Jake Gibbons, B.S., Tyler Marion, B.S., M.B.A. Keywords: Geronimo Mercuriali; scabies; medical history; pharmacology; skin disease; humanities In 1572, Italian physician Geronimo Mercuriali, Hieronymus Mercurialis in Latin, published De morbis cutaneis.  This storied book, whose title translates to “On Diseases of the Skin,” is the first published manuscript dedicated to diseases of the skin.1 In this work, Mercuriali outlines various dermatologic diseases, describing the physical manifestations of such conditions and proposing various homemade, therapeutic concoctions. Born to a working-class family in Forli, Italy in 1530, Geronimo Mercuriali spent his early life learning Greek and philosophy. As a young man, he studied medicine in Padua, Italy before returning to his birthplace to … Continue reading →