The Influence of Dermatology on the Development of Medical Mycology

Summary Even though all medical disciplines and related professions are nowadays interested in medical mycology, the historical approach reveals that dermatology is ‐ and always has been ‐ the pacemaker for this specific branch of research. After modern dermatology had been systematized and established in the 19th century, it attracted men such as S chönlein (1839), G ruby , and ‐ in the first place ‐ S abouraud , the actual founder of medical mycology. The period of morphological studies was followed by a phase concerned with investigation into immunobiological processes in mycotic infections; this phase, too, was initiated by dermatologists. Closer cooperation in all disciplines of human and veterinary medicine, including biologists, botanists, and chemists, promises further progress in the studies of mycoses. Résumé Aujourd'hui toutes les branches médicales et les professions apparentées s'intéressent à la mycologie. Mais on peut considérer que la dermatologie reste‐ et a toujours été ‐ le pionnier dans le domaine de cette recherche spécifique. La systématisation des maladies cutanées et la création de la dermatologie moderne au XIX iEme siècle fut dominee par SCHÖNLEIN (1839) par G ruby , mais surtout par S abouraud , le vrai fondateur de la mycologie medicale. L'étude de la morphologie fut suivie d'une phase d'investigation immunobiologique des affections mycosiques et une fois de plus, ce fut les dermatologues qui en prirent L'initiative. Aujourd'hui encore, on peut réaliser des faits nou‐veaux en mycologie par une étroite coopération des medicins, des vétérinaires, des botanistes, des biologistes, et des chimistes. Zusammenfassung Wenn auch heme an der Medizinischen Mykologie alle Disziplinen der Medizin und ver‐wandte Berufe interessiert sind, so hebt eine historische Betrachtung doch die Dermatologie als Schrittmacher für diesen Spezialforschungszweig besonders hervor. Über die Systembildung und Begründung der modernen Dermatologie im 19. Jahrhundert fuhrt der Weg zu S chönlein (1839), vor allem aber zu G ruby und S abouraud , den eigentlichen Begründern der Medizinischen Mykologie. Der Periode der Morphologie folgte eine Phase, die sich der Erforschung der immunobiologischen Vorgänge bei Pilzaffektionen widmete. Auch diese ging primär von Dermatologen aus. Weitere Fortschritte bei der Erforschung der Pilzkrankheiten sind durch eine engere Zusammenarbeit aller Disziplinen der Human‐ und Veterinarmedizin, der Biologen, Botaniker und Chemiker zu erwarten. only cursory glance at its development, it becomes obyious that here dermatology plays a special role. Dermatology could briefly be defined as “the study of the skin and the visible mucous membranes”. Even before our days, changes in the aspect of the skin used to attract the attention of fellow men, especially of those who acted as priests and doctors of their tribes and races. The clinically obvious symptoms of a favus of the head, or a profound trichophytosis of the beard, or‐ clear‐cut ring‐ or bow‐shaped formations on the skin could hardly be overlooked by anybody. As long as man as a thinking entity exists, something urges him to ask “why” in every un‐ usual event he is confronted with. This question “why” is the crucial point leading to the understanding of the influence of dermatology on medical mycology. The question why certain skin changes appear is of course much more difficult to answer than the question how they should be classified. Therefore, we must consider the history of dermoatology, and in doing so we may learn from its evolution why the doctors who occupied themselves with skin changes were the first ones to conceive the basis for today's medical mycology. Even though medicine is only described as an empirical science, i. e., nor as a science in the sense of the exact natural sciences, every possible sort of research must be made prior to at‐ tempts at classification and observation of possible skin changes.