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Carl Emanuel Flemming Rasch (7 February 1861 – 6 July 1938) was a Danish
dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medi ...
and venereologist who in 1900 coined the term " polymorphic light eruption", following his studies of the effect of
sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible spectrum, visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrare ...
on the
skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
. He was one of the specialists involved in the care of the author
Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...
, whose medical history has been the subject of debate by physicians and biographers. Rasch was the co-founder of the Nordic Dermatology Association (NDA) and wrote the first Danish dermatology textbook.


Early life

Carl Rasch was born in Copenhagen on 7 February 1861. He was a student of
Ernest Besnier Ernest Henri Besnier (; 21 April 1831 – 15 May 1909, Paris) was a French dermatologist and medical director of the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris. Early life Ernest Besnier was born on 21 April 1831 in Honfleur, département Calvados. He ...
who first described prurigo gestationis, later known as ''prurigo gestationis of Besnier''. In honour of his teacher, Rasch later gave the name '' Besnier’s prurigo'' to a skin condition eventually known as atopic dermatitis.


Dermatology

Thomas Bateman had described, based on findings by
Robert Willan __NOTOC__ Robert Willan (12 November 1757 near Sedbergh, Yorkshire, England – 7 April 1812 in Madeira, Portugal) was an English physician, and the founder of dermatology as a medical specialty. Life Willan was born on 12 November 1757 in Sed ...
, what he called "eczema solare", in the early 19th century, a condition caused by the action of sunlight on abnormally reacting skin. Rasch's interest in "the action of sunlight on the skin" led him, in 1900, to describe this same condition as "eczema-like polymorphic light eruption". He has since been credited with coining the term "polymorphic light eruption", synonymous with "polymorphous light eruption". In 1904, during the International Dermatology Congress in Berlin, Rasch, with Kristian Grön from Norway and from Sweden, created an association to promote Nordic dermatology and
venereology Venereology is a branch of medicine that is concerned with the study and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The name derives from Roman goddess Venus, associated with love, beauty and fertility. A physician specializing in vene ...
via scientific journals, education and specific Nordic congresses. They established the Nordic Dermatology Association (NDA) and held the first Nordic Dermatology Congress in May 1910 in Copenhagen. Regarded by the Danish as "Denmark's finest morphologist", in 1906 he was appointed chair of dermatology at Copenhagen University. He was succeeded by Holger Haxthausen in 1931. In 1918, Haxthausen too, mentioned polymorphic light eruption.
Svend Lomholt Svend Lomholt (18 October 1888 – 17 July 1949) was a Danish veterinarian and dermatologist. He published a number of journals of his works, in 1924, he published a report at The University Institute for Theoretical Physics and Pathological Inst ...
described Rasch as Danish dermatology's scientific founder. Rasch visited England several times and was familiar to English dermatologists. In 1926, he spoke at the
Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...
, London, on the effect of light on skin. He also wrote the first Danish dermatology textbook. He held honorary memberships at numerous dermatological associations around the world. He became a Knight of the
Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...
in 1922, and a Commander of the same in 1932.


Karen Blixen

In 1915, Rasch began a decade of consultations with author Karen Blixen. He performed a
Wassermann test The Wassermann test or Wassermann reaction (WR) is an antibody test for syphilis, named after the bacteriologist August Paul von Wassermann, based on complement fixation. It was the first blood test for syphilis and the first in the nontrepon ...
, confirming
Syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
and she subsequently commenced treatments including
arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...
, mercury and
salvarsan Arsphenamine, also known as Salvarsan or compound 606, is an antibiotic drug that was introduced at the beginning of the 1910s as the first effective treatment for the deadly infectious diseases syphilis, relapsing fever, and African trypanosomias ...
. She requested that he keep her diagnosis secret. In 1919 and again in 1925, Rasch re-examined her and informed her that she no longer had syphilis. Over the years, he performed several Wasserman tests. Her medical history and communication with physicians have been a matter of debate by her biographers and she did not disclose her secret use of
laxatives Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen human feces, stools and increase defecation, bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. ...
,
amphetamines Substituted amphetamines, or simply amphetamines, are a chemical class, class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative (chemistry), derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substitution reacti ...
and fear of gaining weight. Rather than believing Rasch, she followed the syphilis treatments advised by numerous specialists, which delayed the treatment of her true condition,
stomach ulcer The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical terms re ...
.


Death and legacy

Rasch died on 6 July 1938. He had a large collection of copperplate prints, the proceeds of the sale of which he bequeathed to the Dermatology Society, to be used particularly for the travel expenses of young Danish dermatologists.


Selected publications

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasch, Carl 1861 births 1938 deaths Danish dermatologists Physicians from Copenhagen Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen