[Leysin and its medical past]

The mountain village of Leysin (Ct. de Vaud, Switzerland) enjoyed an international reputation as a place for the cure of tuberculosis. This was mainly due to Auguste Rollier (1874-1954), who, at the beginning of this century, initiated heliotherapy of bone and joint tuberculosis. The author describes the development of Leysin in its medical as well as in its social aspects. She stresses the rôle of the "Société climatérique", founded in 1890 by both physicians and hotel-keepers. Finally, she discusses the influence of principles applied in the fight against tuberculosis on our way of life in general.