As a continuous effort to promote historical works in dermatology, we invite you to read the abstracts of these communications related to history.
8th EADV Congress, Amsterdam, Sept 29th - Oct 2nd, 1999
These abstracts appeared in J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 1999; 12, supp.2.
Chair : K Holubar
Co-chairs : R Happle, J Goens.
7th EADV Congress, Nice, October 7th - 11th, 1998
These abstracts appeared in J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 1998; 11, supp.2.
6th EADV Congress, Dublin, September 11th - 15th, 1997
These abstracts appeared in J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 1997; 9, supp.1.
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European countries have a long colonial tradition, and travelling is an important part of the action in their literature. During their travels,
characters can observe, catch, and bring back home overseas dermatological diseases.
The medical figures can thus either be described at work abroad, or be consulted in Europe.
Not surprisingly the great epidemic diseases with cultural impact, like leprosy, smallpox or syphilis are the most frequently quoted.
Syphilis especially plays an important role, as it is associated closely to communication and thus to travelling experience.
EADV 99 - W8-2
B. Mesander, Gouda, The Netherlands
The year 1900 can be characterised as a turning point in the dermatological dedication of The Netherlands to one of his
contemporary colonies, Dutch East Indies. At the time a number of lines converged through which a Dutch dermatology as a
medical specialty came into existence: progress of medicine towards natural science, unity in schooling of the Dutch physicians,
first Dutch professional chair of dermatology. This early Dutch genuine European dermatology spread from The Netherlands to the
territory overseas where she came into beneficial interference with pre-existing tropical dermatology experienced by indigenous
doctors djawa and military medical doctors from Europe. Insights in tropical dermatology were deepened and a modem view on
cosmopolitan dermatology came within the reach of colonials and natives as well. Tropical skin diseases side by side with skin
diseases in the tropics. E.g. lepra, framboesia, madurafoot, ulcus phagedaenicum tropicum, Dajak itch, copra itch, manggalumps,
myiasis cutanea face to face with psoriasis, eczema, acne, lichen ruber, scabies, pyodermia, dermatomycosis, pediculosis,
syphilis and so on. New colonial ethical policy announced by the Dutch queen in 1901 provided better medical, sanitary and
hygienic services. A civil medical service came into being as important as the military service which dominated the scene before.
A medical faculty was set up in Batavia, colonial medical institutes in The Netherlands next to Dutch universities took care of
producing graduates with better expertise than ever. The Dutchman J.D. Käyser, a real dermatologist, played a major role in the
overseas implementation of a new European understanding regarding skin diseases including bacteriology, immunology and
parasitology. For the benefit of all concerned he produced a textbook of tropical skin diseases and one about nursing of skin
diseases in the tropics.
EADV 99 - W8-4
C.R. Srinivas, Department of Dermatology, PSG Hospitals, Coimbatore, India
Heliotherapy has been practised in India since time immemorial. Sun is believed to be a God and famous temples such as Konarak
at the Eastern Coast of India has been erected. The first Solarium in India was installed by Maharaja of Jamnagar, Near Rajkot for
treatment of skin disease (?Vitiligo).
EADV 99 - W8-5
E. Panconesi, Department of Dermatology, University of Florence, Italy
The colonial era began late and was not very fortunate in Italy, one of the last European countries to establish a national identity.
Thus, there is generally little, poorly documented information about the work of Italian dermatologists overseas.
EADV 99 - W8-6
L.C. Parish, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
By the 1860's, graduates from many of the prestigious American medical schools often embarked upon the Grand Tour of European
medical centres. Louis A. Duhring (1845-1913), who was a recent graduate of America's oldest medical school, the University of
Pennsylvania (1867), completed his internship at the Philadelphia General Hospital (Blockley) the following year. He set out to visit
the dermatology clinics in London, Paris, and Vienna, even extending his studies to include Berlin and Constantinople, something
most of his contemporaries could ill-afford. His impressions and observations of the dermatologists of the mid-nineteenth century
were recorded in a series of published letters in the Philadelphia Medical Times.
EADV 99 - W8-7
T.J. Ryan, Oxford Brookes University, OCHRAD, Oxford, UK
The importing and exporting of medicaments to and from Europe in the past is better recorded than the attitudes that went with them.
Washing, annointing and the application or ingestion of medicaments is universal and early explorers were curious about them as
well as being the providers of therapeutic gifts. Some systems of medicine, such as that of Greece, spread as far afield as India and
is the basis of Unani practice.
EADV 99 - W8-8
A. Scholz, Medical Faculty Technical University Dresden, Germany
South West Africa was the first German colony of the Second Empire. The occupation by German merchants and later by soldiers
started in 1882.
