ABSTRACT
Light has played an important role in medicine throughout human history. In prehistoric times, the healing power of light was oen attributed to mythological, religious, and supernatural powers. e history of light therapy dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Hindus, Romans, and Greeks, all of whom created temples to worship the therapeutic powers of light, especially sunlight, for healing the body as well as the mind and the soul. In Hindu mythology, Dhanvantari, originally a sun god, is physician of the gods and a teacher of healing arts to humans. In ancient Egyptian religion, sun worship was common with many deities associated with the sun, such as Ra, a major god identied primarily as the midday sun. In Greek mythology, Apollo, the god of healing, who taught medicine to man, is also called the sun god or the god of light. ese and other mythological gures are testaments to humankind’s recognition of the mystical healing power of light since the dawn of time.
