The outline below portrays a brief history regarding the medical applications of ozone. 

 

Ozone was first discovered and named by German scientist Christian Frederick Schonbein in 1840.

 

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• The first ozone generators were developed  by von Siemens in Germany in 1857. 

 

• The first report of ozone being used to purify blood in test tubes was by the German Doctor C. in 1870. Dr. Kleinmann experimented with ozone for bacterial infections before 1880.

 

• The first American therapeutic use of ozone was by Dr. John H. Kellogg in ozone steam saunas at his Battle Creek, Michigan sanitarium from 1880, as he wrote in his book, “Diphtheria: Its Nature, Causes, Prevention and Treatment”.

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• 1885, the Florida Medical Association published “Ozone” by Dr. Charles J. Kenworthy, MD, detailing the use of ozone for therapeutic purposes.

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• In September 1896, the electrical genius Nikola Tesla patented his first ozone generator, and in 1900 he formed the Tesla Ozone Co. Tesla sold ozone machines and ozonated olive oil to doctors for medical use.

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• Ozone was bonded to magnesium in a catalytic process to produce Homozon by Dr. Eugene Blass in 1898.

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• In 1902, J.H. Clarke’s “A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica”, London, describes the successful use of ozonated water (“Oxygenium”) in treating anemia, cancer, diabetes, influenza, morphine poisoning, canker sores, strychnine poisoning  and whooping cough.

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• In 1911, “A Working Manual of High Frequency Currents” was published by Dr. Noble Eberhart, MD, the head of the Dept. of Physiologic Therapeutics at Loyola University, Chicago. In Chapter 9, he details the use of ozone to treat tuberculosis, anaemia, chlorosis, tinnitus, whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, insomnia, pneumonia, diabetes, gout and syphilis.

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• During World War I, (1914-1918 ) ozone was used to treat wounds, trench foot, gangrene and the effects of poison gas.

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• In 1920, Dr. Charles Neiswanger, MD, President of the Chicago Hospital College of Medicine published “Electro Therapeutical Practice”. Chapter 32 was entitle “Ozone as a Therapeutic Agent”.

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• In 1929, a book called “Ozone and Its Therapeutic Action” was published in the US listing 114 diseases and how to treat them with ozone. Its 40 authors were the heads of all the leading American hospitals.

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• Dr. Aubourg and Dr. Lacoste were French physicians using ozone insufflation 1934-1938. Aubourg wrote “Medical Ozone: Production, Dosage and Methods of Clinical Application” in 1938. He gave ozone rectally, vaginally, injected into wounds and by breathing. In 8000 applications, there were no harmful side effects.

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• During World War II, Dr. Robert Mayer learned of ozone therapy from German prisoners of war at Ellis Island, and used ozone in his practice for the next 45 years.

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• In 1957, Dr. J. Hansler patented an ozone generator which has formed the basis of the expansion in German ozone therapy over the last 40 years. Today, over 8000 German doctors use ozone therapy daily.

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• In 1972, The International Association for Oxygen Therapy was founded by Dr. George Freibott as the successor to the Eastern Association for Oxygen Therapy of 1913.

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• In 1979, Dr. George Freibott successfully treated a Haitian AIDS patient suffering Kaposi’s sarcoma with ozone.

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• In 1982, the German medical textbook “Medical Ozone” is published by Dr. E. Fischer Medical Publications in Heidelberg.

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• In 1987, Dr. Siegfried Rilling and Dr. Renate Viebahn collaborated on the publication of “The Use of Ozone in Medicine”, now the standard medical text on ozone application.