The XVIII century was the great turning point of the scientific history: speculative Medicine became clinical Medicine, all the principal discoveries in Anatomy were done, Botany was very developed. Because of all these progresses, scientists needed to classify the knowledge they have accumulated.
EADV 98 - W14-2
The 18th was the century of enlightenment. Systematisation of the plant kingdom and of animal species set in. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) and François Boissier de Sauvages (1706-1767) were the figure heads of this development.
EADV 98 - W14-3
Charles Darwin is mostly remembered today as the father of evolutionism.
EADV 98 - W14-4
Skin cancers are increasing in frequency in most countries where they are being recorded. Most people agree that this is related to a desire for a suntan and increasing exposure of large amounts of the body in public by individuals in an attempt to change their skin colour (i.e. develop a tan). In the early 20th century, ultraviolet radiation exposure was being used to treat disease such as tuberculosis and, thus, tanning became linked to health. In an attempt to determine risk of skin cancer from sunlight exposure, various classification systems of skin type based on response to unprotected exposure to sunlight have been attempted over the last five decades. As yet, no standardised system has been accepted. Nevertheless, there is consensus that those with skin types that are very sensitive to sunlight, burning easily and tanning poorly, have the highest risk of skin cancer and other cutaneous changes. There has been an extraordinary variety of commercial and other ventures aimed at creating or benefitting from this 20th century fashion to change skin colour. A variety of innovative programs are now attempting to population knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour related to sunlight exposure. We are seeing substantial changes back to a more moderate approach, even in the absence of an internationally accepted phototyping classification system.
EADV 98 - W14-5
The concept of beauty related to the human body is relative to the norms, rules and habits of a society. Idealized and aesthetized representations of the human body can therefore always be taken as indicators of value systems and specific believes within a society.
K. Holubar Institute for the History of Medicine, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
The introduction will outline the selection of topics of meetings in the immediate past and those planned in the future and
will also comment on the choice of speakers. Dermatologists will reminisce about an important bicentennial, the publication
of Robert Willan'S (1757-1812) book, the preface of which was dated November 20 1797 and published in London in 1798.
The speakers of the EADV symposium will be shortly introduced and at the end of the session, a conclusion of the
presentations will be made.
EADV 97 - WS 015
Amelia Ricon-Ferraz Portugal
In 1492 the King D. Joăo II of Portugal founded the All Saints Royal Hospital as a result of the unification of Lisbon's Hospitals.
EADV 97 - WS 016
Ole Fyrand Department of Dermatology, The National Hospital, Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, Norway
Norwegian dermatology can be dated back to 1817, when lectures in skin- and sexually transmitted diseases were started at
the University of Oslo. Carl Wilhelm Boeck (1808-1875), worked as a lecturer from 1846 at the University of Oslo, from 1851
as the first professor of dermato-venereology. Boeck is reknown in the history of medicine for his treatment of syphilitic patients
with "syphilization". This was a kind of "vaccination" against syphilis, at a time when vaccinations according to the method of
Jenner was modern. Syphilization was first developed and used by Joseph Auzias-Turenne (1813-1870) from France.
He postulated that if a syphilitic patient was inocculated through the skin with a "syphilitic matter" the organism would obtain a
therapeutic effect through "syphilitic saturation". CW Boeck became the "most famous syphilisator in the world", until the method
was abandoned with his death in 1875.
EADV 97 - WS 017
J. Goens Brussels, Belgium
Shakespeare's works are astonishingly rich in medical references, especially dermatological, ranking from realistic descriptions
to metaphoric allusions. Some points are especially outstanding:
EADV 97 - WS 018
C. Durand Service of Dermatology Pr. J. Meynadier, Montpellier, France
In his book "on cutaneous diseases", in 1798, R. Willan described and named the EN. At first, EN was considered a simple skin
inflammation (Willan, Biett, Cazenave...). But this conception was not enough to explain EN's premonitory symptoms.
EADV 97 - WS 019
S. Eppinger, A. Scholz Institut for history of medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
16% of the physicians in Germany in 1933 were Jews. The share of Jews of the whole population amounted few than 1% in this
time. Jewish physicians had to suffered under the antijewish laws of the Nationalsocialists. In this connection they were removed
from the universities and the public hospitals after 1933. By the law "4. Verordnung zum Reichsbürgergesetz" they were strucked
off the Medical Register on September 30th, 1938.
