At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the most frequent recommendations of doctors to improve the health of children and adults was to travel to the countryside, seeking a change of air and greater exposure to sunlight. Now, if we have to talk about a local alternative, that throws us headfirst into phototherapy, the light therapy. The gallery we share below shows some of the oldest phototherapy sessions, with truly strange devices, and others that could be classified as ancestors of the tanning bed.
The concept of heliotherapy is not new. Several ancient peoples worshiped the Sun as a life-giving god of health, while certain Indian literature that speaks of herbs and sunlight to treat skin conditions dates back to 1500 BC. In more modern times, heliotherapy transformed into phototherapy or light therapy thanks to the work of Niels Ryberg Finsen, Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1903, and the lamp that bears his surname. Finsen used short-wave light to treat lupus vulgaris, an infection associated with tuberculosis.
Phototherapy was especially interesting in regions where sunlight was scarce. From varicose veins and anemia to heart disease and circulatory problems, light therapy was seen as a great cure-allcure-all during the first half of the 20th century. Needless to say, the treatment was not always appropriate (the work of Dora Colebrookthe work of Dora Colebrook in the late 1920s essentially shook its foundations), and with the advance of antibiotics, its application in the case of infections disappeared. Modern phototherapy is indicated to increase the synthesis of vitamin D, and to treat conditions such as anemia, acne, psoriasis, and neonatal jaundice. And now... classic images. A fabulous gallery full of people in the middle of a phototherapy session, or about to start one, courtesy of the portal Rare Historical Photos.
Classic Phototherapy Images
