Official transactions / Third International Congress of Dermatology, held in the Examination Hall of the Conjoint Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, London, August 4th to 8th, 1896 ; edited by J.J. Pringle.

  • International Congress of Dermatology
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Official transactions / Third International Congress of Dermatology, held in the Examination Hall of the Conjoint Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, London, August 4th to 8th, 1896 ; edited by J.J. Pringle. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. we may now believe that the whole profession takes an interest in Dermatology, and that what was not very long ago looked down upon as one of the less worthy specialisms, has now taken its place as a branch of medicine of the very foremost value. If we ask how this most rapid development has come about, the answer must be, by the aid of cheap printing and cheap travelling. We are now able to communicate easily one with another and to make mutual use of each other's brains. A six hours' journey will now enable a Londoner to visit what I may fairly name the Cradle of Dermatological Science, the Hopital St. Louis, and to avail himself of the teaching of its professors, the wealth of its wards, and the magnifi- cent collection of models in its unique museum. By the atlases and printed works of Hebra, Kaposi, Neumann and Auspitz, the whole world is made almost as familiar with the teaching of the Vienna school as is Austria herself. I must not go further, but it would be easy to mention from other parts of Eurojse and from the other side of the Atlantic abundance of other instances of mutual indebtedness made possible only by the splendid facilities of modern intercourse. Of these facilities such a Congress as I have the honour to declare open to-day is the final outcome and not one of the least important. That it will not be the last I confidently foretell. Although our organisation is only temporary and ends with the occasion, yet I feel sure that, like the phoenix, it is secure of a renewal of life. The mission of Dermatology is not yet accomplished ; rather say it is only begun. Its banners must change hands, but amongst those who press forward into our ranks are many who will not forget the traditions of the past, and by whom they will be upheld with still increasing honour, ability and zeal. The chief topic of my remarks this morning will be be on the value of Dermatology in its relation to general medicine, and to this I will now turn. The Lessons of Dermatology in relation to Tuberculosis. We may perhaps find in the topics of Tuberculosis and Cancer our best illustrations of what the study of diseases of the external integument has been able to do for general pathology. Koch's discovery of the tubercle bacillus has added much to the precision of our knowledge respecting the diseases formerly classed as
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