On February 28, 1873, the scientificworld was shocked when Dr. ArmaeurHansen announced in Bergen, Norway that leprosy was caused directly by bacteria.1 It was no longer hereditary, due to a curse or the result of a sin. Most of his colleagues and physicians elsewhere laughed; however, he was right. Trying to fulfill Koch’s postulates was not successful. Besides an ancient heritage and threatening face, leprosy started to become an intriguing disease to researchers. In this sense, when the advances in medical science are taken into consideration, it is amazing to realize that leprosy in the 21st century still affects large proportions of the world population and that many obscure pathophysiologic mechanisms still remain to be understood. Taking this scenario into account, and considering the relevance of leprosy to dermatologists, this issue of Clinics in Dermatology is directed towards contributing to the discussions on the future of leprosy.
BT - Clinics in dermatology CN - VIRMOND 2015 DO - 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2014.10.002 IS - 1 J2 - Clinics in Dermatology LA - eng N2 -On February 28, 1873, the scientificworld was shocked when Dr. ArmaeurHansen announced in Bergen, Norway that leprosy was caused directly by bacteria.1 It was no longer hereditary, due to a curse or the result of a sin. Most of his colleagues and physicians elsewhere laughed; however, he was right. Trying to fulfill Koch’s postulates was not successful. Besides an ancient heritage and threatening face, leprosy started to become an intriguing disease to researchers. In this sense, when the advances in medical science are taken into consideration, it is amazing to realize that leprosy in the 21st century still affects large proportions of the world population and that many obscure pathophysiologic mechanisms still remain to be understood. Taking this scenario into account, and considering the relevance of leprosy to dermatologists, this issue of Clinics in Dermatology is directed towards contributing to the discussions on the future of leprosy.
PY - 2015 SP - 1 EP - 2 T2 - Clinics in dermatology TI - Leprosy—An intriguing disease VL - 33 SN - 0738081X ER -