  The term hyperthermia is a combination of two Greek words: HYPER (rise) and
THERME (heat) and refers to the increasing of body temperature or selected
tissues in order to achieve a precise therapeutic effect. This paper reviews
the development of thermotherapy by describing the most important moments in
its history. For decades, the development of hyperthermia ran parallel with the
development of cancer treatment and had numerous connections with
electromedicine. Throughout its history, hyperthermia evoked a number of hopes,
brought spectacular successes, but also was the subject of many
disappointments.
