The branch of medicine that uses radiation or radiant energy (such as ultraviolet rays or X-rays) to treat diseases and injuries.
From Greek 'aktis' (ray) + 'therapeutikos' (relating to healing) + '-ics' (indicating a field of study). Emerged as a medical discipline in the early 1900s.
Actinotherapeutics was basically the forerunner of modern radiation therapy and phototherapy—doctors were experimenting with rays to heal wounds and fight infections, and it actually worked for some conditions, but without understanding the serious long-term risks!
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