History and Development of Atomidine®

Atomidine has existed in various forms and by a variety of names, including Beslin and Alphaiodine, since the beginning of the 20th century or earlier. Prior to 1910, its forerunner ap­peared as a crude, thick, black liquid, used as a household remedy for fevers. In that year it was used by doctors as a last resort to treat a Dr. Sunker Bisey (pronounced B.C.), who was dying in Paris, France, of a severe malarial infection. Dr. Bisey, a Hindu scientist, chemist and consulting engineer, who was a friend of Mahatma Gandi's, made a seemingly miraculous recovery. He was so impressed with the potential of the iodine compound used to treat him that he subsequently had its contents and composition subjected to thorough chemical analysis and re­search. The result was the development and marketing in Eng­land in 1913 of a relatively sophisticated product known as Beslin, which stood for best liquid iodine!

Dr. Bisey settled in the United States in 1917, establish­ing the American Beslin Corporation in the state of Delaware. Sales continued to increase and Beslin was eventually distrib­uted on a world-wide market. In 1926, the interests of Dr. Bisey's company were purchased by Laboratoire Durveaux, a New York corporation that engaged in clinical studies and collec­tion of medical data and testimonials on this product. Use of Beslin in liquid and ointment form was expanded to the fields of dentistry and veterinary medicine.

In 1931 Dr. Bisey, then 64 years of age, traveled to Vir­ginia Beach, Virginia to consult the psychic Edgar Cayce regard­ing preparation and distribution of Atomidine, as his product had come to be called. Cayce's readings had long indicated that iodine would be very beneficial to the system if its poi­sonous qualities could be removed, and a method of treating kelp to render the iodine non-toxic was given to several indi­viduals in readings which were apparently not preserved. The process had proved expensive and was never undertaken.

Now, in Dr. Bisey's reading, Cayce found the Atomidine formula satisfactory, but recommended a modification in the preparation procedure that would bring more uniform results from its application. This involved treating the iodine by a specific electrical charging process that was outlined in de­tail. Dr. Bisey succeeded in completing this process experi­mentally, but it is not known whether any of the electrified Atomidine was ever marketed. He had several subsequent readings, dealing in part with the financial backing and distribution of Atomidine. At about this time a man named Lester Hofheimer helped to support Bisey's venture by channeling a considerable amount of money into research work with Atomidine in hospitals in various parts of the country.

In 1932 and 1933 agreements between Dr. Bisey and Labor­atoire Durveaux further limited and defined Dr. Bisey's right to manufacture and distribute Atomidine. He formed his own Atomidine Company in New York in 1932.

Dr. Bisey died in 1935 and his son, Harold, ran the company until 1948, with Schieffelin and Company of New York manufact­uring the Atomidine products. The advent of new 'wonder drugs' was causing sales to diminish, and in 1949 the Atomidine Company was turned over to Dr. Bisey's son-in-law of Mt. Vernon, New York. Convinced of its value, he decided to continue its manu­facture as best he could in order to insure its continued availability to the public. Manufacture of Atomidine ointment was eventually discontinued. In early 1974, the Heritage Store* of Virginia Beach, Virginia acquired the right to manufacture and distribute Atomidine throughout the world.

This article is from a booklet published by Heritage Publications in 1974