On the History of Classification in Dermatology

Since the early days of cutaneous medicine, naming of the entities had remained a confusing subject. Earlier texts of all ancient civilisations are almost similar in this topic The Biblical controversy regarding the actual translational meaning of the original Hebrew term Zara 'at has become a centre of controversy amongst many research scholars of the medical history. Similar debate exists about the Ayurvedic term Kustha---- whether it meant leprosy or stood for a number of skin affliction is a matter of controversy. A scientific and rational classification system was, therefore needed. The process started with Galen and traversed a long path and ultimately with the eight orders classification system proposed by Robert Willan in the early part of the nineteenth century resolved the issue. This whole journey was eventful….almost all the great doyens of dermatology directly or indirectly contributed to this process. This overview will focus on the main such events of the medical history in nutshell.