The history of radiation therapy or radiotherapy can be traced back to experiments made soon after the discovery of x-rays (1895), when it was shown that exposure to radiation produced cutaneous burns. Influenced by electrotherapy and escharotics — the medical application of caustic substances — doctors began using radiation to treat growths and lesions produced by diseases such as lupus, rodent ulcer, and epithelioma. Radiation was generally believed to have bactericidal properties, so when radium was discovered, in addition to treatments similar to those used with x-rays, it was also used as an additive to medical treatments for diseases such as tuberculosis where there were resistant bacilli. Radiation Therapy Services, Inc. (RTSI) develops and operates radiation therapy centers. The Company provides a full spectrum of radiation therapy services to cancer patients, including conventional external beam radiation treatments and advanced services such as prostate seed implants and three dimensional conformal treatment planning. RTSI conducts business in Fort Meyers, Florida.