Atlas der Hautkrankheiten
The Atlas der Hautkrankheiten (Atlas of Skin Diseases) was an influential work in the field of dermatology, published in 10 editions between 1856 and 1876.
Discipline | Dermatology |
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Language | German |
Edited by | Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra |
Publication details | |
History | 1856-1876 |
Publisher | Ferdinand Enke |
ISO 4 | Find out here |
History
In 1843, the Viennese dermatology professor Ferdinand von Hebra began a project collecting accurate sketches of all skin diseases known to medicine at the time, hiring the medical student Anton Elfinger as its illustrator. The first edition was published in 1856, comprising 10 picture plates on the topic of cutaneous lupus in a brochured pad made of thin cardboard.[1]
Seperately in 1859, dermatologist Felix von Bärensprung was commissioned by science publisher Ferdinand Enke to produce a comprehensive guide to skin diseases, though this was not completed due to Bärensprung's death as a result of a syphilis infection.[2]
Enke approached Hebra to see whether he could continue Bärensprung's research and incorporate it into his own work. Hebra edited Bärensprung's work and built upon it, while commissioning new colour lithographed illustrations from Carl Heitzmann, due to Elfinger's worsening tuberculosis infection. Elfinger died in 1864, though his name continued to be credited as illustrator alongside Heitzmann in every subsequent edition's title page.
By its 10th edition in 1876, the Atlas included research by other influential dermatologists of the time, such as microscopic studies and histopathological works by Gustav Simon. The work comprised 104 picture plates, with each disease is represented in two variants: one as a colour lithography printed with four plates, and the other as a black-and-white pen lithography.
In 1880, Ferdinand von Hebra died and no further editions of the Atlas were published.
Influence
The Atlas is regarded as a milestone in the history of dermatology.[3] The Wilhelm Fabry Museum, which specialises in the history of medicine and retains several editions of the Atlas as part of its collection, describes the works as "to this day a pinnacle of medical documentation and illustration art" due to its "naturalistic precision of the depiction and the precise descriptions of the symptoms".[4]
Selected Images
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Image of a lithograph from Hebra's Atlas, pt. 8, pls. 9-10. Plate 10 shows a two-thirds portrait of a Caucasian man, dark haired and bearded, with bared chest and upper arms, who had an "artistically accomplished full body tattoo" in green and orange. The plate 9 shows a pale outline of the drawing into which numbers are inserted mapping the pictures on the man's body.
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Image of a lithograph from Hebra's Atlas, pt. 10, pl. 7, showing a man in red shirt whose face is completely covered in brown hair.
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Image of a lithograph from Hebra's Atlas, pt. 6, pl. 7, showing a bald man, his head slightly bent down, with herpes zoster (shingles) on face and pate.
- ^ "Hebra, Elfinger: Atlas der Hautkrankheiten, I. Lieferung". Museum-Digital Deutschland. Wilhelm-Fabry-Museum. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "'Atlas der Hautkrankheiten : Nach Originalien von Prof. v. Baerensprung, in Berlin und Professor Hebra, in Wien. Zeichnungen von Dr. Carl Heitzmann, in Wien. Text nach Professor Hebra' - Viewer | MDZ". www.digitale-sammlungen.de. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "Aus den medizinhistorischen Beständen der Ub MedUni Wien [10]: Hebra, Ferdinand von: Atlas der Hautkrankheiten. Hrsg. durch die Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften. Wien: Braumüller 1856 – 1876. | VAN SWIETEN BLOG – Infos und News" (in German). 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "Von Hebra/ Elfinger/ Heitzmann: Atlas der Hautkrankheiten, X.Lieferung". Museum-Digital Deutschland. Wilhelm-Fabry-Museum. Retrieved 2024-02-10.