Light Therapy for Tuberculosis (Polish vs Japanese public health)

Toward an Environmental History of Health and Sunlight: A Perspective from Modern Polish History

Before streptomycin’s discovery in 1943, tuberculosis was one of the most serious incurable diseases. Treatment centered on sanatoriums—countryside facilities offering healing in nature through fresh air and abundant sunlight. Thomas Mann’s 1924 novel The Magic Mountain (Der Zauberberg) famously depicts this approach to tuberculosis care, drawing inspiration from Davos, Switzerland. Under Dr. Auguste Rollier (1874–1954), the Leysin sanatorium in Switzerland achieved particular renown throughout Europe and Japan for its heliotherapy treatments.

However, extended stays in high-altitude sanatoriums were financially out of reach for many patients. This created an urgent need for treatment options in urban settings, where natural sunlight exposure was limited. Dr. Niels Finsen (1860–1904) of Denmark successfully treated lupus vulgaris, a form of cutaneous tuberculosis, using specialized medical lamps. His pioneering breakthrough sparked the widespread adoption of light therapy for extrapulmonary tuberculosis, leading to various theoretical and practical applications worldwide. While the original Finsen lamp employed a spectrum ranging from infrared to ultraviolet, later developments like the Jesionek and Bach lamps focused specifically on ultraviolet light. Medical opinions varied on whether natural sunlight or these lamps (“artificial sun”) provided better therapeutic benefits.

The case of Łódź, an industrial city in Poland, illustrates how public health in Poland developed through technology transfer. Unlike Japan, which manufactured its own medical lamps, Łódź imported them from Germany. This technology transfer highlights the importance of a transnational perspective in environmental history to understand the development of public health systems and the relationship between humans and sunlight.

Partners

Kyoto University

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) - School of Japan Studies

Speakers, presenters

Facilitator: Professor Akihiro Ogawa, Asia Institute

Kenshi Fukumoto, Associate Professor, Department of Studies on Global Coexistence Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University (Japan)

Kenshi Fukumoto joined Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies as an associate professor in April 2024. His research focuses on modern and contemporary Polish history, particularly during the period when Poland was partitioned by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, resulting in a lack of independence (late 18th century to 1918). His dissertation examined the role of medical doctors in a changing Polish society during this “long” 19th century. His recent monograph, Social Engagements of Medical Doctors: Building Poland and Rank-and-File Intelligentsia (1890–1920) (Kyoto University Press, 2024), explores this theme in depth. As an L-INSIGHT fellow, he is expanding his research into environmental history while building international research networks and strengthening connections between academia and society.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact Simon Bian at sbian@unimelb.edu.au

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