Psoriasis in history

Psoriasis shares much of its ancient history with leprosy. Various Biblical references to ‘leprosy’, for instance more likely represent psoriasis.

Hippocrates was the first described on psoriasis. He described a series of scaling exanthems grouped include heading ‘lopoi’, Greek for epidemics, which likely included both psoriasis and leprosy. At the beginning of the first century, psoriasis was described by the Roman scholar Aurelieus Celcus (25 BC-AD 45) in his De re medica who referred to it as ‘impertigo’ (from impeto meaning attack).

Noted physician Galen (133-200 A.D.) identified psoriasis as a skin disease through clinical observation and was the first to call it psoriasis. He described psoriasis as a pruritic, scaly skin disease of the eyelids and scrotum.

It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that psoriasis was recognized as being specific clinical entity. In 1808, Robert Willan published the first color pales of a scaling skin disease described in his word, as ‘the scaly psora by a distinct appellation; for this purpose, the term ‘prosiasis’.

In 1841 Doctor Ferdinand von Hebra, founder of modern dermatology, further distinguished the clinical picture of psoriasis from that of leprosy
Psoriasis in history