Helen Ollendorff Curth and William Curth: From Breslau and Berlin to Bar Harbor

Helen Ollendorff Curth: A dermatologist’s lasting legacy

“…After studying in multiple universities in Germany and earning her medical degree, Ollendorff Curth moved to Berlin in 1924 and further cultivated her academic career under the tutelage of Abraham Buschke, an internationally renowned professor of dermatology (Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004). Under his mentorship, Ollendorff Curth first described and defined disseminated dermatofibrosis lenticularis , later known as BOS, in 1928 (Burgdorf and Hoenig, 2013, Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004, Woodrow et al, 2001).…”

“…Under his mentorship, Ollendorff Curth first described and defined disseminated dermatofibrosis lenticularis , later known as BOS, in 1928 (Burgdorf and Hoenig, 2013, Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004, Woodrow et al, 2001). …”

“…Nevertheless, determined to pursue a career in medicine, Ollendorff Curth flourished while attending several prestigious German universities, rotating in Breslau, Freiburg, and Munich. This was an extraordinary accomplishment given that she was a Jewish woman, a demographic that was part of an extreme minority in the profession at the time (Burgdorf and Hoenig, 2013, Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004). …”

“…Growing anti-Semitism in Germany catalyzed her immigration to the United States where she, along with her husband, Rudolf Wilhelm Paul Curth, would form a longstanding professional relationship with Columbia University (Burgdorf and Hoenig, 2013, Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004). …”

“…First, the Ollendorff probe sign refers to the exquisite tenderness of papules found on the palms, plantar surfaces, face, flexural surfaces, and trunk of patients with secondary syphilis when touched gently during an examination probe (James et al, 2011). The probe sign, which helps distinguish syphilitic from non-syphilitic lesions, was originally published as a component of Ollendorff Curth’s medical school thesis, which earned her top honors (Burgdorf and Scholz, 2004). Later in her career and before emigrating from Germany, Ollendorff-Curth—as she was known after her marriage—would further define the “Curth criteria” in her seminal work on acanthosis nigricans for the diagnosis of paraneoplastic dermatoses.…”