Kirlian photography
a technique that records on photographic film a corona discharge, sometimes characterized as the aura or “life force” emanating from a person, animal, plant, or object. It involves photographing subjects in a high-voltage electric field and produces images in which a colored halo or corona appears around the subjects. Some claim that changes in the quality of the aura in the images of photographed persons can reflect changes in their health and emotional condition, making Kirlian photography of potential benefit in medical diagnosis. Skeptics maintain that there is scant evidence for this. See also Kilner screen; Reichenbach phenomenon. [Semyon Kirlian (1900–1980), Armenian-born Russian inventor and electrician, and his wife Valentina Kirlian, Russian biologist]