Eczema historical perspective

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1], Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:  Edzel Lorraine Co, DMD, MD[2]

## Overview

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It was in the 20th century when eczema came into existence, and later on, concepts on this had evolved including major insights on the nature of the disease.[1]

## Historical Perspectives

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* It was in the 20th century when eczema came into existence, and later on, concepts on this had evolved including major insights on the nature of the disease.[1]
* Listed below is a summary of the history of eczema.

Table 1. History of Eczema Through the Ages.[1] Period | Highlights | Treatment
Ancient History  |

Ebers Papyrus (1500 BCE)

* This is the earliest medical document about dermatology that was compiled in Egypt. [2]

* Wind-heat or damp-heat were used to treat eczema
* Nai hsien, tai lien chung, and Hsin-san-miao-san are herbal remedies for infantile eczema that was known to have anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effects. [3]

Hippocrates (400 BCE)

* He explained the importance of skin manifestations in the identification of internal humoral medical conditions. [4]

Celsus (AD)

* He is a Roman physician who described the existence of a dermatological condition as a:

" certain degree of hardness of the skin with pustules, some humid and some dry  "

Suetonius (AD)

* The atopic syndrome found in Emperor Augustus was described in The Twelve Caesars

Avicenna (980-1037 CE)

* He described the association of skin dryness and bathing [5]

Premodern Era  |

Girolamo Mercurialis (1572)

* He is an Italian physician who wrote the very first dermatological text De morbis cutaneis which pertained to an oozing and pruritic condition on infant's head.[6]

Daniel Turner

* Pustular lesions or scabs on forehead, brows, and face were accounted by him.
* In one of his writings, he described how physicians were reluctant to provide medications for itching or eczema as they believed that this would make the condition worse.

Jean-Louis Alibert (1806)

* He is a French dermatologist who had noted the occurrence of an oozing, pruritic skin lesion in infants which he called "teigne muqueuse", or also translates to "mucosal ringworm".

Willan and Bateman (early 19th century)

* They are English physicians who devised a dermatological classification according to the type of primary lesion.
* They coined the name "eczema" derived from the Greek word 'ekzein which means to erupt or to boil over.

* Restoration of equilibrium.

Pierre Rayer (1835)

* He introduced the concept of chronicity of eczema.

Ferdinand von Hebra (1860)

* He is a Viennese dermatologist who came up with a novel disorder which was known as "Hebra's prurigo".
* This was described as itchy papules found on the limbs and trunk.
* Characteristics include symmetric lymphadenopathy, excoriations, and thickened, darkened and roughened skin.

* He used topical remedies which include soap, lotions, oils, tars, and ointments.

Erasmus Wilson

* He was credited with the discovery of infantile eczema, which was similar to the concept by Wilan and Bateman.
* The lesion was said to be pruritic at night time.

* He introduced the systemic management via use of arsenic and more focus on diet.

Ernest Besnier (1892)

* He was a French physician and medical director of Hospital Saint Louis.
* He introduced the current perception on atopic dermatitis.

Twentieth Century and Beyond  | Von Pirquet (1906)

* He described the concept of allergy, which meant an abnormal reaction of the body to any substance.

Coca and Cooke (1923)

* They proposed the concept of atopy.

Wise and Sulzberger (1933)

* They used the concept by Coca and Cooke,and was able to conceptualize the atopic dermatitis.

* They reported the effectiveness of hydrocortisone for management of erythema, pruritus and scaling.

Blackfan and Talbot (1916)

* They discovered the importance of testing for presence of food proteins, and restrict them, if possible, to prevent hypersensitivity reactions.

Hanifin and Rajka (1980)

* They were known for making the widely used diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis.

## References

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bhattacharya T, Strom MA, Lio PA (2016). "Historical Perspectives on Atopic Dermatitis: Eczema Through the Ages". Pediatr Dermatol. 33 (4): 375–9. doi:10.1111/pde.12853. PMID 27086570.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
2. ↑ Ali FR, Finlayson AE (2013). "Pharaonic trichology: the Ebers Papyrus". JAMA Dermatol. 149 (8): 920. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.4240. PMID 24026454.
3. ↑ Tan EK, Millington GW, Levell NJ (2009). "Acupuncture in dermatology: an historical perspective". Int J Dermatol. 48 (6): 648–52. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2009.03899.x. PMID 19538380.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ↑ Liddell K (2000). "Choosing a dermatological hero for the millennium. Hippocrates of Cos (460-377 BC)". Clin Exp Dermatol. 25 (1): 86–8. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2230.2000.0580d.x. PMID 10671984.
5. ↑ Hajar R (2013). "The air of history (part v) ibn sina (avicenna): the great physician and philosopher". Heart Views. 14 (4): 196–201. doi:10.4103/1995-705X.126893. PMC 3970379. PMID 24696763.
6. ↑ Khalili M, Wong RJ (2018). "Underserved Does Not Mean Undeserved: Unfurling the HCV Care in the Safety Net". Dig Dis Sci. 63 (12): 3250–3252. doi:10.1007/s10620-018-5316-9. PMC 6436636. PMID 30311153.