THE BION EXPERIMENTS OF WILHELM REICH
by 
Alison Davidson       

Dr Reich's search for life energy, for the intangible, incomprehensiblesomething which animates living matter, resulted in his bion experiments of 1937to 1939.      He discovered that during the
disintegration of food and other organicmatter, tiny luminous vesicles were produced that were capable of culture undervery strict and sterile conditions.  Under microscopic magnification of 2000-3000X these vesicles, or M-bM-^AM-iM-^AM-oM-^AM-nM-^AM-sM-^
em, moved through the micro-scopic field with pulsating movements and always showed a bluish colour, no matter what substance they were derived from.      From "The Discovery of the Orgone" Reich lists the following facts for an understanding of the
bions as they emerged during his experiments:   1. All matter - if exposed to high temperatures and made to swell - undergoes a process of vesicular disintegration.  2. High temperatures (autoclavation at 120 degrees C, heating to incandescence,about
 1500 degrees C) destroy what life there is.  But these same high temper-atures produce the energy vesicles which in turn can develop into living bacteria.  3. The energy at work in the bions is not introduced into them artificiallyfrom the outside;
rather, it originates from the vesicular disintegration of matter itself.  4. An energy vesicle is a minutes quantity of matter, containing a quantity of energy derived from this matter.  5. The bions are not complete living beings, but only carriers
 of biological energy; they are forms of transition from non-living to living.  6. The blue colour of the content is the immediate expression of this energy.As the blue disappears, the essential biological characteristics of the bions disappear also.
  7. The bion experiments do not newly 'create' artificial life; they onlyM-dM-^AM-eM-^AM-mM-^AM-oM-^AM-nM-^AM-sM-^AM-tM-^AM-rM-^AM-aM-^AM-tM-^AM-eM-^A M-tM-^AM-hM-^AM-eM-^A M-nM-^AM-aM-^AM-tM-^AM-uM-^AM-rM-^AM-aM-^AM-lM-^A M-pM-^AM-rM-^AM-oM-^AM-cM-^AM-e
e thenatural form in which biological energy is contained in humus, in inorganic material, in foodstuffs, blood cells, gonadal cells, etc.      Dr Reich discovered that bions which emanate a strong blue glimmer kill orparalyze bacteria and small prot
ozoa.  They destroy cancer tissue by permeating it, even at a distance.      All of these functions pointed to enormous energies which are contained inthe bions and have a powerful effect n the surroundings.  How powerful theseenergies were Reich was
 to discover in his subsequent experiments with the SAPA bions, and their dramatic effect in his laboratory.      To completely refute the objections that so-called 'air germs' were acontaminating source of the life-forms emerging from disintegrating
 mineral andplant substances, Reich began to heat coal and earth crystals to incandescencebefore putting them into the solution which promotes swelling.  Still the bions appeared, their formation accelerated by the intense heat.       "Now, with comp
lete sterility assured, the bionous disintegration of mattercould be achieved within a few minutes.  No longer did I have to wait for days orweeks until the process of swelling at room temperature finally resulted inbions... For more than 2 years, ex
periment after experiment confirmed the bionousdisintegration of matter and the organization of bacteria and cells from the bions.      It was in January 1939 that one of Reich's assistants demonstrated theheating experiment to a visitor of the labor
atory.  Taking the wrong containerfrom the sterilizer, she heated ocean M-sM-^AM-aM-^AM-nM-^AM-dM-^A instead of earth.  After 2 days therewas a growth in the solution which resulted in a culture of large, slightlymobile, intensely blue packets of energy v
0X, they looked like sarcinae as occasionally found in water.      These bions Reich termed SAPA (sand, packet), and they showed some extremely interesting characteristics.      "The effect of the SAPA bions on protozoa, bacilli in general and T-baci
lliin particular, was much stronger than that of other bions.  Brought together withcancer cells, they killed or paralyzed the cells M-eM-^AM-vM-^AM-eM-^AM-nM-^A M-aM-^AM-tM-^A M-aM-^A M-dM-^AM-iM-^AM-sM-^AM-tM-^AM-aM-^AM-nM-^AM-cM-^AM-eM-^A of about 10mi
ld remainas if paralyzed, in one spot; they would turn around and around in the same spot and finally become immobile.  These phenomena were recorded by microfilm."      The effect of the SAPA bions on Reich himself was even more dramatic.During the
winter of 1939 he studied the bions daily for several hours.  His eyeshurt from looking into the microscope and he developed a violent conjunctivitis.Any close contact with the cultures resulted in pain and inflammation of theskin, and although Reich
 hadn't been in the sun during these winter experimentshis body was strongly tanned.  By now, Reich knew he was dealing with some kind of radiation.      He sought help from the radium physicist of the Cancer Hospital in Oslo, DrMoxnes, who tested a
