Niels R. Finsen : his life and work / by Charles R. Dickson.

  • Dickson, Charles R.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Niels R. Finsen : his life and work / by Charles R. Dickson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Hospital; Fellow and Ex-President of American Elecwa^ Association; Member of Canadian Institute, Etc. {Read 28th January, 1905). The beneficial action of I'ght, not only in maintaining health merely, but also in combating various forms of disease, has been recognized from time immemorial in a general way, almost intuitively, and often unwit- tingly. Sunlight has ever been acknowledged a most potent restorative. The ancient Greeks were in the habit of anointing their bodies and there- after exposing themselves unclad on the flat roofs of their dwellings to the direct rays of the sun, not only on the score of health, but also as a luxury.* Vestricius and Cicero mention that the Romans similarly indulged in the sun-bath, followed frequently by cold sponging of the surface of the body. At a later period in their history they erected special outbuild- ings for the purpose, which they called Solaria and in these took their sun-bath, or Heliosis. Herodotus especially advises sun-baths for those whose muscles are weak and flabby. Antyllus goes into the matter more fully still, detailing the effects of the sun-bath and its action upon the system, and directing in what diseases it may be found useful. Herodotus, C. Aurelian, and Antyllus recommend sun-baths in the treatment of diseases of the skin. And many other of the writers of antiquity have advised the use of the sun-bath as a curative agency in quite a wide range of diseases. This early belief in the health-giving power of the rays of the sun is found among many nations and is well nigh universal. Natives of South and Central America and Mexico may be seen at mid-day stretched full length on their backs for hours at a time in the blazing tropical sun, as a remedy for consumption; a method which is said to antedate the ad- vent of the Spaniards.! And in China, Japan, Hayti, and Mexico not only * Freund, “Radio-Therapy.” t Rogera, “ Lucotherapy.”