 Title page for the 1867 edition | |
| Editor | Ferdinand von Hebra |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ferdinand von Hebra, Felix von Bärensprung |
| Illustrators | Anton Elfinger, Carl Heitzmann |
| Language | German |
| Subject | Dermatology |
| Genre | Medical textbook |
| Publisher | Ferdinand Enke, Carl Gerold’s Sohn Verlag |
Publication date | 1856-1876 |
The Atlas der Hautkrankheiten (Atlas of Skin Diseases) was an influential work in the field of dermatology, published in ten editions between 1856 and 1876.
In 1843, the Viennese dermatology professor Ferdinand von Hebra began a project collecting accurate sketches of all skin diseases known to medicine at the time, hiring the medical student Anton Elfinger as its illustrator. The first edition was published in 1856, comprising 10 picture plates on the topic of cutaneous lupus in a brochured pad made of thin cardboard. [1]
Separately in 1859, Berlin-based dermatologist Felix von Bärensprung was commissioned by science publisher Ferdinand Enke to produce a comprehensive guide to skin diseases, though this was not completed due to Bärensprung's death as a result of a syphilis infection. [2]
Enke approached Hebra to see whether he could continue Bärensprung's research and incorporate it into his own work. Hebra edited Bärensprung's text and built upon it, inheriting previous illustrations made in Berlin under Bärensprung by an illustrator named R. Schwedler, while commissioning new colour lithographed illustrations of Viennese patients from Carl Heitzmann, due to Elfinger's worsening tuberculosis infection.
Elfinger died in 1864, though his name continued to be credited as illustrator alongside Heitzmann in every subsequent edition's title page. By 1869, Enke had also died, and editions after this time were published by the Carl Gerold’s Sohn Verlag and printed by the Austrian Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei (Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office). [3]
By its 10th edition in 1876, the atlas included research by other influential dermatologists of the time, such as microscopic studies and histopathological works by Gustav Simon. The final work comprised 104 picture plates, with each disease represented in two variants: one as a colour lithography printed with four plates, and the other as a black-and-white pen lithography. [3]
In 1880, Ferdinand von Hebra died and no further editions of the Atlas were published.
The atlas is regarded as a milestone in the history of dermatology. [4] [5] The Wilhelm Fabry Museum, which specialises in the history of medicine and retains several editions of the Atlas as part of its collection, describes the works as "to this day a pinnacle of medical documentation and illustration art" due to their "naturalistic precision of the depiction and the precise descriptions of the symptoms". [3]
Carl Heinrich Auspitz was a Jewish Austrian dermatologist. He was the husband of pianist Auguste Auspitz-Kólar (1843–1878).
Rhinoscleroma, is a chronic granulomatous bacterial disease of the nose that can sometimes infect the upper respiratory tract. It most commonly affects the nasal cavity—the nose is involved in 95–100 per cent of cases—however, it can also affect the nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Slightly more females than males are affected and patients are usually 10 to 30 years of age. Rhinoscleroma is considered a tropical disease and is mostly endemic to North Africa, South Asia and Central America, less common in the United States.
Paul Gerson Unna, was a German physician specialized in dermatology and one of the pioneers in dermatopathology.
Moritz Kaposi was a physician and dermatologist from the Austro-Hungarian Empire who discovered the skin tumor that received his name.
Ferdinand Karl Franz Schwarzmann, Ritter von Hebra was an Austrian Empire physician and dermatologist known as the founder of the New Vienna School of Dermatology, an important group of physicians who established the foundations of modern dermatology.
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.
Joseph (Josef) Jadassohn was a German dermatologist.
Adolf Jarisch was an dermatologist from the Austro-Hungarian Empire who specialized in the care of venereal disease. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, an inflammatory response that he noted following treatment for syphilis, is partially named after him. Jarisch was the father of a noted pharmacologist, Adolf Jarisch Jr.
Carl Heitzmann was a pathologist and dermatologist in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Anton Elfinger was an Austrian physician and illustrator.
Friedrich Wilhelm Felix von Bärensprung, sometimes Baerensprung, often shortened to Felix von Bärensprung was a German dermatologist and entomologist, known for his research into tinea cruris, herpes zoster and syphilis.
Salomon Ehrmann was a Jewish-Austrian dermatologist and histologist born in the village of Ostrovec, today part of the Czech Republic. He was an important member of the so-called Vienna School of Dermatology, a group founded by Ferdinand von Hebra (1816–1888).
Oskar Simon was a German dermatologist who was a native of Berlin.
The history of dermatology concerns the development of the practice of researching, defining and treating skin diseases, from ancient times to the present. The field has its origin in the earliest forms of medicine, later becoming a distinct field with its own specialised practitioners and researchers.
Karl Kreibich was an Austrian dermatologist born in Prague.
Karl Gustav Theodor Simon was a German physician, pathologist, and dermatologist and the founder of dermatopathology.
Philipp Josef Pick was a dermatologist from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Gustav Riehl was an Austrian dermatologist.
Leo von Zumbusch was an Austrian-German dermatologist. He was the son of sculptor Kaspar von Zumbusch (1830–1915).