The origins of dermatology have always relied heavily on visual observation of the skin. In the Cannon of Medicine by Avicenna written in Persia in 1025, treatments were described for a variety of skin conditions, including skin cancer.
Anne Charles Lorry was called the first French dermatologist; he had two special fields of interest, dermatology and mental diseases.
In 1777 he wrote the first French dermatological book: Tractatus De Morbis Cutaneis. In his book he arranged the 115 known types of skin disease into 14 classes.
He conceived the idea that the skin was an organ with its own blood vessel, nerves and lymphatics, but after being appointed as a physician to Louis XVI, he had to leave his interest in skin diseases.
Anne Charles Lorry (1726-1783)