A. Górkiewicz-Petkow, W. Glinski Department of Dermatology, Warsaw School of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
The Polish Association of Dermatology (PTD) was established in 1921 in Warsaw after Poland had regained independence ein
1918 lost for 123 years. However, the society had it roots in 19th century in Cracow, Wilno Lwów, Warsaw. In 1864 the
first dermatological ward was organized in Cracow by Prof. A. Rosner who was a pupil of Hebra, and first Polish professor in
dermatology. At the beginning of 20th century when territory of Poland was still divided among Russia, Austria and
Germany, official sections of dermatology of local Medical Associations in Warsaw and Cracow were founded. The first congress of
PTD was held in Warsaw in 1922. In the period 1922-1939 the society had 4 branches in Cracow, Lwów Poznan and Warsaw and
it edited scientific and clinical periodical entitled "Przeglad Dermatologiczny" since 1921. The cooperation of PTD with other
European countries i.e. Czech, Bulgaria, France and Germany was started, the Polish dermatologists were active organizers of
Slovian Group of Dermatologists. The well known dermatologists such as Prof. Krzysztalowicz, Bernhardt and Grzybowski
maintained close cooperation and contact with other dermatological societies and European centers. After 2nd World
war the 12 Congress of PTD was organized in 1948 in Warsaw after PTD had started again its activity in 1947. New branches of
PTD in all 11 University Centers in Poland were organize as well as sections of micology, allergology, immunology, pharmacology,
venereology, pediatric dermatology, surgery and oncology. PTD is a member of ILDS, recently over 1300 dermatologist are members
of the society and many of them are active in various international organizations. The next 26th Congress of PTD will
be held in September 1998 in Warsaw.
EADV 97 - Oral communication 084
A. Nyfors Haukeland Sykehus, N-5021 Bergen, Norway
Gerhard Armauer Henrik Hansen was born in Bergen July 29, 1841. He was the eight in a family of 15 children. In 1859 he moved to
Christiania (Oslo) to study medicine. He was a diligent student who developed a special interest in pathological anatomy. In the
autumn of 1866 he passed his medical examinations with honours. In 1867 he served as a registrar in the northern part of Norway
in a fishing community.
EADV 97 - Poster 227
F.C. Powell, D. Burrows
One hundred and fifty years ago Drs William Stokes (Stokes - Adams Syndrome), John Cheyne (Cheyne-Stokes Breathing)
Dominick Corrigan (Corrigan's Pulse), Robert Graves (Graves Disease) and Abraham Colles (Colles Fracture) practised in Dublin.
Dermatology flourished during this period in Dublin and Belfast where hospitals for treatment of skin diseases were founded.
Dr. Arthur Jacob described "Jacobs Ulcer", the first accurate delineation of Basal Cell Carcinoma while Dr. Walter Smith defined the
condition Monilethrix. In 1965 The Irish Association of Dermatologists was founded and has grown from strength to strength since.
The I.A.D. welcomes delegates to the Congress and places Irish Dermatology of today in the context of its evolution from the past.
Dermatoloy in the dutch east Indies anno 1900
Phototherapy in India
PUVASOL a common method of phototherapy in this sun rich tropical country is still the most in expensive mode of phototherapy.
The Indian pigmented skin has a high MED to UVB and MPD cannot usually be determined.
I will talk on phototherapy as practised in India & review the relevant literature. I will also talk briefly on other therapeutic and
diagnostic methodology as practised in India.
A great florentine, overseas researcher, Sir Aldo Castellani, in the era of colonial Italy
The Florentine dermatologist Sir Aldo Castellani is an important exception to this. He was an internationally recognised researcher
whose scientific and human interests took him far beyond the confines of both dermatology and his mother country. He can be
considered exemplary of his times, both for his declared passion for dermatology, his discoveries of interest to dermatology and
other fields of medicine, his involvement in the general history of the period, and his international career, which began in Italy and
then continued in England (where he was knighted), Ceylon, Serbia, and Portugal.
The grand tour of european dermatology centers : what Louis A. Duhring learned
Colonial attitudes to topical medicaments
The exchange of attitudes to medicine is of equal interest. The crusaders of Europe, while destructive of people in the East, brought
back to Europe the hospitaller movement. The influence of their caring attitude on medical practice is not as well researched as the
recording of the properties they owned - five hospitals in Oxford alone, in the 12th century.
The destruction of African, South American and Australian Aboriginal medical practice, was the consequence of attitudes which saw
such practice as both unscientific and as black magic. It contrasted with the influence of Europeans in the East India Company,
which was more tolerant.
Recent history reveals that extraordinary individuals exported practical and organisational skills to many parts of the world. Colonial
attitudes did not prevent the overwhelming exchange of attitudes so that, in Europe, for example, lay persons seek Chinese medicine
and Chinese seek Western medicine - mostly this is a destructive process due to malpractice and the resulting legislation. A policy
of integration will hopefully feature in the next millennium. Currently it is the field of 'wound healing' which is most active in identifying
both the science and the philosophy underlying worldwide practices.
