Oskar Lassar

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Oskar Lassar (1849-1907)

Oskar Lassar (January 11, 1849 - December 21, 1907) was a German dermatologist who was a native of Hamburg.

After earning his medical doctorate in 1872, he worked briefly as a hospital assistant at the Berlin Charité. He later started a private hospital for dermatology and syphilis in Berlin. His clinic was known for being technologically advanced, and it was the first to have a Finsen ultraviolet light therapy device and X-ray machine.[1] In 1902 he became a professor at the University of Berlin.

Lassar is remembered for the creation of public bath houses for low-income individuals in Germany and Austria. These bath houses were constructed in the interest of public hygiene, at a time when poorer people didn't have private baths or showers. In Germany, the bath-houses were called Volksbad, and in Austria- Tröpferlbad. In 1899, Lassar was founder of the German Society for Volksbädern. One of his slogans was "a weekly bath for every German."[1]

He was very social, and he invited physicians who made referrals to his clinic to a champagne breakfast twice a year.[1]

Lassar was among the first physicians in Europe to employ X-ray technology for therapeutic purposes. Also, he developed a zinc paste for treatment of eczema, an ointment that is still used today and known as "Lassar's paste". In addition, Lassar was the first to assemble a collection of moulage in Germany.

He was founder of the dermatology journal Dermatologische Zeitschrift and was its editor from 1893 until his death in 1907.

Selected writings

  • Volksgesundheit und menschliche Gesellschaft in ihren Wechselbeziehungen (Public health and human society) (1892)
  • Die gesundheitsschädliche Tragweite der Prostitution (in German), A. Hirschwald, 1892, OCLC 249916016  (Health consequences concerning prostitution)
  • Geschichten und Gedichte für kleine Kinder (Stories and poems for small children) (1895)
  • Das Volksbad (in German), Berlin, 1896, OCLC 249916424  (The "people" bath)
  • Ueber häusliche Gesundheitspflege (in German), A. Hirschwald, 1901, OCLC 249914689  (About home healthcare)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Scholz, Albrecht; Holubar, K; Burg, Günter; Burgdorf, Walter H C (2009), Geschichte der deutschsprachigen Dermatologie (History of German language dermatology) (in German), Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 3-00-026784-0 
    This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.
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