Sir Erasmus Wilson (1809-1884)

William James Erasmus Wilson was born in the High Street of St. Marylebone, at the house of his maternal grandfather, Erasmus Bronsdorph, a Norwegian by birth on 25th of November 1809.

Erasmus Wilson was a wealthy man and philanthropist. He first described lichen planus in 1869 and attributed its cause to stress.

He practiced in London, and published a “System of Human Anatomy,” (1842), which has passed through many editions, “Disease of the Skin” and other works relating to dermatology; “Cleopatra’s Needle’” (1878), and “The Egypt of the Past,” (1881).

Known as Sir Erasmus, he was of the greatest dermatologists of his time. He is so well known as a dermatologist, occupying the first rank in England, that any contributions from his pen must command attention. He was also known for his philanthropy. Erasmus Wilson was knighted in 1881.
Sir Erasmus Wilson (1809-1884)