Vladimir Gavreau, born Vladimir Gavronsky (1904 – 1967), was a French scientist making experiments on the biological effects of
infrasound
Infrasound, sometimes referred to as low status sound, describes sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of human audibility (generally 20 Hz). Hearing becomes gradually less sensitive as frequency decreases, so for humans to perce ...
.
Gavreau was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. His interest in infrasonic waves first came about in his lab during the 1960s, when he and his lab assistants experienced pain in the
ear drum
In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air ...
s and shaking lab equipment, but no audible sound was picked up on his microphones. He concluded that it was infrasound and got to work preparing tests in the labs.
One of Gavreau's experiments involved an infrasonic whistle that, some say, has led to a line of research that has
military applications
Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...
.
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
described the possibly fictional device as follows:
:"In developing a military weapon, scientists intend to revert to a policeman's whistle form, perhaps as big as eighteen feet across, mount it on a truck and blow it with a fan turned by a small airplane engine. This weapon, they say, will give forth an all-destroying 10,000 acoustic watts. It could kill a man five miles away. There is one snag: at present, the machine is as dangerous to its operators as to the enemy. The team is working on a way to focus it. Various systems of baffles have been tried, but the most promising method appears to be propagation of a different and complementary sound a wave length backward from the machine. This changes the frequency of airwave length moving in that direction, thus protecting anyone to the rear. There is, of course, a much simpler means of protection: turn the machine on from a safe distance. This summary of Professor Vladimir Gavreau's experiments with infrasound is based on the Sunday Times article.
[Burroughs cites his source as Frank Dorsey, "Joshua Knew a Thing or Two," ''Sunday Times'', April 16, 1967.] A much more comprehensive article has appeared in an American periodical, ''
The National Enquirer
The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years.
The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...
'', Vol.42, No. 27, March 10, 1968. Professor Gavreau's discovery has been patented, and anybody can obtain the plans and full description from the French patent office upon payment of two francs."
Publications
* "Infrasound." ''
Science Journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research.
Content
Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...
'', vol. 4, no. 1 (Jan. 1968).
References
External links
Eléments constitutifs des automatismes: commande directe, asservissements, programmation numérique, par Vladimir Gavreau;(non-scientific descriptions)
Season 1 Episode 5
of " Dark Matters: Twisted But True" on Sci/TheDocumentarySite/YouTube
The Sonic Weapon of Vladimir Gavreau
Gerry Vassilatos. (Referenced b
Amazon Books
referencing Vladimir Gavreau]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavreau, Vladimir
Russian emigrants to France
French physicists
1904 births
1967 deaths