A History of Dermatology in Philadelphia, Including a Biography of Louis A. Duhring, M.D., Father of Dermatology in Philadelphia

It is not easy to determine the main character in this absorbing account of the development of dermatology—Louis A. Duhring or the city of Philadelphia. Both receive heroic treatment in equal measure. The historical outline is achieved by the extensive use of biographic material and original accounts which are channeled to the reader by skillful editing into a smooth and engaging narrative. The volume is not limited to the implied locale.

As editor, contributor, and annotator, Friedman has organized his chronicle so that his history has a broad scope, with Philadelphia relegated in perspective by the ties of heritage and training rather than by significant scientific contributions. The collected accounts, while not altogether new, are definitive and markedly free from error or controversy, unless exception could be taken to the author's well documented case for Philadelphia's American Hospital for Skin Diseases being the first such hospital in the United States.