Adolf Jarisch (February 15, 1850 – March 21, 1902) was an Austrian dermatologist who specialized in the care of

venereal disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...

. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, an inflammatory response that he noted following treatment for

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

, is partially named after him. Jarisch was the father of a noted pharmacologist, Adolf Jarisch Jr.

Career

Born in Vienna, Jarisch studied medicine there and afterwards worked in the dermatology clinic of

Ferdinand von Hebra Ferdinand Karl Franz Schwarzmann, Ritter von Hebra (7 September 1816, in Brno, Moravia – 5 August 1880 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary) was an Austrian physician and dermatologist known as the founder of the New Vienna School of Dermatology, an i ...

. In 1888 he became an associate professor of dermatology and syphilology at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

,biography
@ Who Named It and in 1892 succeeded Eduard Lipp as chair of the dermatology clinic at the University of Graz. In 1901 he attained a full professorship at Graz. Jarisch is remembered for his work involving venereal disease. His name is lent to an inflammatory reaction to treatment of syphilis known as the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, named in conjunction with German-Jewish dermatologist

Karl Herxheimer Karl Herxheimer (; 26 June 1861 – 6 December 1942) was a German-Jewish dermatologist who was a native of Wiesbaden. He studied medicine at the universities of Freiburg, Strasbourg and Würzburg, receiving his doctorate in 1885 with a thesi ...

(1861–1942). Jarisch noticed unexpected illness and worsening of skin lesions in some syphilitic patients immediately after being treated with

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

. The patients would experience

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

, and vomiting, and their

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

s would worsen before eventually abating and healing. The illness could last as long as 2 to 3 days, which was followed by resolution of the skin lesions. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is also the name given to a reaction often precipitated by treatment of relapsing fevers. It usually begins within a few hours of the first dose and causes an initial rise in

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

pulse rate In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

and

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

, then followed by marked vasodilation and

sweating Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distr ...

, which can result in

shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...

Family

His son, Adolf Jr. (1891–1965), was a pharmacologist. The

Bezold–Jarisch reflex The Bezold–Jarisch reflex (also called the Bezold reflex, the Jarisch-Bezold reflex or Von Bezold–Jarisch reflex) involves a variety of cardiovascular and neurological processes which cause hypopnea (excessively shallow breathing or an abnormal ...

, a cardiovascular decompressor reflex, is named after Adolf Jr. and

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...

Albert von Bezold Albert von Bezold (January 7, 1836 – March 2, 1868) was a German physiologist born in Ansbach. He studied at Munich, Würzburg and Berlin, where he was an assistant to Emil Du Bois-Reymond (1818–1896). Later he was a professor of physiology ...

(1836–1868).

Written works

Among his numerous publications is ''Die Hautkrankheiten'', an influential book on skin disorders that was included in

Carl Nothnagel Carl Wilhelm Hermann Nothnagel (28 September 1841 – 7 July 1905) was a German internist born in Alt-Lietzegöricke ( pl, Stare Łysogórki), near Bärwalde in der Neumark ( pl, Mieszkowice), Neumark, Brandenburg. Career The son of a phar ...

's ''Handbuch der speciellen Pathologie und Therapie''. Other publications by Jarisch include: * ''Lupus vulgaris'', 1890 – treatise on Lupus vulgaris. * ''Demonstration eines Falles von Summer Eruption'', 1896 * ''Demonstration von Psorospermien der Darierschen Dermatose'', 1896 – Demonstration of Psorospermia in regards to Darier's dermatosis. * ''Vorstellung eines Falles von Hydrocystoma'', 1896 – Presentation of a case of

hidrocystoma Hidrocystoma (also known as cystadenoma, a Moll's gland cyst, and a sudoriferous cyst) is an adenoma of the sweat glands.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. . Hidrocystomas are cyst ...

.Adolf Jarisch – bibliography
@ Who Named It

References

NCBI
National Library of Medicine, Biography of Adolf Jarisch

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarisch, Adolf 1850 births 1902 deaths Austrian dermatologists Academics of the University of Innsbruck Academics of the University of Graz Physicians from Vienna