Ranging from the Egypt of the Pharaohs to the present day, Historical Atlas of Dermatology and Dermatologists offers a unique insight into the history of dermatology and the influences that led to present practice. It sheds new light on the emergence of dermatology as a separate medical speciality and on some of the key players who have contributed to its development.

Arranged as an illustrated time-line this volume features an exceptional range of historical plates such as ‘Molluscum contagiosum’, from Thomas Bateman’s Delineations of Cutaneous Diseases, 1817, an 1869 painting of ichthyosis hystrix by Carl Heitzmann, and early experiments in ultraviolet therapy by Finsen and colleagues in 1903. The authors have selected individuals representative of each era, workers who dealt seriously with the dermatologic concerns of the day, or who through their opinions or behavior project the color and ambience of the period in which they lived. They have included typical examples of the books, journals, instruments, and devices that made up the annals and paraphernalia of the speciality as it evolved.

In order to know where you are going, you have to know where you’ve been. The field of dermatology has been fragmented in the last 30 years. It is becoming increasingly difficult to answer the simple questions: What is dermatology and what is a dermatologist? Research dermatology, dermato-histopathology, pediatric dermatology, and the explosion of surgical techniques have all made their mark on how dermatology is practiced. Historical Atlas of Dermatology and Dermatologists explores the development of this field and where it may be going in the future.