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Karl Gustav Theodor Simon (2 November 1810 in Berlin – 11 May 1857 in Zehlendorf, Berlin) was a German physician, pathologist, and
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 the founder of
dermatopathology Dermatopathology (from Greek , ''derma'' 'skin' + , ''pathos'' 'fate, harm' + , ''-logia'' 'study of') is a joint subspecialty of dermatology and pathology or surgical pathology that focuses on the study of cutaneous diseases at a microscopic an ...
.


Life

Gustav Simon began his medical studies in 1829 in Berlin. In 1831, he moved to Bonn to attend lectures by the anatomist, physiologist, and biologist
Johannes Peter Müller Johannes Peter Müller (14 July 1801 – 28 April 1858) was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. The paramesonephri ...
. The following year, he returned to Berlin and earned his doctorate in medicine in 1833 with a dissertation in which he questioned the claimed
styptic An antihemorrhagic () agent is a substance that promotes hemostasis (a process which stops bleeding). It may also be known as a hemostatic (also spelled haemostatic) agent. Antihemorrhagic agents used in medicine have various mechanisms of action: ...
properties of ''Aqua Binelli'' (Binelli's water), a purportedly haemostatic compound invented in 1797 by the Italian Fedele Binelli, and
creosote Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood, or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics. Some creosote types w ...
. Gustav Simon remained a practicing physician in Berlin but continued to work on scientific publications. His microscopic studies and
histopathological Histopathology (compound of three Greek language, Greek words: 'tissue', 'suffering', and ''-logy, -logia'' 'study of') is the light microscope, microscopic examination of Tissue (biology), tissue in order to study the manifestations of dis ...
works were included in Ferdinand von Hebra's '' Atlas der Hautkrankheiten'' (Atlas of Skin Diseases). In 1842 he took a position as a physician for the needy. It was during this time that he discovered and described the hair follicle mite. In 1844, Simon qualified as a lecturer for general
pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
and therapy, but later also gave lectures in dermatology, which were well attended. His 1848 first edition of 'Skin Diseases Illustrated by Anatomical Investigations' (''Die Hautkrankheiten durch anatomische Untersuchungen erläutert'') was the first textbook of dermatopathology, and comprised microscopic comparative studies of healthy and diseased skin. In 1848 Simon was appointed director of the Department of
Skin Disease A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, Nail (anatomy), nails, and related muscle and glands. The major funct ...
s and
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 ...
at the Charité hospital in Berlin. He became one of the leading European specialists for skin and venereal diseases. In 1850, study trips took him to England and France. In 1853 Simon showed signs of
neurosyphilis Neurosyphilis is the infection of the central nervous system by '' Treponema pallidum'', the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted infection syphilis. In the era of modern antibiotics, the majority of neurosyphilis cases have been report ...
from an earlier infection. His work in microscopy was affected by problems with his vision. His normally composed personality gave way to irritability, aggression and confusion, leading to his removal from the departmental directorship at the Charité, being replaced by
Felix von Bärensprung Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
. Eventually, Simon began to show signs of paralysis. The nature of the disease was not yet understood and his subsequent stays in
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
s in
Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
,
Eberswalde Eberswalde () is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in Brandenburg in north-eastern Germany, about northeast of Berlin. Population 42,144 (census in June 2005). The town is often called Waldstadt (forest town), beca ...
, and Leubus brought no improvement to his condition. Gustav Simon died in 1857 in the Schweizerhof Nerve Clinic founded by Heinrich Laehr in Berlin's Zehlendorf district.


Works

* On the Styptic Power of Binelli's Water and Creosote (''De aquae Binelli et kreosoti virtute styptica''). Dissertation for the attainment of a doctorate, Berlin, 1833 * On a Mite Living in the Diseased and Normal Hair Follicles of Humans (''Über eine in den kranken und normalen Haarsäcken des Menschen lebende Milbe''). Berlin, 1842 * Skin Diseases Illustrated by Anatomical Investigations (''Die Hautkrankheiten durch anatomische Untersuchungen erläutert''). Berlin, 1848 * Report on the Syphilis Department in the Year 1849 (''Bericht über die Abteilung für Syphilis im Jahre 1849''). Charité Annals, Berlin, 1849 * On the Treatment of Gonorrhoea in Men with Caustic Injections (''Über die Behandlung des Männertrippers mit kaustischen Einspritzungen''). Charité Annals, Berlin, 1853


References

{{Authority control 1810 births 1857 deaths 19th-century German physicians Prussian physicians German dermatologists German pathologists