• DOI:10.1562/0031-8655(2002)0760561AHOUPF2.0.CO2
• Corpus ID: 222100404

A History of Ultraviolet Photobiology for Humans, Animals and Microorganisms ¶

@article{Hockberger2002AHO,
  title={A History of Ultraviolet Photobiology for Humans, Animals and Microorganisms ¶},
  author={P. E. Hockberger},
  journal={Photochemistry and Photobiology},
  year={2002},
  volume={76}
}

• P. Hockberger
• Published 1 December 2002
• Biology
• Photochemistry and Photobiology

Ancient civilizations understood that sunlight provides visibility, warmth, health and vitality. Their understanding of how sunlight provides these life-sustaining influences was immersed in mythology and cultural traditions. Offspring, dissatisfied with the intellectual power of their ancestors’ explanations, sought new mythologies in their search for a better understanding of the cosmos and their relationship with it. Starting in the late 17th century, a new mythology arose in Europe that was based on scientific principles and provided the basis for a more reliable understanding of the relationship between humans and sunlight. By the start of the 19th century, the application of these principles led to the realization that sunlight is not a single stimulus but, rather, a collection of stimuli of different wavelengths (e.g. infrared, visible, ultraviolet). This realization inspired additional studies aimed at determining whether different wavelengths might be responsible for the different effects of sunlight. As this review documents, indeed they are. This review focuses primarily on studies before 1920 that were involved in the discovery of UV radiation, its properties and its influences on living organisms. After 1920, the number of UVrelated publications grew rapidly, reaching at least 275 for the years 1920–1927 alone (1). Between 1960 and 2001, there are 37 466 publications on the subject ‘‘ultraviolet radiation’’ listed in PUBMED, a U.S. government-supported computer database of health-related research. Due to the extent of the literature, this review covers only the most important studies between 1920 and 2001. The selection of these studies was made solely by the author, and any omissions and shortcomings are his responsibility. There are a number of excellent reviews on UV photobiology written between 1920 and 2001, and these should be consulted for more in-depth analyses (cf. [1–20]). We begin with the discovery of UV radiation, its properties and relationship with sunlight. These discoveries were unveiled through a series of serendipitous observations coupled with improvements in instrumentation and careful experimentation. This is followed by a more detailed discussion of the evidence linking sunlight and UV radiation with physiological and pathological changes in humans, nonhuman animals and microorganisms. Each group has its own unique narrative relating it to UV radiation. A recurring theme is that UV radiation has both beneficial and harmful effects depending upon the type of organism, wavelength region (UVA, UVB or UVC) and irradiation dose (intensity 3 duration).