of her career.

This article explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. Ruth B. Drown, including her revolutionary contributions to radionics, her relentless battles with the medical establishment, and the enduring influence of her work on the field of alternative medicine.

Early Life and Influences

Ruth B. Drown was born in Greeley, CO in 1892. Her father, a professional photographer, imparted his skills to her, fostering a deep appreciation for the power of imagery that would prove instrumental in her development of radiovision. She married Clarence V. Drown at the age of nineteen and had two children, but their troubled marriage eventually led to separation.

A fateful encounter with Dr. Albert Abrams, a controversial figure who had developed a “black box” radionic method for diagnosing and treating diseases, paved Drown’s path to radionics. The medical establishment vehemently opposed Abrams’ ideas, dismissing them as quackery, but Drown, captivated by the potential of his methods, embarked on a journey to explore the uncharted territories of radionics.

Later in life, Drown excelled at building crystal radio sets for a company named Edison. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of electronics, which would later prove invaluable in her work with radionic devices.

A pivotal moment in Drown’s journey came when she attended a lecture by Frederick Finch Strong, M.D., on the use of radio technology for the treatment of disease. Dr. Strong, who had previously held degrees from universities in Europe and attended Cornell University in the U.S., formerly taught bacteriology at Boston University Medical School. He had immersed himself in the study of theosophy and the “great cosmic forces,” including gravity, electromagnetism, and vital life force, of which he believed science understood very little. Strong was well-versed in the Yogic teachings on prana and had studied Nikola Tesla‘s use of high-voltage electrical oscillations to enhance physical vitality. He was also a student of Dr. Albert Abrams’ radionic methods and considered them superior to those of the medical establishment.

Innovations in Radionics

Drown’s most significant contributions to the field of radionics lay in her revolutionary diagnostic methods and instrumentation. In 1929, she unveiled her own unique diagnostic device, which represented a major revision of Abrams’ principles. Unlike other practitioners who relied on electrical assistance, Drown insisted on removing commercial electricity from the healing equation, utilizing only a grounding wire to ground her device, which was naturally powered by the operator’s own life force energy.

Drown’s daily meditation practice played a pivotal role in the development of her instrumentation, serving as a conduit for the birth of new ideas and designs. Her most remarkable innovation was the creation of “radiovision,” a technology that allowed her to capture cross-sectional photographs of both soft and rigid tissue in the human body using only the patient’s own life force energy. By attuning herself to a patient’s specific health issue, such as an abscessed tooth, Drown could produce a precise cross-sectional image of the affected area, providing irrefutable evidence of her device’s diagnostic capabilities.

Many medical professionals struggled to comprehend how Drown, without the use of conventional imaging technologies, was able to produce such detailed images in her radiovision photographs. In essence, Drown was harnessing the patient’s own orgone or life force energy to penetrate the biological root of the health issue, capturing it in a remarkably accurate photograph. These images served as undeniable proof that Drown’s seemingly strange diagnostic machine could peer into the depths of human biology with unparalleled precision.

Over the course of her career, Drown produced thousands of radiovision photographs, each one a testament to her innovative approach to diagnosis and treatment. She even traveled the country, demonstrating her radiovision technique in front of live audiences.

Legal Battles and Persecution

Despite the evident success of her methods, Drown faced relentless persecution from the medical establishment, which branded her as “The Queen of the Quacks.” Like her predecessor, Wilhelm Reich, who had discovered orgone energy and faced similar opposition, Drown became a target of the FDA for her unconventional practices.

In 1951, the FDA launched charges against Drown, alleging that she had illegally shipped her devices across state lines after a doctor purchased one of her instruments in Los Angeles and transported it to another state. The ensuing trial was a kangaroo court, with the medical establishment hell-bent on destroying Drown’s life and career. Despite the judge’s apparent discomfort with the spectacle before him, Drown was convicted, but she silently persevered in her work at a reduced level.

The persecution reached new heights in 1963, when the State of California indicted Drown on fraud charges after a woman falsely reported receiving a diagnosis from him that did not pertain to her actual condition. Drown faced arrest, but a stroke prevented her from defending herself before her trial. She passed away in 1965, two years after her indictment, with her legal battles still unresolved.

