Sir Erasmus Wilson – A pioneer in dermatology

INTRODUCTION

William James Erasmus Wilson [Figure 1] was a leading figure who pioneered Dermatology in England. He popularized the term “Dermatology” when he founded the first chair of dermatology at the Royal College of Surgeons in 1869. His contributions to dermatology were numerous including his most popular work, “Diseases of the Skin – A Practical and Theoretical Treatise.” One of the greatest achievements of Wilson was to establish dermatology as a medical specialty in England during which time it was hostile to specialization.^[1]

Close

Figure 1:

William James Erasmus Wilson FRCS FRS (1809–1884).

Export to PPT

EARLY LIFE

Wilson was born in London on November 25, 1809. His father, William Wilson, was a surgeon in the Royal Navy and his mother was an artist. He studied at Dartford Grammar School. In 1826, Wilson was a pupil of Mr. Abernathy at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. He won prizes in surgery and midwifery at the Aldersgate School of Medicine and became a skillful surgeon and dissector. In 1830, he passed the licentiate examination of the Society of Apothecaries, and 1 year later, he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.^[1]

MEDICAL CAREER AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Wilson started his medical career as a demonstrator tutoring students in anatomy. He was a skilled surgeon who showed his expertise in dissection. Later, he developed an interest in skin diseases and published a couple of articles in Lancet. He became acquainted with Thomas Wakley, the editor, and founder of the Lancet. His dermatology career flourished in his private practice and he was busy holding multiple posts at the same time [Table 1]. He was named as the first professor in dermatology due to his contributions to the specialty [Table 2].^[1,2]

INTERESTS, CONTROVERSY, AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Wilson was the first dermatologist to own a bungalow. He believed that a bungalow provides the best sanitary home for a family and bought the first bungalow at the Westgate-onsea. This emphasizes the fact that Wilson was a great advocate of cleanliness, hygiene, and regular bathing. His work on the history of Turkish baths helped revitalize bathing spas in England.^[3]

Wilson was the first physician to endorse a personal care product, Pears soap. It all started with his book on “Healthy skin” (1845). To promote cleanliness, he encouraged all social class people to use soaps for bathing. His most notorious statement about Pears soap was mixed with his other soap comments and appeared in Pears soap advertisement. This created controversies about Wilson’s involvement with such commercial products. Even though Wilson denied any connection with these advertisements, some confusion existed whether he received any financial compensation from the Pears Soap Company that added to his wealth.^[2]

Due to his interest in Egyptology, in 1878, he funded and organized the transportation from Egypt and erection of Cleopatra’s Needle obelisk in London at the Victoria Embankment of the River Thames.^[1]

During the mid-century, the attitude toward specialization was still unfavorable in England. When Wilson pioneered dermatology in England, it was widely criticized that “the exclusive practice of some small specialty tends to perpetuate and increase ignorance, if it does not deprave professional morals.” Wilson’s greatest achievement was to establish dermatology as a medical specialty worthy of the respect of the physician in such a hostile environment to specialization.^[1]

CONCLUSION

Apart from being a dermatologist, Wilson was an author, sub-editor of the journal “Lancet,” hygienist, philanthropist, and Egyptologist. As a man of many talents, his love for dermatology made him one of the leaders of dermatology.