Mustard Plaster v. Light

Astounding it was to U. S. physicians, patients and therapeutic lamp manufacturers to learn that the British Medical Research Council last week decried the use of light treatments. There are two general kinds of light used in medicine--heat-producing, generated by carbon filaments; and ultraviolet ray (artificial sunlight) producing, generated by a carbon arc, by a mercury arc, or by special filaments lighting through quartz. Undoubtedly such lights have done good. This is particularly so of the ultraviolet light, used to overcome rickets by direct exposure of puny children.

Yet the British Medical Research Council, an authoritative organization, did proclaim last week that "when conditions between children with and without [light] treatment is equalized, the result of light treatment is wholly negative." The only difference, declared the Council, between light treatment and mustard plasters, was that plasters were cheaper.