A surgical light source system for cooling high-powered arthroscopic light emitters. The surgical light source system includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end with a tube connected to the proximal end. The system also includes a light source at the distal end of the housing which is connected to a remote power source. The system has a plurality of fins extending around the light source within the housing and a remote fan connected to the tube. The remote fan is adapted to draw air across the fins, forming a heatsink within the housing.