Department of Dermatology

1840	First Lectures on Dermatology delivered in America.

1868	Founding of The Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Henry Daggert Buckley delivers the first lectures ever in America on the study of skin and its diseases at Columbia University.

James Lenox founds The Presbyterian Hospital. Many of the leading dermatologists in New York deliver lectures at the newly founded Presbyterian Hospital.

1880	First Publication illustrating Skin Afflictions is Published

1888	First Known Case of Contact Dermatitis is identified.

Columbia physician, Dr. George Fox publishes Photographic Illustrations of Skin Diseases, the first use of photography to illustrate Skin Afflictions.

Dr. Fox identifies the first known case of contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction in the skin. He describes a rash attributed to chemicals used in the manufacture of matches.

1902	Fox-Fordyce Disease is identified.

1911	The Presbyterian Hospital affiliates with the College Physician and Surgeons of Columbia University.

Fox-Fordyce Disease, a glandular affliction, is identified and described by Dr. Fox and Dr. John Fordyce.

One of the first acts of this new affiliation was the formal creation of the Department of Dermatology and Syphilology which developed into the the largest and most well-equipped dermatologic center in the nation.

1912	A Significant and One of the First Studies of Hair and Scalp Disease is Published

1928	The Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center is founded.

Dr. George T. Jackson publishes 'A Treatise on Diseases of the Hair', an influential study of diseases of the hair and scalp.

All faculty members hold joint appointments at Columbia University and at The Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York.

1929	World's First Mycology Laboratory Devoted to Study of Fungi is founded

1930	Internationally Acclaimed Dermatology Textbook is published

Dr. J. Gardner Hopkins develops the world's first mycology laboratory devoted exclusively to the study of fungi in animals and humans.

Dr. George Andrews publishes the first of six editions of Diseases of the Skin, subsequently co-authored by Dr. Anthony Domokos. The book becomes internationally acclaimed as the standard dermatology textbook for the next forty years and is translated into three languages.

1940	Effective Treatment Schedules for Cure of Syphilis with Penicillin established

1950	Successful Clinical Trials with Cortisone for the Treatment of Pemphigus

Dr. A. Benson Cannon carries on pioneering work in the treatment of syphilis begun in the mid-1920's. He establishes treatment schedules at The Presbyterian Hospital for the use of penicillin, which proves effective in curing this venereal disease.
Pioneering Developments in Treatment of Fungal Infections for World War II Soldiers. The Department's Mycology Section pioneers in developing and testing medications based on fatty acids. These were used to treat fungal infections which were often disabling to American soldiers serving in the tropics during World War II.

Dr. Carl Truman Nelson initiates successful clinical trials with cortisone for the treatment of pemphigus, a skin disease which had been uniformly fatal before this therapy.

1952	Development of Nystatin, the World's First Effective Antibiotic for Fungal Disease

1954	Nutrients Key to the Growth of Fungi Associated with Skin Disease identified.

Dr. Margarita Silva Hunter of the Mycology Section develops Nystatin, the world's first antibiotic to effectively treat fungal disease. Today, the drug is widely used in the treatment of many persistent skin infections.

Dr. Margarita Silva Hunter analyzes and describes the nutrients which are necessary to the growth of fungi associated with many skin diseases. Her work is vital to modern medicine's understanding of these diseases.

1974	Innovative Tests introduced for Evaluating Skin Diseases Induced by Light

1977	Country's Largest and Most Modern Psoriasis Treatment Center opens

The Presbyterian Hospital begins innovative tests for evaluating skin diseases induced by light, called quantitative porphyrin determinations.

An ambulatory Psoriasis Day Care Center opens at The Presbyterian Hospital. This unit combines with the Hospital's 22-bed in-patient service to form the country's largest and most modern psoriasis treatment center.

Columbia Physician wins Gold Medal Award for Education.
Dr. Maureen Poh receives the Gold Medal Award for education at the American Academy of Dermatology's Annual Meeting. She became the co-holder of the award also in 1980 and 1982.

1978	Key Findings in Environmental Causes of Contact Dermatitis.

1981	Diagnostic Tests for the Detection of Fatal Form of Skin Cancer developed.

Researchers led by Dr. Leonard C. Harber develop an animal model to detect chemicals in the environment which interact with sunlight to cause contact dermatitis.

Dr. Richard Edelson develops a sensitive diagnostic test for the detection of lymphomas, a fatal form of skin cancer. This landmark test is applied successfully for the first time at The Presbyterian Hospital and offers the promise of earlier, more accurate diagnosis of this cancer.

1997	A Nationally Acclaimed Skin Diseases Research Center (SDRC) is established at Columbia.

1998	First Human Gene Associated with Hair Loss discovered.

The successful of the research program focused on the genetics of skin disease results in the Department receiving the National Institutes of Health designation as one of only six Skin Diseases Research Centers (SDRC) in the United States.

Dr. Angela M. Christiano, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Dermatology and her research team identify the first human gene associated with hair loss. The new gene, called 'hairless', is linked to a severe form of inherited baldness and may be the trigger that turns on the entire human hair cycle. The research suggests that gene initiates a cascade of events that stimulate hair growth. Each step along this pathway may provide new clues for male pattern baldness and other forms of hair loss or alopecia.

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