Illustrations of pyoderma gangrenosum in an atlas on dermatology in the early 19th century

Pyoderma gangrenosum was first described in 1930 by Brunsting, Goeckermann and O'Leary. Nevertheless we found some illustrations in an atlas on dermat ology, published by Marie-Nicolas Devergie in the first half of the 19th ce ntury,which appear to be pyoderma gangrenosum. In addition to discussions o f typical syphilitic affections of the skin, Devergie's "Clinique de la Mal adie Syphilitique" includes illustrations of gangrenous ulcers, which appea red unexpectedly after local and systemic therapy with mercury. Devergie in terpreted those enlarging ulcers as a side effect of mercury therapy. Thus we were able to find evidence of pyoderma gangrenosum more than 100 years b efore first description in 1930. The etiology of this clinical picture is s till unsettled. The favorite postulate has been a bacterial genesis which w as the subject of numerous publications until the 1960s.