Joseph (Josef) Jadassohn (10 September 1863 in
Liegnitz
Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. L ...
– 24 March 1936 in
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
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 ...
.
Biography
He was an assistant to
Albert Neisser
Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser (22 January 1855, Schweidnitz – 30 July 1916, Breslau) was a German physician who discovered the causative agent (pathogen) of gonorrhea, a strain of bacteria that was named in his honour (''Neisseria gonorrhoe ...
at the Allerheiligen Hospital in
Breslau until 1892, the director of the university skin clinic in
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
(1896–1917), and later a professor of dermatology at
Breslau University (1917–1932).

Jadassohn was among the first to take an
immunological
Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of immune systems in all organisms.
Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease ...
approach in research of dermatological disorders, and contributed to the understanding of the
immunopathology
Immunopathology is a branch of medicine that deals with immune responses associated with disease. It includes the study of the pathology of an organism, organ system, or disease with respect to the immune system, immunity, and immune responses. In ...
of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and
trichophytosis. He was a pioneer in the field of
allergology
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...
, and is credited for introducing
patch test
A patch test is a diagnostic method used to determine which specific substances cause allergic inflammation of a patient's skin.
Patch testing helps identify which substances may be causing a delayed-type allergic reaction in a patient and ...
ing for diagnosis of
contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes ...
.
''Textbook of contact dermatitis''
by Richard J. G. Rycroft, et al In 1901 he described a rare childhood dermatological disorder known as '' granulosis rubra nasi''.
Conditions
Two dermatological disorders that are named after him are: "Jadassohn's disease I" (a skin disorder originating at the elbow
The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
) and "Jadassohn's disease II" (a natal skin disorder affecting the face and scalp). Together with his assistants, Walter Dössekker (1868–1962), Max Tièche (1878–1938), and Felix Lewandowsky (1879–1921), he shares the following eponymous medical conditions:
* Jadassohn–Dössekker disease: Also known as atypical tuberous myxedema
Myxedema () is a term used synonymously with severe hypothyroidism, but also to describe a dermatological change that can occur in hypothyroidism and (rare) paradoxical cases of hyperthyroidism. In this latter sense, myxedema refers to depositi ...
.
* Tièche–Jadassohn naevus: A hard, dark blue, benign melanocytic
Melanocytes are melanin-producing neural crest-derived cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis, the middle layer of the eye (the uvea),
the inner ear,
vaginal epithelium, meninges,
bones,
and heart found ...
tumor.
* Jadassohn–Lewandowsky syndrome
Pachyonychia congenita (often abbreviated as "PC") is a rare group of autosomal dominant skin disorders that are caused by a mutation in one of five different keratin genes. Pachyonychia congenita is often associated with thickened toenails, plant ...
: An ectodermal dysplasia
Dysplasia is any of various types of abnormal growth or development of cells (microscopic scale) or organs (macroscopic scale), and the abnormal histology or anatomical structure(s) resulting from such growth. Dysplasias on a mainly microscopic ...
characterized by onychogryposis
Onychogryphosis is a hypertrophy that may produce nails resembling claws or a ram's horn.
Causes
Onychogryphosis may be caused by trauma or peripheral vascular disease, but most often secondary to self-neglect and failure to cut the nails fo ...
, hyperkeratosis
Hyperkeratosis is thickening of the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis, or skin), often associated with the presence of an abnormal quantity of keratin,Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelso; Abbas, Abul (2004) ''Robbins & Cotran Pathol ...
, leukoplakia
Oral leukoplakia is a potentially malignant disorder affecting the oral mucosa. It is defined as "essentially an oral mucosal white/gray lesion that cannot be considered as any other definable lesion." Oral leukoplakia is a gray patch or plaque th ...
, hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition in which a person exhibits excessive perspiration, sweating, more than is required for the Thermoregulation, regulation of body temperature. Although it is primarily a physical burden, hyperhidrosis can deterio ...
and pachyonychia congenita
Pachyonychia congenita (often abbreviated as "PC") is a rare group of autosomal dominant skin disorders that are caused by a mutation in one of five different keratin genes. Pachyonychia congenita is often associated with thickened toenails, plant ...
.
* Nevus Sebaceous of Jadassohn: yellow-orange flat plaque, occurring most commonly on the scalp (60%) or face (30%), usually present at birth, malignant potential (estimated 1%, most commonly basal cell carcinoma), surgically excised prior to hormone-triggered growth during puberty
Literary works
Jadassohn published a revision of Edmund Lesser’s ''Lehrbuch der Haut- und Geschlechtskrankheiten'' (14th edition, 1927–30), and from 1927 published the multi-volume ''Handbuch für Haut- und Geschlechtskrankheiten''. Other noted written works of his include:
* ''Die venerischen Krankheiten'', (1901).
* ''Ueber eine eigenartige Erkrankung der Nasenhaut bei Kindern'' ( Granulosis rubra nasi). Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis, Wien, 1901, 58: 145–158.
* ''Die Tuberkulose der Haut''. In: Franz Mracek's Handbuch der Hautkrankheiten (1904).
* ''Allgemeine Ätiologie, Pathologie, Diagnose und Therapie der Gonorrhoe'', (1910).
* ''Lepra'', in Wilhelm Kolle
Wilhelm Kolle (born 2 November 1868 in Lerbach, Osterode am Harz, Lerbach near Osterode am Harz, died 10 May 1935) was a German bacteriologist and hygienist. He served as the second director of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Royal Institute for Exper ...
and August Paul von Wassermann's Handbuch der pathogenen Microorganismen. second edition, Jena
Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
- 1913; third edition, volume 5,2- 1928.
* ''Dermatologie'', (1938).
See also
* Jadassohn–Lewandowsky syndrome
Pachyonychia congenita (often abbreviated as "PC") is a rare group of autosomal dominant skin disorders that are caused by a mutation in one of five different keratin genes. Pachyonychia congenita is often associated with thickened toenails, plant ...
References and external links
''Josef Jadassohn''
@ Who Named It
''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jadassohn, Josef
1863 births
1936 deaths
People from Legnica
German dermatologists
Dermatologists
Jewish physicians
Physicians from the Province of Silesia
Academic staff of the University of Bern
Academic staff of the University of Breslau