A history of photodynamic therapy

The origins of light as a therapy in medicine and surgery are traced from antiquity to the modern day. Phototherapy began in ancient Greece, Egypt and India but disappeared for many centuries, only being rediscovered by Western civilization at the beginning of the twentieth century through the Dane,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAustralian and New Zealand journal of surgery Vol. 61; no. 5; p. 340
Main Authors Daniell, M D, Hill, J S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australia 01.05.1991
Subjects
Forecasting
Hematoporphyrins - therapeutic use
History, 18th Century
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
History, Ancient
Humans
Neoplasms - drug therapy
Photochemotherapy - history
Photochemotherapy - trends
Phototherapy - history
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Summary:The origins of light as a therapy in medicine and surgery are traced from antiquity to the modern day. Phototherapy began in ancient Greece, Egypt and India but disappeared for many centuries, only being rediscovered by Western civilization at the beginning of the twentieth century through the Dane, Niels Finsen, and the Germans Oscar Raab and Herman von Tappeiner. The discovery of the tumour-localizing ability of haematoporphyrin, together with its phototoxic effect on tumour cells led to the development of photodynamic therapy, a promising tool in modern cancer treatment.
ISSN:0004-8682
DOI:10.1111/j.1445-2197.1991.tb00230.x