Vienna School of Dermatology
Encyclopedia
The Vienna School of Dermatology was a group of dermatologists affiliated to the University of Vienna
who became an important reference in the development of modern dermatology
in the second half of the 19th century. It was founded by Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra
(1816-1888) with the collaboration of his mentor, Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky
(1804-1878) and Carl Wedl
(1815-1891), a pathologist with interest in skin diseases. Their pupils, Isidor Neumann
(1832-1906), Salomon Stricker
(1834-1898), Heinrich Auspitz
(1834-1885), Moritz Kaposi (1837-1902), all of the same generation; and Paul Gerson Unna
(1850-1929) and Salomon Ehrmann
(1854-1926), continued the tradition. Unna later became the father of German dermatopathology.
Von Hebra first organized the dermatological service in the Vienna General Hospital
. He was inspired by the movement towards a scientific dermatology already established in England
by Robert Willan
(1757-1812) and Thomas Bateman
(1778-1821); and in France
by Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert
(1768-1837), Laurent-Théodore Biett
(1781-1840), Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave
(1795-1877) and Pierre François Olive Rayer
(1793-1867). The Vienna School adopted the approach of pathology
(as influenced by the great Carl von Rokitansky, a professor of von Hebra) and the doctrine of local causative agents. For example, 2,000 of the first 2,500 dermatological patients treated by von Hebra had scabies
.
The members of the Vienna School discovered and described many new diseases and signs, such as:
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
who became an important reference in the development of modern dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
in the second half of the 19th century. It was founded by Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra
Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra
Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra was an Austrian physician and dermatologist,...
(1816-1888) with the collaboration of his mentor, Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky
Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky
Baron Carl von Rokitansky , was a Bohemian physician, pathologist, humanist philosopher and liberal politician.-Medical career:...
(1804-1878) and Carl Wedl
Carl Wedl
Carl Wedl was an Austrian pathologist who was a native of Vienna.In 1841 he obtained his doctorate in Vienna, and subsequently practiced medicine in Ischl and Salzburg...
(1815-1891), a pathologist with interest in skin diseases. Their pupils, Isidor Neumann
Isidor Neumann
Isidor Neumann, Edler von Heilwart was an Austrian dermatologist.He was a student at the so-called Vienna School of Dermatology under Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra , earning his doctorate in 1858. In 1863 he received his habilitation, and in 1873 became an associate professor...
(1832-1906), Salomon Stricker
Salomon Stricker
Salomon Stricker – 2 April 1898) was an Austrian pathologist and histologist who was born in Waag-Neustadtl, which is now part of Slovakia. He studied at the University of Vienna, and subsequently became a research assistant at the Institute of Physiology under Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke...
(1834-1898), Heinrich Auspitz
Heinrich Auspitz
Heinrich Auspitz was an Austrian dermatologist. Trained at the University of Vienna, he specialised in dermatology and syphilis...
(1834-1885), Moritz Kaposi (1837-1902), all of the same generation; and Paul Gerson Unna
Paul Gerson Unna
Paul Gerson Unna, was a German physician specialized in dermatology and one of the pioneers in dermatopathology....
(1850-1929) and Salomon Ehrmann
Salomon Ehrmann
Salomon Ehrmann was a Jewish-Austrian dermatologist and histologist who was born in the village of Ostrovec, which today is part of the Czech Republic...
(1854-1926), continued the tradition. Unna later became the father of German dermatopathology.
Von Hebra first organized the dermatological service in the Vienna General Hospital
Vienna General Hospital
The Vienna General Hospital is the University medical center of the city of Vienna, Austria. The AKH is the largest hospital of Austria and Europe, the second largest hospital in the world, and at 85-m high is one of the tallest hospital buildings in the world...
. He was inspired by the movement towards a scientific dermatology already established in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Robert Willan
Robert Willan
Robert Willan was an English physician and the founder of dermatology as a medical specialty. He received his MD at Edinburgh in 1780 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1809...
(1757-1812) and Thomas Bateman
Thomas Bateman (physician)
Thomas Bateman was a British physician and a pioneer in the field of dermatology who was a native of Whitby, Yorkshire.He earned his medical degree from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary School of Medicine...
(1778-1821); and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert
Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert
Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert was a French dermatologist born in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron. He was a pioneer of French dermatology....
(1768-1837), Laurent-Théodore Biett
Laurent-Théodore Biett
Laurent-Théodore Biett was a Swiss-born dermatologist from Schams in the canton of Graubünden. He is chiefly remembered for introducing into France an anatomical methodology of analyzing skin diseases; a system that was first developed by British dermatologist Robert Willan .In 1786 he moved with...
(1781-1840), Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave
Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave
Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave was a French dermatologist who practiced medicine at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris.In 1823 he was appointed interne to the hospitals of Paris, and in 1835 became professor agrégé to the medical faculty...
(1795-1877) and Pierre François Olive Rayer
Pierre François Olive Rayer
Pierre François Olive Rayer was a French physician who was a native of Saint Sylvain. He made important contributions in the fields of pathological anatomy, physiology, comparative pathology and parasitology....
(1793-1867). The Vienna School adopted the approach of pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
(as influenced by the great Carl von Rokitansky, a professor of von Hebra) and the doctrine of local causative agents. For example, 2,000 of the first 2,500 dermatological patients treated by von Hebra had scabies
Scabies
Scabies , known colloquially as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching...
.
The members of the Vienna School discovered and described many new diseases and signs, such as:
- Auspitz's signAuspitz's signAuspitz's sign is the appearance of punctate bleeding spots when psoriasis scales are scraped off, named after Heinrich Auspitz....
- Eczema herpeticumEczema herpeticumEczema herpeticum is a rare but severe disseminated herpes infection that generally occurs at sites of skin damage produced by, for example, atopic dermatitis, burns, or eczema...
- Erythema exudativum multiforme
- Hebra's disease
- Hebra's prurigo
- Impetigo herpetiformisImpetigo herpetiformisImpetigo herpetiformis is a form of severe pustular psoriasis occurring in pregnancy which may occur during any trimester.It is the only well known pustular psoriasis which is treated with steroids.- References :...
- Kaposi-Irgang syndrome
- Kaposi's sarcomaKaposi's sarcomaKaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
- Lichen acuminatus
- Lichen planus bullosus
- Lichen ruber moniliformis
- Lupus erythematosusLupus erythematosusLupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
- Pityriasis rubra
- Tinea cruris
- Unna-Politzer naevus
- Unna's disease
- Unna-Thost syndrome
- Xeroderma pigmentosa