ABSTRACT
Native tissue fluorescence, also called tissue autofluorescence, was observed as early as 1908 from human skin, according to Anderson and Parrish (1982). The device used is now called “Wood’s lamp,” which consists of a mercury discharge lamp and a UVA-transmitting, visible-absorbing filter. When using this device to observe skin autofluorescence, apparently, the eyes serve as both the image detector and the long pass filter. The eye is not sensitive to the UV light, but is very sensitive to the visible light. Dermatologists have since used the organism’s particular fluorescence to diagnose infections such as tinea capitis, erythrasma, and some Pseudomonas infections. The Wood’s lamp can also be used to detect porphyrins in hair, skin, or urine (Caplan 1967).
