Clinical Applications of Ultra-violet Rays

Abstract

A HOSPITAL to be recognized as modern must be so equipped that the sick may benefit by the latest discoveries in medical science. Among the most important advances in modern therapeutics is the proper use of physical agents. The physical agents of the greatest use to the general practitioner are heat, light, water, massage, and exercise. In the use of these agents by the general practitioner it is important that they be on definite prescription, as are drugs, and that they be employed for long periods daily, for which some arrangements must be made for their use at home. This has been considered elsewhere by one of us (22), and in this short article it is desired to consider one physical agent used today in most hospitals, namely, ultra-violet radiation. The lack of standardized methods of measurement of dosage, of careful records, and the follow-up of cases in this field is deplorable. If clinical results are to mean anything, these defects must be corrected. Instead of reporting a few cases benefited by...