Thomas Bateman (29 April 1778 – 9 April 1821) was a British physician and a pioneer in the field of

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 medica ...

who was a native of Whitby, Yorkshire.

Life

He earned his medical degree from the

Edinburgh Medical School The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was est ...

. Bateman was a student, colleague and successor to

Robert Willan __NOTOC__ Robert Willan (12 November 1757, near Sedbergh, Yorkshire – 7 April 1812, in Madeira) was an English physician and the founder of dermatology as a medical specialty. Life Willan was educated at Sedbergh School, and received his M ...

(1757–1812) in regards to modern dermatological practices of classification. Prior to the 19th century, classification of skin diseases were based on symptomatic characteristics. Dr. Willan was the first to propose a rational naming standard based on the appearance of the skin disorder. In the treatise ''On Cutaneous Diseases'', Willan was the first to classify skin diseases from an anatomical point of view. However, Willan died in 1812, leaving Bateman to continue and expand on the work of his mentor. In 1813 Bateman published ''A Practical Synopsis of Cutaneous Diseases According to the Arrangement of Dr Willan'', and in 1817 published an atlas called the ''Delineations of Cutaneous Disease''. Today there is a copy of the atlas in the library of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

in London. Bateman is credited for providing names and descriptions for a number of dermatological diseases, including lichen urticatus,

alopecia areata Alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. Often, it results in a few bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological stress and illness are pos ...

erythema multiforme Erythema multiforme (EM) is a skin condition that appears with red patches evolving into target lesions, typically on both hands. It is a type of erythema possibly mediated by deposition of immune complexes (mostly IgM-bound complexes) in th ...

and

molluscum contagiosum Molluscum contagiosum (MC), sometimes called water warts, is a viral infection of the skin that results in small raised pink lesions with a dimple in the center. They may become itchy or sore, and occur singularly or in groups. Any area of the sk ...

. The work of Willan and Bateman influenced many physicians, such as

Thomas Addison Thomas J Addison (April 179329 June 1860) was an English physician, chef, and scientist. He is traditionally regarded as one of the "great men" of Guy's Hospital in London. Among other pathologies, he discovered Addison's disease (a degenerati ...

(1793–1860), who was a pupil of Bateman, and

Laurent-Théodore Biett Laurent-Théodore Biett (25 July 1781 – 3 March 1840) was a Swiss-born dermatologist from Schams in the canton of Graubünden. He is chiefly remembered for introducing into France an anatomical methodology of analyzing skin diseases; a system tha ...

(1781–1840), who introduced their methodology into French medicine.

References

External links

A Biographical History of British Dermatology: Earliest days

@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

* Site to view online ''Delineations of Cutaneous Diseases: Exhibiting the Characteristic Appearances of the Principal Genera and Species Comprised in the Classification of the Late Dr. Willan; and Completing the Series of Engravings Begun by that Author'' by Thomas Bateman, London, 181

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Thomas 1778 births 1821 deaths English dermatologists People from Whitby Alumni of the University of Edinburgh