Josef Jadassohn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph (Josef) Jadassohn (September 10, 1863, Liegnitz - March 24, 1936, Zurich) was a German dermatologist. He was an assistant to Albert Neisser at the Allerheiligen-Hospital in Breslau until 1892, the director of the university skin clinic in Bern (1896-1917), and later a professor of dermatology at Breslau University (1917-1932).

He was a pioneer in the field of allergology. He was one of the first physicians to use immunological techniques in studying dermatological disorders,and made several contributions in the understanding of the immunopathology of tuberculosis and trichophytosis. Two of the dermatological disorders named after him are: Jadassohn's disease I (a skin disorder originating at the elbow} and Jadassohn's disease II (a natal skin disorder affecting the face and scalp). Jadassohn is also credited for introducing patch testing for diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis, and in 1901 described a rare childhood dermatological disorder known as granulosis rubra nasi.

Jadassohn is remembered for a monumental 24-volume opus which he began publication of in 1927. It is called the Handbuch für Haut- und Geschlechtskrankheiten and contains all knowledge of dermatology known up to that point in time.

Together with his assistants Walter Dössekker (1868-1962), Max Tièche (1878-1938) and Felix Lewandowsky (1879-1921), he shares a handful of eponymous medical conditions, including:

Jadassohn-Dössekker disease: Also known as atypical tuberous myxedema.
Tièche-Jadassohn naevus: A hard, dark blue, benign melanocytic tumor.
Jadassohn-Lewandowsky syndrome: An ectodermal dysplasia characterized by onychogryposis, hyperkeratosis, leukoplakia, hyperhidrosis and pachyonychia congenita.