History of dermatology and venereology in Serbia – part IV/3: Dermatovenereology in Serbia from 1919 – 1945, part 3 / Istorija dermatologije i venerologije u Srbiji - IV/1-3: Dermatovenerologija u Srbiji u periodu 1919 - 1945

Abstract

Abstract The seven years’ war (1912 - 1918) and epidemics of infectious diseases, led to a great loss of lives and medical corps of Serbia. As already stated, venereal and skin diseases were spreading in the postwar period that can be seen from medical reports of dermatovenereology institutions. They contain appropriate pathologies and some specific conditions under which they developed. In dermatovenereal pathology, venereal diseases were still dominating. In the outpatientClinic for Skin and Venereal Diseases, 10.000 patients were examined during the period from 1919 to 1921, venereal diseases accounted for 73.13%, whereas skin diseases accounted for 26.87% of all established diagnoses. A similar distribution existed at the territory of Serbia (Belgrade excluded) in 1931: venereal diseases accounted for 73.4%, and skin diseases for 26.6%; moreover, in Belgrade, the situation was even more drastic: venereal diseases accounted for 84.7%, and skin diseases for 15.3%. However, in the student population, the distribution was reversed: 43% and 57%, respectively. In regard to venereal diseases, in the series from 1919 to 1921, non-endemic syphilis was the most common disease, if serologically positive cases (latent syphilis) were added up to the clinically manifested cases. In the same series of patients, syphilis was staged as follows: syphilis I in 10%, syphilis II in 29.3%, syphilis III in 1.7%, tabes dorsalis in 0.8%, and latent syphilis in 56% of patients. In regions with endemic syphilis, from 1921 to 1925, the distribution was as follows: syphilis I in 4%, syphilis II in 49.8%, syphilis III in 18.3%, hereditary syphilis in 1.3%, and latent syphilis in 26.5% of patients. In patients suffering from gonorrhea, balanitis was found in 4.5%, and arthritis in 0.43% of cases. Generally, spreading of prostitution had a significant role, and its abolition was an important preventive action. In regard to skin diseases, in the above-mentioned series of patients, treated at the Outpatient Clinic for Skin andVenereal Diseases (1919 - 1921), scabies was the commonest skin disease (26.7%), eczemas were the second most common (21.8%), followed by pyococcal diseases (20.4%), while fungal diseases (4.5%) and skin tuberculosis (1.9%) were considerably less frequent. This is the final report about the foundation of modern dermatovenereology in Serbia.