Is it true that the psychologist Wilhelm Reich was imprisoned for the invention of an effective medicine against cancer?

The story of the American psychologist of Austrian descent Wilhelm Rahehe, who invented a device that can cure many diseases, spreads on social networks. However, the officials did not like his device and they banned him, and the scientist was sentenced to prison, during which he died. We decided to check if this story actually happened.

Information about Ryha and his invention is distributed mainly on social networks. It can be found on Facebook* (page "Slavic-Aryan Vedas", 51,000 subscribers; "Interesting nearby", 2000 subscribers), VKontakte ("The connection point of the worlds", 35,000 subscribers), ""Zen", A Also on entertainment forums. Reportedthat the invented device could cure Not only cancer, but also "heart disease, arthritis and thousands of other ailments in just a few 15-minute sessions." Book under name “Opening of Orgon. Cancer Biopathy »Wilhelm Reich Sold In Russian in many bookstores.

Wilhelm Reich was born In 1897 in the village of Dobryanichi (then Austria-Hungary, the territory of the modern Lviv region). As a student of the University of Vienna, Reich sought to combine the concepts of Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. In 1939, the scientist left Europe, accepting the invitation of the new school of social research (New York). There, Reich developed bioenergy studies, in particular, made a statement that he discovered the energy of life, which he called the orgonic or orgon. In this theory, Reich combined the elements of Freudism with Chinese philosophy and medicine. 

According to beliefs Raikha, the Universe consists of bioons - microscopic units of an orgon in the form of energy bubbles that occupy an intermediate state between living and inanimate organisms. It is the disadvantage of the orgon, as well as the sexual disappointment of the district Explained The occurrence of cancer in Sigmund Freud. Although the theory of Orgon appeared in the Reich back in Europe, it was in the United States that he developed it, and was also able to commercialize by building an orgonal battery. His device looked like a closet the size of a telephone booth, was made of wood and sheathed in layers of sheep wool. 

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According to Reich, such a design ensured the absorption of orgonic energy from space and its concentration necessary for therapeutic effects. In addition to cancer, how Believed Scientist, such a device will be able to heal mental illness, radiation disease, anemia, burns and other pathologies.

Being confident in the scientificity of his discovery, the Reich even I asked Albert Einstein test his invention. Later, Reich described his meeting with the great physicist: “When I told him in conclusion that people consider me crazy, his answer was:“ I can believe it. ” Nevertheless, Einstein agreed to examine in more detail the orgonal battery. After two weeks of research, physicist Came To the conclusion that the principle declared by Reich does not work. But Raikha did not stop this, and he decided to produce his batteries for mass use. His invention Used Jerome David Salinger, Paul Gudman, Allen Ginzberg, Jack Kerouac, Dwight McDonald and William Burrose.

In the 1950s, the Office for Sanitary Supervision of the quality of food and medication (FDA) drew attention to the orgonal battery, and in 1954 achieved a judicial prohibition of the device. In addition to the device, the Books of Reich fell under the ban, in which his main ideas were promoted, in particular, “mass psychology of fascism”. Books were ordered to destroy. Also, Raich and his supporters were prohibited from producing other batteries, selling them or spreading them in a different way. At the same time, FDA did not seek to hide something from the general public: the reason for the court prohibition It served The fact that the information about the device was "false or misleading." 

Reich did not carry out with his invention double blind placebo-controlled studies recognized by the standard of evidence-based medicine. Later studies published in Orgon's Journal, also Not shown the effectiveness of his device. In experiments on mice with tumors, the best survival was shown by the group exposed to Orgon, then the control. Today there is a scientific consensus, according to which the idea of ​​Orgon refers To pseudoscientific theories.

At the same time, despite the trial, the Reich continued spread your battery. Because of this, another case was aroused for him-for disrespect for court. His sentenced To the two years of imprisonment. On November 3, 1957, the Reich died of a heart attack in the federal prison of Lewisburg, eight months after the sentence and just a few days before the hearing on conditional-free release. During the second court, a psychiatric examination noted the paranoid nature of his ideas. At the same time, declaredthat was attacked by UFOs.

Thus, the scientist Wilhelm Reich did not invent a cure for cancer, and FDA did not seek to ban this discovery. The idea of ​​Orgon is a pseudoscientific theory, and the Office for Sanitary Supervision of the quality of food and medicines only sought to limit the distribution of the non -working device.

*Russian authorities They think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns the social network Instagram, an extremist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.

Image on the cover: The Guardian

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