Section : History & Terminology

Auspitz Sign in Psoriasis – who named it ?

  • What is it ? It is the presence of pinpoint bleeding when the scales are removed from the surface of psoriasis lesions.
  • In French, it is called “signe de la rosée sanglante” which translates to: dew which looks like blood
  • There are full of histopathological details, but this is nothing surprizing from a master in dermatopathology like Dr Heinrich Auspitz. By the way, he also described the terms acanthoma, acantholysis, parakeratosis and described the anatomy of the dermal-epidermal junction.
  • This bleeding comes from the elongated dermal papillae of psoriasis through which blood vessels migrate.
  • He also tried to integrate findings in pathology, physiology and experimental medicine to adapt classification of skin diseases put forward by Hebra and although it failed, it shaped dermatology as we see it today.
  • He was an Austrian dermatologist who worked in Vienna at the Allgemeines Krankenhaus Hospital
  • On a more personal basis, he was Dr Ferdinand Von Hebra’s son in law.

Source of information: Crissey JT el al. Dermatology and Dermatologists (2002). Parthenon Publishing