Dusan Jakac: the life in dermatovenerolgy

This is a story of Dusan Jakac, one of the most prominent Croatian dermatovenerologists. Born in 1906, he is also our oldest dermatovenerologist and certainly among the oldest in Europe. His life and experience constitute a treasure of information on dermatovenerology in the region, which motivated us to ask him for an interview. In his life, Jakac experienced the time when Europe saw its unrest and witnessed the shift of dreadful epidemics such as Spanish flue, syphilis, and recently AIDS. He has observed different diagnostic approaches, their benefits and failures, and practiced various therapeutic approaches, never forgetting to take care of their side effects. Jakac's career illustrates the medical and cultural times in a striking way. We met him at his apartment in Zagreb, where he lives now and where he answered promptly and enthusiastically all our queries. Thanking him warmly, we can truly state that talking to Dusan Jakac was a unique experience for both the historian of medicine and the dermatovenerologist.