Oskar Lassar (11 January 1849 – 21 December 1907) was a German

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

who was a native of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. After earning his medical doctorate in 1872, he worked briefly as a hospital assistant at the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine) is one of Europe's largest university hospitals, affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. With numerous Collaborative Research Cen ...

. He later started a private hospital for

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

and

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 ...

in Berlin. His clinic was known for being technologically advanced, and it was the first to have a Finsen

ultraviolet light therapy Ultraviolet light therapy or ultraviolet phototherapy is a form of treatment for certain skin disorders including atopic skin disorder and vitiligo when used with psoralen to form the PUVA treatment. It consists of irradiation of the patient wi ...

device and

X-ray machine An X-ray machine is any machine that involves X-rays. It may consist of an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector. Examples include: *Machines for medical projectional radiography *Machines for computed tomography *Backscatter X-ray machines, used ...

. In 1902 he became a professor at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. Lassar is remembered for the creation of public

bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

s for low-income individuals in Germany and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. These bath houses were constructed in the interest of public

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

, at a time when poorer people didn't have private baths or showers. In Germany, the bath-houses were called ''Volksbad'', and in Austria- ''Tröpferlbad''. In 1899, Lassar was founder of the German Society for Volksbädern. One of his slogans was "a weekly bath for every German." He was very social, and he invited physicians who made referrals to his clinic to a

champagne breakfast A champagne breakfast is a breakfast served with champagne or sparkling wine. It is a new concept in some countries and is not typical of the role of a breakfast. It may be part of any day or outing considered particularly luxurious or indulgen ...

twice a year. Lassar was among the first physicians in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

to employ

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

technology for therapeutic purposes. Also, he developed a

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

paste for treatment of

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the Human skin, skin, typically characterized by itchiness, erythema, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become lichenification, thick ...

, an

ointment A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

that is still used today and known as "Lassar's paste".Pasta de Lassar Andrómaco: Relief and Protection for Your Baby's Skin
/ref> In addition, Lassar was the first to assemble a collection of

moulage Moulage () is the art of applying mock injuries for the purpose of training emergency response teams and other medical and military personnel. Moulage may be as simple as applying pre-made rubber or latex "wounds" to a healthy "patient's" limbs ...

(model injuries for training purposes) in Germany. He was founder of the dermatology journal ''Dermatologische Zeitschrift'' and was its editor from 1893 until his death in 1907.

Selected writings

* ''Volksgesundheit und menschliche Gesellschaft in ihren Wechselbeziehungen'' (Public health and human society) (1892) * (Health consequences concerning prostitution) * ''Geschichten und Gedichte für kleine Kinder'' (Stories and poems for small children) (1895) * (The "people" bath) * (About home healthcare)

References

Lassar, Oskar E
Biographisches Lexikon hervorragender Ärzte {{DEFAULTSORT:Lassar, Oskar 1849 births 1907 deaths Physicians from Hamburg German dermatologists Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin