Light and Life*

Abstract

AS a physicist whose studies are limited to the properties of inanimate bodies, it is not without hesitation that I have accepted the kind invitation to address this assembly of scientific men met together to forward our knowledge of the beneficial effects of light in the cure of diseases. Unable as I am to contribute to this beautiful branch of science that is so important for the welfare of mankind, I could at most comment on the purely inorganic light phenomena which have exerted a special attraction for physicists through out the ages, not least owing to the fact that light is our principal tool of observation. I have thought, however, that on this occasion it might perhaps be of interest, in connexion with such comments, to enter on the problem of what significance the results reached in the limited domain of physics may have for our views on the position of living organisms in the realm of natural science.