Henry Granger Piffard, MD and his photogenic pistol cartridges

Abstract

A leading physician in New York during the last quarter of the 19th century, Henry G. Piffard, MD, was a pioneer dermatologist in New York. He had a propensity to invent, and he used that ability to advance the nascent field of instantaneous photography. The recent discovery of a few survivors of Piffard’s patented “photogenic (flash) cartridges” prompted an examination of his connection to a leading photographic supply house of his time. The study provided insights into his system and revealed that Piffard had combined the use of his patent with his passion for skin diseases. As a result, Piffard’s publications were among the first to document diseases of the skin photographically.