Endre Mester

Endre Mester (1903 to 1984) was a Hungarian surgeon and radiologist, born in Budapest, who is credited as a pioneer of laser medicine and the discoverer of the biological effects of low level laser therapy. He studied medicine at the University of Pecs, taught surgery in Budapest, worked in hospitals during the Second World War, and chaired the surgery department of the Bajcsy Zsilinszky Teaching Hospital from 1947 to 1963 before becoming a professor at Semmelweis Medical University. From 1965 he researched lasers and in 1967 began publishing on their biostimulatory effects, after noticing that shaved mice grew hair back faster when treated with laser light. In 1971 he began treating non-healing skin ulcers with low intensity laser irradiation, and in 1974 he founded the Laser Research Center at Semmelweis. Later reviews of the therapy disagree about how well it works, and this entry is not medical advice.