president's address. 21 



Danish Grovernment, on behalf of the Danish Committee, I have 

 much pleasure in directing your attention to, and in bespeaking 

 your sympathy with a movement to perpetuate the memory and 

 continue the work begun by the late Professor Niels R. Finsen, 

 of Copenhagen, which is rapidly becoming world-wide in char- 

 acter. In a matter of this kind science has no international 

 frontiers. A most influential Central Committee of over 1400 is 

 organising the movement; and Sub-Committees have been formed 

 in England and other European countries, and in the United 

 States. In this way it is hoped that a fund may be raised for 

 the endowment of the Finsens (Light) Institute at Copenhagen. 

 Finsen is Denmark's contribution to the ranks of benefactors of 

 the human race, like Jenner and Lister, Pasteur, Koch and many 

 others — men whose nationality becomes merged in a universal 

 citizenship accorded by humanity at large. 



Prof. Finsen died at Copenhagen on September 24th, 1904, at 

 the early age of 43. Soon after his appointment as lecturer on 

 anatomy at the University of Copenhagen he began to investigate 

 the influence of light on living organisms. In 1893 he developed 

 his treatment of small-pox by red light, based upon the realisa- 

 tion of the fact that inflammation and the danger of scars can be 

 prevented if the small-pox patient is shielded from the blue, violet 

 and ultra-violet rays, since it is exposure to these which causes 

 irritation of the skin and favours the growth of certain unde- 

 sirable microbes. Then followed his able investigation of the 

 bactericidal power of the ultra-violet rays, which in 1895 resulted 

 in the application of the resulting knowledge to the successful 

 treatment of lupus patients. 



The therapeutic possibilities of the light treatment are very 

 far from exhausted. Already there are between twenty and 

 thirt}^ special light institutions in different parts of Europe, and 

 as far as possible the method of treatment has been adopted in 

 hospitals generally where necessary. 



Finsen was a man of noble qualities, of single and unselfish 

 aims, and of high scientific attainments, who was esteemed and 

 beloved by all who had to do with him. His scientific work 



