The Greek word of origin is: οφις = ophis = snake This term is used when alopecia areata affects the occipital and parietal areas of the scalp. When the alopecic plaques are horizontal, and that they merge together, they appear as a sinuous line which reminds us of a snake. This type tends to extend…
The Greek word of origin is: βλέννα = blenna = mucus, purulent mucus ρεîν = rein = to flow More precisely, this word is used to describe a purulent discharge which can be localized to the eyes, urethra or any other opening or aperture. If referring to a urethral discharge, it is better to use…
The use of steroids in dermatology was initiated by two American New-York based dermatologists: Drs Marion Sulzberger and Victor Witten. Oral steroids: results of orally administered cortisone acetate were published in the Archives of Dermatology (now JAMA Dermatology) in 1951 and served the following purposes: “1. to get over the hump for an inflammatory dermatosis”…
Teeth deformities in congenital syphilis ? Yes, Hutchinson’s as well as the triad of signs he considered pathognomic: notched teeth, 8th nerve deafness, interstitial keratitis. Lentigo Maligna ? Yes, called Hutchinson’s melanotic freckle (HMF) by Australian dermatologists. A sign of nail melanoma ? Yes, called Hutchinson’s sign (when pigment is present on the proximal nail…
France was where a lot of the building of modern dermatology was made. Baron JL Alibert was of high importance in the development of education in dermatology. 3 times a week he conducted rounds in what was to become the first great dermatologic teaching centre: Hopital Saint-Louis. Reminiscent of the fundamental role of the hospital…
Leprosy was an important health problem in Norway and in the mid 19th century a center for the study and care of leprosy patients was built in the outskirts of Bergen (called the Pleiestiftelsen). It was built by Dr Daniel Cornelius Danielsen (1815-1894), the founder of leprosy research – he described crusted scabies – also…
Fox-Fordyce disease is also known as apocrine miliaria: It appears as papules in apocrine gland bearing areas such as the axillae, the pubic areas and around the areolae. It is due to a chronic obstruction of the apocrine glands It was described by Dr George Henry Fox (1846-1937), an American dermatologist from New York Dr…
This syndrome is also called Gougerot-Carteaud and was described in 1927 by two French dermatologists: Drs Gougerot and Carteaud. Dr Henri Gougerot (1881-1955) also described: the Gougerot-Houwer-Sjogrens syndrome also simply known as Sjorgren’s syndrome the Gougerot-Reiter syndrome also simply known as Reiter’s syndrome. pigmented purpuric lichenoid dermatoses of Gougerot and Blum Dr Gougerot was an…
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome was described by 2 physicians together: the French dermatologist Dr Henri-Alexandre Danlos (1844-1912). He was at the Hôpital St-Louis in Paris and was a pioneer in the use of radium in systemic lupus erythematosus and skin lesions of tuberculosis. the Danish dermatologist Dr Edvard Ehlers (1862-1937). He trained in Breslau, Berlin, Vienna and…
It comes from Latin: Tinea = insect (mite) The term tinea was used by our predecessors to name diseases of the scalp. One can imagine that certain conditions of the scalp had an appearance like being “eaten by mites”; that is probably what inspired them to use this term. Since Dr Alphonse Devergie (1798-1879), this…
