Niels Ryberg Finsen

Niels Ryberg Finsen (* December 15, 1860 in Tórshavn / Faeroe Islands, † September 24, 1904 in Copenhagen ) was a Faroese - Danish physician who in 1903 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is the only Faroese who ever received a Nobel Prize.

Life

Niels Ryberg Finsen was born in 1860, son of the Danish Sofie Johanne Caroline Christine Formann and of Icelandic Hannes Kristján Steingrímur Finsen in the Faroese capital Tórshavn. Hannes was then police chief and later became Governor of the Faroe Islands. Niels ' older brother Olaf Finsen later became the first pharmacist of the Faroe Islands.

Today, a memorial stone in front of the building of the Reichsombudsschaft in the Faroe Islands at him. There also the main commercial street in the city center is named after Niels Finsens Gøta (shortly after his death, so renamed).

1874 his father sent him from the Faroe Islands to a boarding school in Denmark. But he had trouble and longing for the Faroe Islands there. So his father sent him to the grammar school of Reykjavik, where in 1882 he graduated from high school. That same summer Finsen returned to the Faroe Islands and began his medical studies at the University of Copenhagen. The Faroe he saw then never again. He lived temporarily with his parents in Ribe, where his father was bailiff in 1884. Today, it is therefore considered not only in Tórshavn, but also in Ribe, the son of the city. In Copenhagen he would close contact with his compatriots from the Faroe Islands and was in the Faroese rowing on the Sound among the students active.

In 1890 he received his doctorate in Copenhagen and was prosector of anatomy. A post he gave up in 1893 in order to devote more of his scientific work. 1898 Finsen was awarded an Honorary Professorship in Copenhagen. Finsen 1892 married the daughter of the Bishop Balslev af Ribe Ingeborg Balslev. In 1899 he was knighted as a Knight of the Dannebrog, a few years later he got the Silver Cross awarded. On December 10, 1903 Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine " in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, especially lupus vulgaris, with concentrated light radiation, whereby he opened a new avenue of medical research ."

Finsen died on 24 September 1904 in Copenhagen.

Niels Ryberg Finsen was suffering from a serious disease that has already appeared in 1883 in appearance, but was only recognized by the autopsy report, the perikarditischen pseudo liver cirrhosis. He spent his last years in a wheelchair.

Niels Ryberg Finsen had four children, the first son died a year after birth. The second son was Haldor doctor. His daughter married Gudrun Professor S. Lomholt, who was the director of the Department of Skin Diseases of the Finsen Institute in Copenhagen for many years. The second daughter married Valgerda.

Work

Can in simple experiments demonstrated Finsen, that the shares of solar radiation with the highest energy ( he called them the " chemical rays" ) a stimulating effect on tissue have. He also discovered the damaging effects of excessive solar radiation and the relationship with the strong pigmentation of dark-skinned people. Finsen was of the opinion that the skin damage can be prevented by strong light radiation through simple protective measures.

On the other hand, found Finsen light rays without heat radiation could have a positive effect. This discovery led him to the treatment of the disease lupus vulgaris and other skin diseases, so that he could use sun baths in cases of tuberculosis. However, he noted that the radiation in northern Europe is not sufficient studies in the Alps with high radiation by his colleagues O. Bernard and A. Rollier, however, were very successful.

However, precisely for the disease lupus vulgaris Finsen was able to develop a very effective light therapy. This is mainly based on the stimulation of the tissue at the brightly lit places. The Finsen Institute, founded in 1896 in Copenhagen, as well as many other institutions in different countries were able to reduce the number of lupus disease significantly.