[Tribute to historical dermatology].

books by Gay Prieto and Gómez Orbaneja, since they meant so much in my time. I know they were followed by other prestigious dermatologists who also produced excellent publications but including these in the painting would have overextended the dimensions and motivation of the work. A notebook (11) contains the imaginary names of those who do not feature in the painting but who could be considered worthy of inclusion. Professor Juan de Azúa, for whom I have no book references, could not be left out, and I have remembered him through a scroll of paper signifying the title of academician awarded him by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología), an institution of which he was both the founder and first president. The painting is a neo-realist oil produced in the summer of 1993 on a 45 cm × 120 cm prepared panel, finished with a Dutch varnish, which provides the necessary warmth, as well as conserving the work. The composition, which is presently hanging in the headquarters of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, contains the images of many books of my own and others kindly loaned by the Academy library. I took the liberty of inventing for myself the appearance of some of those shown, like Aicardius (31) and Astruc (31), as the originals were impossible to find. The former aroused my curiosity as it was apparently the first book dedicated exclusively to the study of skin diseases, and was, in reality, a compilation of lessons given by Aicardius’ master, Mercurialis. Above all, I wanted to feature those authors of the European schools who were so influential in the understanding and development of Tribute to Historical Dermatology