A new hope for noninvasive cancer treatment?

Tn 1946, when the late John Kraus was a new faculty member at Ithe Ohio State University, he attended a seminar on travelingwave- tube (TWT) amplifiers, presented by a well-known visiting scientist. These TWTs used a wire helix of a sub-wavelength diameter an a guiding structure. After the presentation, Kraus went up to the visitor and politely inquired if the visitor thought that the helix could have applications as an antenna. As Kraus relates it in his classic antenna text [I], the visitor told him, "No. I have tried it and it does not work." The finality of the answer sent Kraus scurrying to the basement workshop at his home, where he proceeded to invent the popular helical antenna. This inspiring story about defying conventional wisdom came to my mind as I read the transcript of a CBS News 60 Minutes segment [2], entitled "The Kanzius Machine: A Cancer Cure?" (broadcast originally on April 23, 2008). However, I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.