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ePaper created 2014-09-15, 12:31:02 | version 1.32.01
7 Dermatology in the Netherlands, past and present Henk Menke with contributions by Jannes van Everdingen, William Faber, Johan Toonstra and Willem van Vloten This introductory chapter is about the origin and development of Dutch dermatology. It is intended to give the following chapters a broader context and a historical perspective. It is simply a starting point, presenting developments through the eyes of the recently established history working group of the Dutch Society for Dermatology and Venereology (NVDV). Hopefully this preliminary analysis will serve as an incentive for dermatologists and others to unravel matters within the wider framework of the history of science and the social history of medicine. Trailblazing scientific contributions from the past Dermatology emerged as a separate discipline of medicine in Europe in the nineteenth century. The Netherlands was not a forerunner in this specific development. However, from the so called Dutch golden age (the 17th century) onwards, important views, discoveries and developments had already been developed by Dutch pioneers, which laid the early foundations and created the research tools that contributed to human biology and medicine with a spin-off for what we now know as dermatology. So, while celebrating the achievements of today’s dermatologists, some mention should be given of these pioneers who indirectly contributed to the establishment of this field. To rephrase Newton, it is by standing on their shoulders that we have been able to see that much further. 2 Sufferers of syphilis being treated with mercury (John Sintelaer, 1709). BWEADVSMGFINCORR:Opmaak 1 21-07-2014 17:39 Pagina 7