Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Born on this Day Sunny Bones
06 January 2013

Sunny Bones

As the world limped away from WWI, rickets was a growing problem. Rickets leaves children with soft bones that easily fracture and deform. Harriette Chick – born on this day in 1875 – was the first to unveil the possibility that sunlight could be key to its prevention and cure. As you lie in the sun and warmth seeps through your body, ultraviolet radiation from the sun’s beams is sparking off the production of vitamin D. Chick, one of the pioneers of the Medical Research Council – first formed in 1913 – set scientists on the way to discovering this with her meticulous study of the diet and activities of a group of rickets-ridden children in Vienna. She realised that the problems seemed to ease with the arrival of summer each year. By examining children kept in the shade and those allowed in the sun, she revealed the healing potential of our environment.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.