Daniel Turner (1667–1740)

AbstractDaniel Turner (1667–1740) is credited with having written the first book in English on the diagnosis and treatment of skin disease. In De Morbis Cutaneis, Turner distinguished two types of skin conditions—those affecting the inside of the body, but being symptomatic on the surface, and those that were of an outward origin. Turner also underlined the necessity for prophylaxis against venereal diseases. Turner's book Syphilis. A Practical Dissertation on the Venereal Disease contains the first description of the “Condum;” the word derives from the Latin “condio”, “condo” - to preserve. He should be remembered as a champion of his era for advocating that each patient should be viewed as an individual and for heralding the importance of observing the skin as part of a routine physical examination. Turner may be considered to be the Father of British Dermatology.