Parallels and Legacy

Other controversial figures in alternative medicine, like Wilhelm Reich, who faced imprisonment for his unconventional theories on orgone energy, bear striking resemblances to Drown’s experiences of suppression and legal trouble. Drown and Reich encountered resistance, reflecting a broader historical pattern of mainstream science marginalizing or dismissing innovative ideas.

Despite the challenges she faced, Drown’s legacy continues to shine brightly in the field of radionics and alternative medicine. Her emphasis on life force energy and her development of non-electrical diagnostic methods have inspired countless practitioners and opened new avenues for exploring the intricate relationship between energy fields and physical health.

James Trevor Constable, in his book “The Cosmic Pulse of Life: The Revolutionary Biological Power Behind UFOs,” provided the one of the most comprehensive accounts of Dr. Ruth Drown’s life and work, predicting that Drown’s innovations would one day receive the same recognition as Nikola Tesla’s groundbreaking work in electricity. Constable, who had the privilege of meeting Drown later in her life, attested to her remarkable ability to uplift people’s spirits simply by her presence, describing her as magnetic and leaving him “pumped full of adrenaline” after every interaction.

Drown’s work also finds validation in the research of Russian scientists, who, several decades later, published papers on what they termed the “bioplasmic field,” a mysterious biofield component of every living organism that organizes and orchestrates the physiology and biochemistry of that organism. Constable equates the bioplasmic field with the vital body, a concept that resonates with the theosophical teachings on the invisible field of energy that animates and organizes the physical body.

Declassified Information and Uncommon Knowledge

Recent declassified information from government archives has shed new light on the potential of radionics and energy medicine. Documents reveal that during the Cold War era, both the United States and the Soviet Union conducted extensive research into the applications of subtle energies and their effects on human health and consciousness. These classified studies, which remained hidden from the public for decades, lend credence to the pioneering work of visionaries like Dr. Ruth B. Drown, who had long advocated for the existence of vital life force energy and its role in healing.

A prime example of this declassified research is the “Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain” project, which explored the Soviet Union’s advances in psychotronics, a field that encompasses the study of subtle energies and their interactions with living systems. The project revealed that Soviet scientists had developed sophisticated devices capable of measuring and manipulating the bioplasmic field, corroborating Drown’s assertions about the existence of a vital energy field that permeates all living organisms.

Furthermore, ancient wisdom traditions from around the world have long recognized the existence of subtle energy fields that sustain and regulate the functions of the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of Qi is central to understanding health and disease, with practitioners using various techniques, such as acupuncture and Qigong, to balance and harmonize the flow of Qi throughout the body. Similarly, the Indian system of Ayurveda places significant emphasis on the role of Prana, the vital life force energy, in maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

We can see Drown’s work in radionics as a modern-day extension of these ancient practices, bridging the gap between traditional knowledge and cutting-edge science. Her innovative diagnostic methods and her emphasis on the importance of subtle energies in health and healing have paved the way for a new generation of researchers and practitioners who are exploring the frontiers of energy medicine.

Contemporary research in fields such as quantum physics and epigenetics has also begun to validate many of the core principles underlying radionics and energy medicine. Studies have demonstrated the interconnectedness of all living systems and the profound influence of consciousness and intention on the physical world. These findings suggest that the human body is far more than a mere collection of cells and organs, but rather a complex energetic matrix that responds to the subtle influences of the mind and spirit.

One notable example of this research is the work of Dr. Fritz-Albert Popp, a German biophysicist who discovered that living cells emit a weak form of light called biophotons. Popp’s research suggests that these biophotons play a crucial role in regulating biological processes and that disruptions in their coherence may be associated with disease states. This groundbreaking work provides a scientific basis for understanding the role of subtle energies in health and healing, and it lends support to the principles underlying Drown’s radiovision technology.

The remarkable journey of Dr. Ruth B. Drown is evidence of the strength of creativity, tenacity, and relentless devotion to truth. Despite strong opposition and legal prosecution, her innovative radionics work set the groundwork for a thorough investigation of energy medicine and its possible uses in medicine. Drown’s legacy reminds us constantly of the continuous effort to close the distance between unusual healing techniques and the mainstream medical establishment as alternative and complementary treatments acquire acceptance in the twenty-first century.

Despite all the challenges Drown faced, her reputation as a true visionary in alternative medicine has been cemented by her contributions to radionics and relentless moral devotion. Her story inspires all those who dare to challenge the status quo and travel into uncharted territory in pursuit of overall health and well-being.