An inquiry into the nature of the pigmented lesion above Franklin Delano Roosevelt's left eyebrow.

BACKGROUND: Little note was taken when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was alive and since his death of the pigmented lesion above his left eyebrow that fulfilled clinical criteria for melanoma. OBSERVATIONS: On morphologic grounds alone, it is im possible to exclude the possibility that Roosevelt had a melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: The failure of observers of Roosevelt, especially his physicians, to comment on his riveting facial lesion and to identify it as a probable melanoma speaks volumes about how flawed were clinical criteria for diagnosis of flat and slightly raised lesions of melanoma in the 1930s and 1940s.

[Lentigo maligna and naevus pigmentosus et pilosus in oil paintings at the National Gallery in London]. / Lentigo maligna and Naevus pigmentosus et pilosus auf Olgemälden der National Gallery in London.

Two paintings from the National Gallery's collection in London were used in an attempt to diagnose dermatologic disease.

[The history of dermatology. Haemangioma senile, presenting on the cheek of a "Female with Carnations"]. / Geschichte der Dermatologie. Haemangioma senile, dargestellt auf der Wange einer "Dame mit Nelken".

An attempt was made to diagnose a dermatological alteration that can be noticed in an oil painting by Rubens in the Museo Castelvecchio, Verona.

[Atheroma on an oil painting of the Brescia picture gallery]. / Atherom auf einem Olgemälde Pinakothek in Brescia.

Using an oil painting by Battista Moroni displayed at the picture gallery of Brescia we made an attempt to diagnose a dermatologic alteration.