Medical care in South-West Africa about 1900
The most frequent diseases were malaria and gastro-intestinal disturbances. There were many typhoid epidemics. The medical care
of the European population was sufficient 23 civil physicians, 171 sanitary officers, 31 nurses of the Red Cross, and 92 male nurses
worked in South-West Africa from 1893 to 1914. Various hospitals existed both for the Europeans and for the native. The soldiers,
the so-called "protective troops", were treated in own military hospitals. There were state, private, and denominational hospitals.
The venereal diseases had the highest frequency. They were more spread out in all colonies than they did in Europe. The average
rate of VD was puted at the European population about 20%, in the native population about 35%. The incidence of syphilis of
Africans increased in few regions to a percentage of 50%, The causes of the high level of the VD were different. The prostitution of
white men with black women was usual, because the number of European women was small. The Europeans assessed the native
women as inferior members of the society. The African women with VD infected their husbands or other partners. The infected black
people spread out the VD in their home regions. The patients with syphilis were treated by mercury kurs and internal by potassium
iodide. The treatment with Salvarsan started in 1911.
Various prophylactic activities were initiated. Sex education m various kinds were performed Prostitutes were regularly investigated.
Patients with VD were treated and isolated. Mixed marriage between black and white people was forbidden since 1905. Single,
young German women were sent regularly as "potential brides" to South-West Africa since 1898.Workshop on Races and phototypes. The development of concepts
G.L.C.F.D. Cuvier: Early description of races of man
C. Durand, Dept of dermatology Pr. J. Meynadier, Hopital St-Eloi, Montpellier, France
G.L.C.F.D. CUVIER (1769-1832) left the university of Stuttgart to arrive in Paris in 1794. He got a position of professor of compared Anatomy at the "museum d'histoire naturelle". Inspired by LINNE, BUFFON, JUSSIEU, he worked to find a classification for all the life-world. The main difficulty was to define the different species of the world-life! In his book "Le Rčgne Animal Distribué d'aprčs Son Organisation" (1810) mankind was included among the "bimanes" and was divided in three races: the "Caucasique", the white race; "the "Mongolique", the yellow race; the "Ethiopique", the black race. G. CUVIER explained the different colors of skin by the effects of the alimentation and the surrondings. He defended the theory "the Fixism" and he was opposed to the Evolution's theory. In his last book (1835) he defended yet the same theory with the same arguments...one question remained: which types of race are the Americans!
G. CUVIER was the first paleontologist and he blended with success Science, Philosophy and History especially in his last book "Histoire des Sciences Naturelles, Histoire des Sciences et du Monde".
Christoph Meiners 1747-1810 and J.F. Blumenbach 1752-1840 what is a caucasian?
D.C. Angetter, Institute for the History of Medicine, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Anthropologists started to classify man. Christoph Meiners (1747-1810) and Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840) were some of the first to try this. Blumenbach in the third edition of his treatise related to a report by a French traveller a century earlier, Jean Chardin (1643-1713) who spoke about the beauty of the people in the Caucasus region. Following this allusion, Blumenbach coined the term varietas caucasia and thereby introduced "Caucasian" into the anthropological literature. This term actually came into use through the English language not through the German language, notwithstanding the fact that Blumenbach was German. Today it must be differentiated that Caucasian is not synonimous to white.
Charles Darwin 1809-1882 and the origin of species
J. Goens, Hôpitaux Universitaires de la Ville de Bruxelles, Belgique, Belgium
This communication aims to give more precise informations than this superficial vision by considering successively: Charles Darwin's life and travels; his theories and works, especially the "Origin of Species" (1859); his considerations about human evolution and races, as exposed in his other great work "The descent of Man" (1871).
Phototyping, sunlight and its consequences
R. Marks, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine (Dermatology), St Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne), Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia
Beauty and its distorsion by disease
B. Wegenstein, University of Vienna, Department for Romance Studies, Austria
The relationship between the human psyche and soma, the Cartesian res cogitans and res extensa, has been thought over throughout history with different conclusions always related to a specific Zeitgeist. The achievements of evolutionary theories in the 19th century produced a certain normativization of the human body. At that point the concepts of health and beauty were taken over by the technological sciences such as by modern Medicine, whereas philosophical and theological approaches to the human body disappeared slowly from the scientific discourse. Since then the ill and distorted body and of course the dead body have become more and more "problematic" for a society that no longer accepts metaphysical contents as explanations for illness and hence "abnormal bodies".
