By the end of the 19th century, doctors recognized the antimicrobial benefits of sunlight. Niels Ryberg Finsen wondered if similar effects could be achieved with artificial light — in particular, the ultraviolet. In 1895, he partnered with the Copenhagen Electric Light Works and began producing electric carbon arc lamps, with which he systematically studied the effects of UV on patients suffering from lupus vulgaris, a disfiguring skin disease caused by the same bacterium responsible for tuberculosis in the lungs. As news spread of Finsen's dramatic success rate, so did his technique, and in 1903 he received the Nobel Prize in medicine. The use of UV phototherapy waxed and waned over the next century, but the current pandemic has renewed interest in UV. Now the emphasis isn't on using UV lights to cure those stricken with COVID-19, but on arresting the germs, whether in the air or on surfaces, before anyone becomes infected.

中文翻译：

---

 治愈之光


到 19 世纪末，医生们认识到阳光的抗菌功效。尼尔斯·里伯格·芬森（Niels Ryberg Finsen）想知道人造光（尤其是紫外线）是否可以实现类似的效果。 1895 年，他与哥本哈根电灯厂合作，开始生产电碳弧灯，并利用该灯系统地研究了紫外线对寻常狼疮患者的影响，狼疮是一种毁容性皮肤病，由与肺部结核病相同的细菌引起。 。随着芬森惊人成功率的消息传开，他的技术也随之传播开来，并于 1903 年获得了诺贝尔医学奖。在下个世纪，紫外线光疗的使用时好时坏，但当前的流行病重新燃起了人们对紫外线的兴趣。现在的重点不是使用紫外线来治愈那些感染了 COVID-19 的人，而是在任何人被感染之前捕获细菌，无论是空气中还是表面上的细菌。