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Review
. 2012 Jan;4(1):42-51.
doi: 10.3390/nu4010042. Epub 2012 Jan 17.

Theobald palm and his remarkable observation: how the sunshine vitamin came to be recognized

Russell W Chesney  1
Affiliations
Review

Theobald palm and his remarkable observation: how the sunshine vitamin came to be recognized

Russell W Chesney. Nutrients. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

The seminal discovery that sunlight was important in the prevention of nutritional rickets was made in 1890 by Theobald A. Palm, a medical missionary who contrasted the prevalence of rickets in northern European urban areas with similar areas in Japan and other tropical countries. He surmised that exposure to sunlight prevented rickets. Over the next 40 years his observation led to an understanding of ultraviolet irradiation and its role in vitamin D synthesis. This opened a new era of appreciation for the curative powers of the sun and "the sunshine vitamin". While Palm's observations were in some ways obscure, they had a potent effect on the development of photobiology.

Keywords: UVB wavelength rays; nutritional rickets; photobiology; sunlight; vitamin D.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Typical living conditions in the Gorbals in 1912. This region of Glasgow was the most notorious slum in the United Kingdom. Reproduced with permission from [20], Copyright © The Mitchell Library, Glasgow Life.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sunset by British artist William Ashcroft depicting the colorful skies after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. Reproduced with permission from [24], Copyright © 2012 Photo Researchers, Inc.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Irradiation of German children with quartz-mercury vapor lamps. It was recognized that the eyes should be protected from UVB rays.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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