Who First Diagnosed Acne?
Acne is a non life threatening disease that is caused by genetics, hormones and/or hygiene. This disease often causes embarrassment for people who have it and often times the treatment can be more harmful than the disease itself.
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What is a Diagnosis?
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There are two types of diagnoses. The first is recognizing the disease based on outward symptoms and signs. The second definition is to identify the underlying cause of a disease and understand why it occurs.
Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt
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The term "acne" has been used to identify the unsightly disease since 350 BC. Hippocrates and Aristotle both used the term to describe the reddish bumps that appear on people's bodies especially around the face. Aku-t is a closely related word to acne and was used in ancient Egypt to describe boils, pustules, sores and any inflamed swelling.
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Medical Writings of the 18th Century
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There are several medical writings in the 1700s that identify cases of acne. They often refer to this in the same section as rosacea. It was considered a stubborn incurable disease and was often beneath many doctors to even attempt to treat.
The Birth of Dermatology in the 19th Century
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Robert Williams and Thomas Bateman (the fathers of dermatology) worked to diagnose and classify the different types of acne.
Gustav Simon (1842)
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Simon was the first to recognize that acne would occur in the hair follicles due to bacteria or dirt.
Bruno Bloch (1931)
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Bruno Bloch wrote about the relationship between acne and puberty. This was the first time it had been broken down into medical terms, and hormones and other chemical changes were identified as one of the possible causes for acne.
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