culture with the radium electroscope.  There was noreaction.  Yet the radiation from the bion cultures seemed to be present every-where in the laboratory.  He tried observing the cultures in dark basement rooms,making dozens of cultures to increase t
he intensity.  A grey-blue light permeated from the darkness and violet light phenomena seemed to emanate from the walls.      One evening after spending several hours in the basement, Reich could seethe blue glimmer visible as a slowly moving, grey-
blue vapour around his body andother objects in the room.  It was a frightening experience, for he radiation seemed to be everywhere and pervade everything.      Through subsequent experimenting with other subjects as well as himself,Reich came to th
e conclusion that the radiation had to do with sun energy.  If it was present everywhere, it had to come from the sun.      "The SAPA bions had originated from ocean sand.  Ocean sand, however, isnothing but solidified sun energy.  The process of hea
ting and swelling hadliberated the energy from the matter...  The existence of an energy with an extraordinarily intense biological activity could no longer be doubted."          He tried shielding the energy by building a metal-lined box in which he
expected to be able to confine and control the radiation from the bions - alogical technical step to take under conventional concepts of radiation.  But hewas astounded to find that this box M-iM-^AM-nM-^AM-tM-^AM-eM-^AM-nM-^AM-sM-^AM-iM-^AM-fM-^AM-iM-^AM
rgy appearing everywhere and in everything, there seemed to be no defenseagainst it.  Reich realized that the energy was universally present, and that the bions had simply brought this energy into focus by local intensification.      In 'M-TM-^AM-hM-^AM-e
M-^AM-mM-^AM-iM-^AM-cM-^A M-PM-^AM-uM-^AM-lM-^AM-sM-^AM-eM-^A M-oM-^AM-fM-^A M-LM-^AM-iM-^AM-fM-^AM-eM-^A' Trevor Constable comments further on theseexperiments:  "Dr Reich identified this energy with the galvanic energies presentat the skin surface.  Lat
n the atmosphere as a primordial, mass-free energy.  He found thissame energy also present in blood that was allowed to disintegrate.  Theconnection to the single spot of dried blood, held in a blotting paper as atuning crystal in Dr Ruth Drown's wor
k, will automatically commend itself to thereader at this point.  The two titans unbeknown to each other, were treading parallel paths.      "The presence of orgone energy in disintegrated blood verifies from yetanother angle the access given to the
life energy continuum by the much-ridiculed single spot of blood.      "Dr Reich called this energy M-oM-^AM-rM-^AM-gM-^AM-oM-^AM-nM-^AM-eM-^A to identify it permanently with thingsorganic, with the orgasm and with life.  He proved its existence visually,
cally, and later on, at the Geiger-Muller counter and bylumination in vacor tubes.  M-HM-^AM-eM-^A M-wM-^AM-aM-^AM-sM-^A M-aM-^AM-bM-^AM-lM-^AM-eM-^A M-tM-^AM-oM-^A M-dM-^AM-eM-^AM-vM-^AM-eM-^AM-lM-^AM-oM-^AM-pM-^A M-pM-^AM-rM-^AM-oM-^AM-tM-^AM-oM-^AM-zM-
ave a similar origin..."      It is a sad testimony to modern mechanistic science, that Reich's bion workand discovery of the orgone energy was subjected to hostility and irrationalattacks by the established scientific and medical authorities.  Reich
 showedconclusively that life can form spontaneously from inorganic matter, thatuniversal energy can be tapped and measured, that free from prejudice and sterileconditioning we can begin to explore and understand the source and expression oflife ener
gy.  From that basis a new science is now emerging, affirming theconnection that exists between everything in the universe just as the ancient life-affirming religions taught.      The FDA may have destroyed Reich, but just as he showed to the world
lifeappearing out of inert matter, so the seeds of his research are flourishing inthe crumbling fortresses of life-negating science.  Reprinted from M-TM-^AM-HM-^AM-EM-^A M-MM-^AM-OM-^AM-RM-^AM-LM-^AM-EM-^AM-YM-^AM--M-^AM-MM-^AM-AM-^AM-RM-^AM-TM-^AM-IM-^A
M-RM-^AM-.M-^A M-CM-^AM-HM-^AM-AM-^AM-RM-^AM-LM-^AM-EM-^AM-SM-^AM-WM-^AM-.M-^A M-LM-^AM-IM-^AM-TM-^AM-TM-^AM-LM-^AM-EM-^AM-FM-^AM-IM-^AM-EM-^AM-LM-^AM-DM-^A published by BSRF, first printing 1950, revised edition 1986.This research compilation is a prime 
M-^AM-SM-^AM-MM-^AM-IM-^AM-CM-^A M-PM-^AM-UM-^AM-LM-^AM-SM-^AM-EM-^A M-OM-^AM-FM-^A M-LM-^AM-IM-^AM-FM-^AM-EM-^AM-,M-^A"Under conditions of total sterility he (Morley-Martin) proved in the 1930's thatM-aM-^AM-nM-^AM-iM-^AM-mM-^AM-aM-^AM-lM-^A M-fM-^AM-oM-
s wreak havoc upon the neurotic security of those whose whole worldconception rests upon the opposite."  Morley-Martin is less known than WilhelmReich, but the work of both of these men is in accord with the concept of the living universe.  M-TM-^AM-HM-^A
M-OM-^AM-RM-^AM-LM-^AM-EM-^AM-YM-^AM--M-^AM-MM-^AM-AM-^AM-RM-^AM-TM-^AM-IM-^AM-NM-^A M-EM-^AM-XM-^AM-PM-^AM-EM-^AM-RM-^AM-IM-^AM-MM-^AM-EM-^AM-NM-^AM-TM-^AM-SM-^A is $5.00 plus postage & handling.^Z