Tom Vales’ demonstration on radiation was very interesting to observe. He told us that not long ago people used uranium tools in their houses. Those tools were very harmful because they had toxic effects that caused radiation poisoning. However, people thought it helps them to get healthier. Tom Vales said he has tools for all body parts for such “treatment”. He presented how they work on himself (his neck, his hand, his head). Back in time when people used it, it helped them due to the placebo effect.
Placebo effect is a fake treatment, an inactive substance that can sometimes improve a patient’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful.
Tom Vales brought to the class tesla coil that he built himself. It gave electricity. So every time Vales would touch the tip of it by his tubes, we could observe electricity jumping to it. He used different tubes. There were wooden ones, glass ones. The ones that were made from glass could change their colors. Moreover, he used a tube that was made from different colors glass. That was very unusual thing to watch.
Vales’ demonstration was a great blend between providing the basic information needed to understand radiation and offering a real commentary on the usages of it. The discussion of radiation has always been centered on nuclear power plants and weapons, when not too long ago the threat was often in people’s homes.
