Constant Desbordes Painting of Jean-Louis Alibert Administering the Smallpox Vaccine ("La Vaccine"): An Historic Vaccination or Artistic Imagination?

In 1822, France's Ministry of the Interior, concerned about dropping vaccination rates among the population, commissioned the French artist Constant Joseph Desbordes (1761-1828) to create an artwork that would educate the public about the benefits of the smallpox vaccine. The Painting that resulted is entitled: "La Vaccine" ("The Cowpox Inoculation") and a copy of it is entitled "La Vaccine au Chateau de Liancourt" ("Performing the Vaccination against Smallpox in the Chateau of Liancourt"). The highlight of the painting is its central figure, one of France's most distinguished physicians, Jean-Louis Alibert (1768-1837) performing, in dramatic fashion, the arm to arm method of smallpox vaccination that was common at that time.

The Church Spire Sign.

We are pleased to introduce in this issue of Clinics in Dermatology a new section entitled "Art in Dermatology", which explores the interface between the visual arts and dermatology. This contribution focuses on the architectural structure known as a church spire that sits atop a church tower and which has lent its name to a dermatologic sign. Key phrases play an important role in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology.

A Showcase Presentation Honoring the Editorial Board of Clinics in Dermatology.

For over forty years, the Editorial Board of Clinics in Dermatology has been working behind the scenes to help our Editor-in Chief, Dr. Lawrence Parish, bring to readers the best contributions in dermatology. Herein, we tell the story of the beginnings of Clinics in Dermatology and provide a list of the inaugural board members of which we highlight four: Drs.

The dermatologist who delivered a future American President.

Oscar Samuel Hoffman (1856-1926) was the first Jewish physician to settle in Omaha, Nebraska in 1883. He taught dermatology for 25 years at the Omaha Medical College and University of Nebraska, after completing postgraduate work in Vienna under the noted dermatologist Moritz Kaposi (1837-1902). His expertise also included obstetrics, and he became the Professor of Obstetrics and Dermatology at Omaha Medical College.

The Tiber Island in the history of dermatology and venereology, including the curious history of "K syndrome," the fictitious disease that scared the Nazis.

Tiber Island in Rome has a rich history as a center of worship and health care. Its origins date back to ancient times, with the establishment of the Temple of Asclepius marking its role in healing practices. Over centuries, it evolved into a hub for medical innovation and refuge during epidemics and conflicts.

Identification of decedents by restoring mummified fingerprints: Forensic dermatology in the investigation of mummy dermatoglyphics.

Fingerprints are created by elevations and depressions on the fingertip pads. Each person has their own unique fingerprints, which can be used in the identification of that individual when alive, during the immediate postmortem period, or even after the digits have become mummified. Mummification can occur naturally; it can be partial (such as localized to only the hands and feet), extensive, or complete.

Jewish women in dermatology.

We highlight the contribution of notable Jewish women in American dermatology. Although not intended to be a thorough listing, we selected nine representatives as examples of early pioneer women in American dermatology and research and those who were political leaders, authors and journal editors, and teachers and role models. All struggled to overcome professional barriers to women in medicine; many experienced antisemitism, especially those who were forced to flee Nazi Germany.

Three dermatologists who were nominated for a Nobel Prize: Albert Neisser, Erich Hoffmann, and Aaron B. Lerner.

During the past 125 years, three dermatologists have been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Albert Neisser (1855-1916), Erich Hoffmann (1868-1959), and Aaron B. Lerner (1920-2007). Neisser was nominated 22 times for his discovery of the gonococcus and for his work on the serologic testing for syphilis through complement fixation.

Eponyms that honor Jewish dermatologists: A celebration and a remembrance, Part three: Jewish physicians who practiced during the Holocaust and in its aftermath.

Part III of this contribution continues to celebrate the many contributions that Jewish physicians have made to advance the specialty of dermatology, as reflected by eponyms that honor their names. Part I covered the years before 1933, a highly productive period of creativity by Jewish dermatologists, especially in Germany and Austria. The lives of 17 Jewish physicians and their eponyms were described in Part I.

Edouard Manet's portrait of Jeanne Duval: Did Manet portray the disease of which he died?

In 1862, the French artist Edouard Manet painted a portrait of Jeanne Duval, then age 42, who was suffering from a paralyzed leg. Manet depicts her stiffly reclined on a sofa with her foot seemingly disjointed from her body. Duval later became blind.

Eponyms and clinical entities from the land of Israel.

Seven eponyms have been pioneered by dermatologists in Israel: Brenner's sign, Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome, granulated sweetener packet sign, isopathic phenomenon of Sagher, lanolin paradox, Nakar-Ingber disease, and Wolf's isotopic response. In addition, there are three id reactions described by Israeli dermatologists: leishmanid, pediculid, and scabid. There is also the acronym PEMPHIGUS, which stands for the causative reasons for pemphigus.

Eponyms that honor Jewish dermatologists: A celebration and a remembrance, Part two: Jewish physicians who practiced between 1933 and 1945.

This is the second installment of a three-part contribution that highlights the achievements of Jewish dermatologists as reflected by eponyms that honor their names. It covers the period 1933-1945 when the Nazis took over Germany and how the lives of 14 notable Jewish physicians, mostly in Germany, were impacted during the Holocaust. Many of them fled from the persecution, bringing their academic talents to other lands such as the United States.

Ceratum Galeni: An old eponym honoring Galen and his cold cream.

Ceratum Galeni is an old eponym honoring the name of Galen of Pergamum (129 to cca 216 CE) and a cold cream he described more than 1,800 years ago. We traced this eponym back to the 14th and 16th centuries in published medical texts by Guy de Chauliac (ca 1300-1368) and Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564). We also found a 4th-century reference in a medical work by Oribasius (ca 320-403 CE) to a mixture of wax and oil of roses based on Galen's cold cream formula.

British Royalty and Aristocracy: Their skin maladies Part II. Queen Mary II's death from hemorrhagic smallpox.

In 1694, Queen Mary II (1662-1694) died at age 32 of hemorrhagic smallpox, a rare and fatal form of the viral infection. This contribution presents the clinical features of Queen Mary II's smallpox infection. It also reviews, from a modern-day perspective, the disseminated intravascular coagulopathy involved in the pathophysiology of hemorrhagic smallpox, which is characterized by thrombocytopenia, coagulation factor deficiency, and hypofibrinogenemia.

Celebrating culture in American dermatology part I: A special tribute to Dr E. A. (Billy) Hankins III, dermatologist with American Indian heritage as a minor part of his ethnic background.

This contribution honors the life of Dr E. A. (Billy) Hankins III, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist with 40 years of practice experience, now retired, having American Indian heritage as a minor part of his ethnic background.

Dermatologists with extraordinary life stories: Nikolai Tsankov and his island in Antarctica.

An island in Antarctica has been named in honor of the distinguished Bulgarian dermatologist Nikolai Tsankov. This contribution tells the story of Tsankov Island, and the remarkable man behind the eponym. He has participated in multiple expeditions to Antarctica as a pioneer in studying the effects its climactic conditions on healthy skin.

Dermatologists with extraordinary life stories: Harvey S. Moser and the 1939 voyage of the St. Louis.

Harvey S. Moser is a retired dermatologist who in 1939, at the age of 11 years, was a passenger with his family aboard the St. Louis, a German ship en route to Cuba that was carrying more than 900 Jews fleeing Nazi persecution.