The sun's rays, schematic diagram.
The sun's rays, schematic diagram.
Les bases scientifiques de la thérapeutique par la lumière (rayons visibles et rayons invisibles) / par Th. Nogier. Lyon : L’Avenir médical, 1913. Osler Pamphlet.
In this diagram by Dr. Thomas Nogier, the production, transmission, and utilisation of the sun's rays are visualised in a surprisingly artistic way. A scientific understanding of sunlight was an important component in proliferation of heliotherapy and phototherapy. Heliotherapy, an ancient practice of total bodily exposure to sunlight, and phototherapy, pioneered in the 1890s, were considered revolutionary treatments by the year 1900 for sufferers of tuberculosis, smallpox, lupus, and chronic conditions such as arthritis.
