History of Ozone Therapies

Ozone gas (molecular O3) does not act as a drug. It is a biological modifier.

Ozone is formed when the oxygen atoms in oxygen (molecular O2) are split and then recombine into a triplet molecule.

90% of the earth’s ozone layer is formed when the sun’s ultraviolet energy hits oxygen.

The remaining 10% of the earth’s ozone layer is generated by the  Catatumbo Lightning storms in Venezuela.  This phenomenon is capable of producing 1.176 million lightning bolts a year.  When lightning hits oxygen it generates ozone.

In 1857 Werner von Siemens built the first superior ozone generating electrode.  Siemens is considered the Founding Father of Electrical Engineering.  He invented the elevator, trolley bus, loudspeaker, dynamo, and the tubes that Rontgen used for generating x-rays.

In 1873 Fox discovered that ozone was a potent anti-microbial agent. As far back as 1881 ozone was used as a disinfectant 

The discovery crossed the ocean to North America and in 1885, the Florida Medical Association published the first textbook on medical applications of ozone, written by Dr. Kenworth

Dr. John Kellogg described ozone use in his book on diphtheria.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)  patented his first ozone generator in 1896; and in 1900 founded Nikola Tesla “Tesla Ozone Co.”, manufacturer of generators for medical use. 

  • Tesla was the first to ozonate olive oil.

  • According to Life Magazine's special issue of September, 1997, Tesla is among the 100 most famous people of the last 1,000 years

In 1898 Drs. Thauerkauf and Luth create in Germany the Institute of Oxygen-Ozone Therapy and publish the first studies in animals.

  • In 1911, Dr. Noble Eberhart, head of the Department of Physiology of Loyola Chicago University, in the “Manual of High Frequency Operation,” states that he used ozone to treat tuberculosis, anemia, chlorosis (iron deficiency anemia), tinnitus, whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, insomnia, pneumonia, diabetes, gout and syphilis. He created the first university teaching center dedicated among other things to ozone therapy.

Dr. Blass founds in 1913 the first German association of ozone therapy. 

  • In 1915, Dr. Wolf, chief surgeon of the medical services of the German army, extends its use for topical treatment of infected wounds, frozen foot, gangrene and decubitus ulcers. 

  • Dr. Wolf later published Medical Ozone, the a classic book about ozone therapy.

A Swiss dentist, Dr. Fish published in 1932 the applications of ozone in dentistry to treat caries, and patented the first device specifically for this application, the Cytozon.

  • In 1957 the emergence of plastics resistant to ozone leads German physician Dr. Hänsler to manufacture the first modern ozone generator, which modern day generators base themselves on.

  • In 1961 Dr. Hans Wolff developed the major and minor autohemotherapy techniques which even today are the standards for modern ozone therapy.

In the 1980’s Renate Viebahn-Hansler wrote the classic text, The Medical Use of Ozone in which she describes innumerable local and system applications of ozone therapy.

  • In 2010 the International Scientific Committee on Ozone wrote The Madrid Declaration which serves as a standard for ozone therapy.  The Madrid Declaration was revised in 2015 and contains references and instructions for every kind of ozone application currently used in the scientific ozone community.

——The entirety of this information was compiled and written by Dr. Frank Shallenberger

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