Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine

About this book

Essentials of Diseases of the Skin is a compact, question‑and‑answer handbook designed expressly for medical students. Compiled by Henry W. Stelwagon, a professor of dermatology at Jefferson Medical College, the work opens with a practical note on its typographical conventions before launching into a systematic survey of cutaneous anatomy, symptomatology and a classified list of disorders. The text proceeds in a pedagogical format, posing concise queries such as “What are primary lesions?” and supplying brief, illustrated answers that cover everything from basic macules to the more complex syphilodermata. Its contents are organized into seven classes, glands, inflammations, hemorrhages, hypertrophies, atrophies, new growths, neuro‑ and parasitic affections, each accompanied by tables of relative frequency and distribution, making the volume both a quick reference and a study guide.

The voice is that of an early‑20th‑century academic, terse yet thorough, employing the formal medical diction of its era while retaining a didactic tone. Its style mirrors the classic “question‑compend” series, with bold headings, numbered sections and occasional illustrative plates reproduced from contemporary dermatologists. Readers who appreciate historical medical literature, enjoy structured learning tools, or need a concise overview of dermatologic conditions, particularly those preparing for examinations, will find this work both informative and representative of its period.