The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-20
HEALING BIZ LIGHT RATS.
An Observant Friends Report Upon DR..
FIpsen,s Mnrvelloua Institute in Denmark.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-.Sh: TIE Bun
deserves well OF the community. IN fact OF the
whole American people. for it's article on DIR.
Finsen's system Of healing by light rays" In
last Sundays issue. IL Ia strange that this IL
the first we have heard on this side Of tho
water OF one OF the greatest boons conferred
on suffering humanity in recent years During
the summer now past spent many hours with
the famous doctor In his Light Institute and
saw what it was he was doing l went to Copen-
hagen with quite another purpose, but nothing
that / saw there interested me halt
much. or made me half so proud OF the little
nation that ia mine by brthrght and in
its day Of defeat and humiliation has risen in
mora ways than one TO assert its claim to be
one ~ tho civiliz.nC forcas OF the century.
The Finsen Light Institute would not appear
to advantage in pictorial chart OF the fine
buildings OF King Christians capital 1t socks
tho modest seclusion OF corner In tho city
hospital grounds by the lakes that mark off the
old city from tho newer suhurhs. Two one
story frame bnildings-shantes one might
call them comprise nil mere ia OF It. The
Doctors own study is coop with barely room
for n desk and n lounge adjoining the lab
oratorv: but within tho call OF his voice
n staff q! eight phvsicians and forty
whte-frocked nurses are busy all day long
banishing IA heavy a cloud OF misery as has
beginning Of time. Lupas. or. to put it in n
way everybody can understand tuberculosis
OF tho skin. IL that awful disease which. Begin
ming n mere red or liberated spot on face or
hand, ents away irresstibly at the surrounding
tissue until TEXTURES or member are consumed
and the patient sits waiting for death In
dumb despair. Until three years ago there was
practically no euro for II. 1t might take nve
years or twenty to kill. The end was sure to be
the same. The very slowneas OF death added
horror Hundreds would have welcomed 1t.
II the public knew little Of this dreadful thing.
it was because the patients kept sedulously
out OF it's sight. Those who we're at all able
shut Themselves up and prayed only to be for
gotten. like n well-known baroness in Den
mark who built herself q villa in most
secluded spot and went there hoping to die in
pence. To-day abe is about in the world again.
restored and happy, with scarce trace OF her
lat" nfllicton. Hers was one OF the cases that
called public attention sharply to the young
doctors new use OF the sunlight and made
way early for his success.
1t is three years since he published to the
world his conviction that tho light. unaided.
would master the dreaded maady. or the
hundreds of cases treated since then in his in
sttute. not half dozan have resisted the sim
pie treatment In these the disease had pro-
gressed too far. In August no said to me: Il
hore yet to see lupus entirely wiped out
He smiled sadly "a he said II. for he is
himself a great sufferer from mortal disease.
taking each year as a gift" though their sum
can hardly yet have run far into the thirties
At tho time thirty odd patients were living
stretched upon cots In the garden outside. or
in tho shed under tho electric lights. and as
many more were standing alert having their
bandaves undone to await their turn. There
;~h, irt hotr tr;o 70 talyn he
stoutest soul. but where despair had sat upon
those distorted faces there was courage ano
cheer. They walked with srrinGy step. helped
the nurses pull the cots around and lay down
upon them to have the lenses adjusted to
the spots marked of with charcoal by
the physicians. with mirth and laughter.
They knew that when they rose after
an hour and quarter OF exposure to
the sunlight. much OF their enemy
would he vanquished. saw plenty who were
nearly healed. A diseased spot perhaps as big
as half dollar would remain They smoke OF
their last day" in tho joyful anticipation Of
going home soon. The face that had been hid
eous had the contracted look OF the skin which
one sees in persons who have been sinRed by
fire Sometimes almost no trace OF the old in
Jury remained.
In the beginning the patients came slowly. as
to promise too good to be true. Now thoy
crowd in from all Europe. and Copenhagen Is
full OF men and women with bandaged faces
They are DR. Finsens patients" Tho Gov
arnmsnt has given him the title OF Professor
Private charity supports the institute. the
receipts Of which do not meet expenses.
Everywhere one sees in shop windows this
sign DISPLAYED: Contributions received here
for needy lupus patients" DR.. Finsen him
self has given his life to the cause. When sue
cess was sure he weighed the matter carefully.
and made up his mind that he had time to
make money His work was for humanity,
And it ia not vat finished. Lupus has been
vanquiahed. but the work that goes on daily in
the little laboratory in the hosntal garden has
yet other promises in store. Lest they might
not he kept. nothing Is said OF them, however.
The doctor lifted the curtain enough to let me
see what he hopes. but hade me say nothing OF
II until he is sure. One thing was excepted
from the injunction OF secrecy
I'VE have cured badness In spots" he said.
and added with a little laugh. but mind. not
the blliard-b ball kind That is hopeless" Prof
Finsen's assistant. DR.. Bic. told in THE SUN
how his chief reasoned from his success with
smallpox under the red light treatment that
the chemical RAYS Of the sunlight which irr-
tated in that disease must have power to kill
bacteria lowering under the skin out OF tho
reach OF ointmsnts In other superficial all
ments. and proved his reasoning correct. 1t
was curious'y. the rercrt NJ an Anne rican Army
surgeon on the epidemic OF smallpox in n port
to which he was attached that FIRST
got Dr. Finsnn upon the track he was
cropping for There was not room In the hos
rtal for all the cases. and soma had to ba put
in the cellar where there was little or no light.
The surgeon noted TINT for aome unexplained
reason these recovered soonest and easieat
without pittinC. DR., Pinsen read it and
thought ~ the fact that under ordinary con-
ditions the pitting was always on the hands
and facc. Putting the two things together
gave him his clue Tho experiments that fol-
lowed convinced him speedily that II was not
tie hent rays hut tho chemical RAYS which did
the harm. All the rest. down 70 the lupus
case was only scientific deduction put to the
test Of experiment and so proved.
Physicians from avery European land are
daily and welcome guests at the Light Insti-
tute and every facility Is given them 'Or learn
ing all there il to know. Few Of them ever see
Dr. Finsen. He shrlnks from any sort OF OK
hibition with tho extreme modesty Of the man.