Vitiligo historical perspective
|
Vitiligo Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Vitiligo historical perspective On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Vitiligo historical perspective |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Vitiligo historical perspective |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Historical Perspective
- Descriptions of human pigmentation diseases have been made since thousands years.
- The first descriptions of what seems to be vitiligo were written approximately 3000 years ago in the Egyptian text Eber Papyrus[1] and in the Indian Vedic text Atharva Veda.[2]
- The Indian text, the Charak Samhita (800 B.C), describes “spreading whiteness” using the Sanskrit word “svitra”.
- The bible mentions a variety of skin diseases, such as leprosy, psoriasis and vitiligo, using one word: “Zara’at", which means "white spots'.[3]
- Celsus was the first to use the word "vitiligo" in his book De Medicina (100 A.C.). The word "vitiligo" may have been derived from:
- Vituli: white glistening of the flesh of calves
- Vitelius: calf
- VItum: blemish
- Vitulum: small blemish
References
- ↑ Nair BK (1978). "Vitiligo--a retrospect". Int J Dermatol. 17 (9): 755–7. PMID 365814.
- ↑ Koranne RV, Sachdeva KG (1988). "Vitiligo". Int J Dermatol. 27 (10): 676–81. PMID 3069756.
- ↑ Goldman L, Moraites RS, Kitzmiller KW (1966). "White spots in biblical times. A background for the dermatologist for participation in discussions of current revisions of the bible". Arch Dermatol. 93 (6): 744–53. PMID 5326716.