ABSTRACT
In 1891, Friedrich Hammer of Germany even published a monograph, probably the first large monograph on photobiology, discussing photoprotection and experimenting with different topical agents, to prevent sunburn. The concept that sun exposure is responsible for sunburn is known since early humankind. In 1799, Johan Christoph Ebermaier in Germany noticed different degrees of sunburn depending on the time of exposure, whereby paler skin types reacted more severely than darker skin types. The first real journal dealing exclusively with photobiology and photodermatology was probably the Transactions from Finsen’s Medical Light Institute, which were published in Danish and German. In 1962, Douglas McLaren started the first journal in English, named “Photochemistry and Photobiology: An International Journal.” The American Society of Photobiology was founded in 1972 and the Japanese Society for Photomedicine and Photobiology in 1978. The history of human photobiology is as old as humankind.
