Joseph Jacob Plenk 1738?-1807

Robert Willan and the French Willanists

“…As a method, Willanism derived from Plenck's Doctrina de Morbis Cutaneis , 10 and Bateman thought it ‘probable that Willan was indebted to this work of Pr Plenck for the groundwork of his classification since his definitions as well as his terms accord accurately with those of the Hungarian nosologist’ (Bateman, 11 p. IX). Plenck identified 11 lesions (maculae, pustulae, vesiculae, bullae, papulae, crustae, squamae, callosites, excrescientae cutaneae, ulcera cutanea and vulnera cutanea) that constituted ‘the alphabet of dermatology’, 12 and was portrayed as the ‘genius’ 13 inventor of the concept of elementary lesions in dermatology. However, considering elementary lesions to be insufficient for the diagnosis of all cutaneous diseases, Plenck added three groups of skin diseases based upon their causes or locations: insecta cutanea, morbi unguium and morbi pilorum.…”