History of dermatology: the study of skin diseases over the centuries

Abstract The study of skin, the science of dermatology, has undergone significant transformations throughout the centuries. From the first descriptions of skin diseases in Egyptian papyri and in Hippocratic writings to the first treatises on dermatology, important individuals and discoveries have marked the specialty. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the specialty consolidated itself as a field of medical study based on the first classifications of dermatoses, diagnostic methods, and drug treatments. In the 20th century, the scientific and technological revolution transformed dermatological practice, incorporating new therapeutic resources, as well as surgical and aesthetic procedures. In the face of such a vigorous process, it is important to provide a historical synthesis for the medical community to recognize and understand the origins that supported one of the most relevant specialties in the current medical scenario.

Soul, butterfly, mythological nymph: psyche in philosophy and neuroscience / Alma, borboleta, ninfa mitológica: psique em filosofia e neurociência

ABSTRACT The term “psyche” and its derivatives – including “Psychology” and “Psychiatry” – are rooted in classical philosophy and in mythology. Over the centuries, psyche has been the subject of discourse and contemplation, and of fable; it has also come to signify, in entomology, the order of Lepidoptera. In the current surge of research on brain and mind, there is a gradual transition from the psyche (or the “soul”) to the specified descriptors defined by the fields of Behavioral, Cognitive and Integrative Neuroscience.

RESUMO O termo “psique” e seus derivados - incluindo “Psicologia” e “Psiquiatria” - estão enraizados na filosofia clássica e na mitologia. Ao longo dos séculos, a psique tem sido objeto do discurso, da contemplação, e de fábula; Também veio a significar, em entomologia, a ordem dos lepidópteros. Na atual onda de pesquisa sobre cérebro e mente, há uma transição gradual da psique (ou da “alma”) para os descritores especificados definidos pelos campos da Neurociência Comportamental, Cognitiva e Integrativa.