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ePaper created 2014-09-15, 12:31:02 | version 1.32.01
Psychodermatology Herman Musaph Herman Musaph (1915-1992), psychiatrist, was born in Amsterdam, studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam, and started as a general practitioner in 1940. After the war he specialized in psychiatry and psychoanalysis. He made valuable contributions to the understanding of the long-term psychosocial implications of World War II, elucidating how that nightmare of oppression and terror affected daily life in contemporary society. From 1953 onwards Musaph was a consulting psychiatrist at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Dermatology, where he later started research in psychodermatology. In 1977, he was appointed Professor in Medical Sexology at the University of Utrecht. That same year, he published a Handbook of Sexology, which was subsequently translated into many different languages.[1] Musaph’s psychoanalytic background enabled him to develop a thorough understanding of emotional factors in skin diseases. He published on the role of aggression in self-induced conditions, such as dermatitis artefacta, and on emotional conflicts in patients with psychogenic pruritis. Whereas others used the terms “psychosomatic dermatology” or “psychocutaneous medicine”, Musaph deliberately used the word “psychodermatology”. In a study on its history, he described psychodermatology as the study of psychological variables related to the onset, course and treatment of skin diseases.[2] Musaph was particularly interested in itching and scratching behavior.[3] Itching and scratching may occur when an anger or anxiety impulse is signalled and warded off, eventually resulting in skin lesions. He also described patients with repetitive scratch behaviour: obsessive-compulsive scratching aiming at a reduction of tension, anxiety or aggression or aiming (unsuccessfully) at a resolution of an emotional conflict. Although Musaph primarily studied psychopathological aspects of skin disease, he always emphasized the psychological meaning of the skin in normal personal development. He focused on the meaning of skin contact, touching, and intimate behaviour in mother-childhood relationships, and he considered skin contact between parent and child as essential for a healthy emotional life. He also promoted strategies resulting in closer skin contact, such as breast-feeding rather than bottle-feeding. Skin contact, touching and intimate behaviour contribute to feelings of trust, belonging and acceptance, in children and adults alike. In 1987, the city of Vienna hosted the first International Congress on Dermatology and Psychiatry. As a result of this congress, many countries including The Netherlands founded societies for psychodermatological research. 37 Itching and Scratching (1964). BWEADVSMGFINCORR:Opmaak 1 21-07-2014 17:39 Pagina 37