When Was Phototherapy Invented?

Guess who really invented neonatal phototherapy? This treatment for newborn babies was invented in the 1950s by a clever nurse named Sister Jean Ward who was in charge of the Premature Unit at Rochford General Hospital in Essex, England. She realized that sunlight reduced jaundice in newborns and premature infants.

How was phototherapy discovered?

The use of phototherapy was first discovered, accidentally, at Rochford Hospital in Essex, England, when a nurse, Sister Jean Ward, noticed that babies exposed to sunlight had reduced jaundice, and a pathologist, Dr. Perryman, who noticed that a vial of blood left in the sun had turned green.

Who discovered the cure for jaundice?

Richard Cremer, who has died aged 89, was the doctor who discovered the curative value of sunlight on jaundiced babies, which led to the use of phototherapy machines in neonatal wards across the world.