This text is both a history of skin disease and a history of dermatology, telling the human historical experience of skin disease and how we have come to know what we know about the skin and its myriad diseases over the course of four millennia, looking at key figures in life and literature and key events such as the Black Death and the eradication of smallpox.
*Examines how the history of skin disease fits into the larger picture of the history of each age
*Provides dermatological insight into major events and personalities from history
*Offers a unique perspective on the history of each age

Scott M Jackson MD is a dermatologist in private practice in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA, having previously served as a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Dermatology at the LSUHSC School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisana, USA.

Introduction. Ancient Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt. Classical Greece. The Roman Empire. The Early Middle Ages. The Islamic Golden Age. The Medieval West. Leprosy. The Renaissance. The Black Death and Other Plagues. The Scientific Revolution. The First Dermatologist. Syphilis. The Enlightenment. Smallpox. The 19th Century: An Introduction. The British School. The French School. The Vienna School and the German Schools. American Dermatology in the 19th Century. 20th and 21st Century Dermatology. Conclusion. Epilogue.