UNNA, PAUL GERSON

UNNA, PAUL GERSON (1850–1929), German dermatologist. Born in Hamburg, Unna served in the German army during the Franco-Prussian war. He was discharged after being severely wounded, continued his studies and later moved to Vienna where he worked under two famous dermatologists, moriz kaposi and Ferdinand von Hebra. He returned to his native city where he started a private clinic and later a hospital for skin diseases. In 1919 he was appointed professor of dermatology at the University of Hamburg.   Unna is considered a pioneer in applying biological and physical sciences to dermatology. He made studies of the chemical aspects of the skin and by using staining methods he demonstrated changes in the structure of the epidermal cells. He was the first to describe various skin diseases such as sebarrhoic eczema, erythema acneformis, etc. He discovered the Ducrey-Unna bacillus. (Suessmann Muntner)