AIDS as a fatal disease in the late 20th century has been on of the impulses for a techno-medical postmodern society to question again the concepts of health and beauty. Perfomance artists (e.g. the French Orlan, the Australian Stelarc) express their skepticism toward the current norms by presenting their own distorted bodies as works of art: transgression replacing normativity becomes the new content of beauty.Workshop on History of Dermatology and Venereology
EADV - 97 - WS 014
History of dermatology symposium - An introduction
The dermatological/medical and human experiences of Diaz d'Ysla on syphilis
Ruy Diaz d'Ysla, a Spanish surgeon, who became an expert on the diagnosis and treatment of syphilis, was hired as a "specialist"
for the care of this kind of patients at this Hospital.
The "Treatise Against the Serpentine Disease", written by Diaz d'Ysla, printed in 1539 is based on his experience, acquired in the
All Saints Royal Hospital. Important knowledge (related with the origin of the disease, its evolutive stages, contagion and treatment)
was pointed with methodology and accuracy. The efforts developed by the "Misericórdia" (a charitable institution), and by the
physicians and surgeons of the Hospital were precursors and are a remarkable historical event.
Syphilization - "Vaccination" against syphilis in the 19th century in Norway
Skin diseases mentioned by Shakespeare
History of erythema nodosum
In the same time EN was considered a sign of rheumatic infection. (Schöenlein, Bouillaud, Begbie...). The principal arguments
of this rheumatic theory are: young people, rheumatic fever in past medical history, sore throat and joint pain, dysfunction of
menstruation, effectiveness of quinine sulfata treatment. But how to explain EN without joint pain?
A third theory was evoked: EN was a specific infective disease. Trousseau in France, Hebra in Vienna were the leaders of this
opinion. But still nobody was finding the specific etiologic germ when many different cases of EN were occurring.
In 1893, the discovery of b-hemolitic streptococci will show that EN is the sign of a streptococci infection instead of rheumatic
infection. The rheumatic theory will be abandoned.
But the more frequently observed association was EN and tuberculosis (Koch bacilli was discovered in 1882). During 50 years,
Dermatologists who assert EN as a secondary sydrom will be opposed by the Pediatricians who believe EN as a sign of primary
tuberculosis. The great advances in medical technology will offer to the opposing teams different sorts of arguments. In 1938,
in Strasbourg congress, they found a consensus:
Since 1940, several cases of EN following sulfathiazole treatment were described, no matter what original infection: EN might have
a toxic genesis too. But the last revolution came from Scandinavia. Löfgren, among 178 EN cases, displayed a new association:
EN with Bilateral Hilar Lymphoma Syndrom, which questioned the tuberculosis etiology. He also admitted the possibility of
many uncharacteristic EN cases...a real revolution!
The etiologic list has increased during the XXth century with many different causes. Actually, we notice the more frequently,
uncharacteristic EN cases then BHL syndrom and after EN as the sign of concurrent infections of complex etiology.
At the beginning of the XIXth century, EN interested Physicians who were recently clinicians. But they were investigators too and
the danger was to explain all the facts they observed by the science they have just discovered. We think, now, that the EN is the
result of two types of immunologic reaction according to different allergens. Two questions subsist: the predisposition of a person
and the pathogenesis of EN. In the near future, we will maybe have the answer with our most recent science: Genetics.
The destiny of the Jewish dermatologists in Germany in the time of Nationalsocialism
The share of Jews under the dermatologists were amounted about 27%. 566 Jewish dermatologists could be documented.
It was possible to detect the destinyof 70% of the Jewish dermatologists. It could be shown, that 16% were murdered in
concentration camps, 16% died in Germany in a natural death, 5% survived in Germany, 3% committed suicide and 60% of the
Jewish dermatologists emigrated. The USA were the main emigration destination. 40% found a new home there.Other Communications
EADV 97 - Oral communication O80
75-TH anniversary of the polish association of dermatology
Armauer Hansen (1841-1912): The life of the discoverer of the aetiology of leprosy
In the spring of 1868 Armauer Hansen (AH) returned to Bergen to work under the world-known leprologist dr. Danielssen at
Pleiestiftelsen no. I (leprosarium no. I) as a clinician and researcher. AH studied sections from lymph nodes and organs from lepers
in his microscope. On a rainy evening the 28. of February 1873 he noticed some small rods moving in the field he studied. Later he
was able to stain such rods (mycobacterium leprae).
AH's life will be reviewed with photos from Pleiestiftelsen no. I as well as from the Lepramuseum in Bergen.
The history of Irish dermatology
Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK