100 years of radiobiology: implications for biomedicine and future perspectives.

The development of radiobiology from the very early detection of the biological action of X-rays to the knowledge of today is described in sections on radiation chemistry and biochemistry, mutation and cancer induction, and embryonic damage, as well as the dependence of radiation response on radiation quality and temporal dose distribution (repair) and the interaction with other factors. For medicine radiobiology serves as a basis for radiotherapy and radiological protection. The effect of very low doses, and their possible biopositive effect (hormesis and adaptive response), is also discussed, as are the health hazard of radon, health risks after the Chernobyl accident, and space radiobiology. The radiobiology of the future will be concerned with biomolecular and genetic implications, problems of damage and repair, and connected problems like hormesis.