Hulusi Behçet
Encyclopedia
Hulusi Behçet was a Turkish
dermatologist and scientist
. He described a disease
of inflamed
blood vessel
s in 1937, which is named after him as the Behçet's disease
.
(1914–1918), he served at the military hospital in Edirne
as a specialist in dermatology and venereal diseases and was assigned to the head of the hospital as an assistant. After the war, between 1918–1919, he first went to Budapest
, Hungary
and then to Berlin
, Germany
to improve his medical knowledge. He had the opportunity to meet some well known colleagues there. After his return to Turkey, he went into private practice. In 1923, Behçet was appointed as the head physician at the Hasköy Venereal Diseases Hospital at Golden Horn
in Istanbul. Shortly after, he moved to Guraba Hospital, which is now part of the School of Medicine İstanbul University
. While he lectured at the university, he continued his private practice as well.
In 1923, he married Refika Davaz, the daughter of a well-known diplomat. They had one daughter.
pathologist Prof. Schwartz called him once "a scientist who was well known everywhere, but in his country", adding that "you could never find him in Turkey because he was always abroad presenting his findings". He translated many articles into Turkish
to help educate new generations and published original case reports in international reviews in order to make contact with such far countries as Korea
.
He was interested in syphilis
since 1922 and had published many international articles on its diagnosis
, treatment
, hereditary properties, serology
and social aspects. Leishmaniasis
(Oriental sore) was another disease, which Dr. Behçet worked on, beginning in 1923. He wrote about it in many articles and succeeded in its treatment with diathermic. He first described "the nail sign" appearing by the removal of the crust of an oriental sore. A part of his published work was concerned with parasitosis. In 1923, he described the etiologic agents of "gale cereal" in Turkey. Behçet dealt with superficial and deep mycosis
and their treatments. Due to his observations, he described the dermatitis of fig in 1933. In 1935, at the Dermatology Congress in Budapest, he was honoured for his studies on mycosis. He was also in the publishing vanguard to improve Turkish medicine and he was responsible for the first dermato-venerology journal of Turkey called ’’Turkish Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology’’ in 1924. In 1939, he was elected as a correspondent member to the German scientific journals ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ and ’’Medizinische Wochenschrift’’. The same year, he has been promoted to ordinary professor. The most important work that Dr. Behçet brought to Turkish medicine was the monograph published in 1940 called ’’Clinical and Practical Syphilis, Diagnosis and Related Dermatoses’’. Every page of this book contains an aspect of syphilis and the footnotes, provides a wealth of detailed information about the differential diagnosis of other skin diseases. As a result, scientists had the chance to learn about syphilis and dermatology at the same time. This book, despite its outdated style, still retains its value and spirit in medicine as being the only example in its field. Dr. Behçet continued as the Head of the Department of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases until 1947.
began with a patient he met between 1924-1925. This man had been consulted for 40 years in Istanbul and Vienna
, Austria
several times. According to his symptoms, the illness had been diagnosed. From the aetiology, syphilis and tuberculosis
were suspected. Austrian doctors had called an unknown protozoal disease. Ophthalmologists had described the ocular symptoms as iritis, which might be the result of syphilis, tuberculosis or streptococcal or staphylococcal infection
s. After several iridectomies, the patient had completely lost his vision. Dr. Behçet continued to follow up the patient for many years.
In 1930, a woman suffering from irritation in her eye and with lesion
s in her mouth
and genital regions was referred to Dr. Behçet's clinic and told him that these symptoms had been recurring for several years. He consulted the patient until 1932 and tried to diagnose the aetiological agent for tuberculosis, syphilis or mycosis etc. by biopsy
and other laboratory analysis, but he could not find anything. The prominent ophthalmologists Dr. Murat Rahmi and Dr. Iggescheimer had been also consulted.
Following those two patients, in 1936 a male patient from a dental clinic with oral wounds, acneiform signs on the back, scrotal ulcer, eye irritation, evening fever, and abdominal pain was sent to his clinic. After the consultation, nothing except a dental cyst
was found. Dr. Behçet thought the recurrent symptoms might be due to a virus
. He referred the patient to Prof. Braun who did a viral investigation and found some corpuscular structures.
Dr. Behçet, with the symptoms of these three patients whom he had followed for years, then decided that they were the symptoms of a new disease and in 1936, he described the situation in a meeting and this was published in the Archives of Dermatology and Venereal Disease. He wrote in 1937 his ideas in the ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ and the same year he presented it at the meeting of the Dermatology Association of Paris. At this meeting, he declared that a dental infection might cause the etiology of the disease. In 1938, he published his ideas about the subject in the ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ in a more detailed form. In the same year, Dr. Niyazi Gözcü and Prof. Frank reported two new cases with the same symptoms. The Belgian scientists Weekers and Reginster, and the Italian
Frachescetti reported some patients with similar symptoms. Therefore, European doctors had accepted the appearance of a new disease. Ophthalmologists had begun to accept "Behçet's Disease", but dermatologists kept denying the new disease, insisting they could be symptoms of known diseases. While that debate was taking place, some new cases were reported from Belgium
, Austria
, the U.S.
, Japan
, Denmark
, Switzerland
and Israel
. When they had been published, the whole world finally came to accept that they were confronted with a new disease. In 1947, at the suggestion of Prof. Mischner of the Zurich Medical Faculty during the International Medical Congress of Geneva, the finding of Dr. Behçet was named "Morbus Behçet". Though it was evaluated in the early days as "Behçet's Syndrome", "Trisymptom Behçet", and "Morbus Behçet", today the disease is universally called ‘’’Behçet's Disease’’’ in medical literature. Dr. Behçet published 126 national and international articles between 1921 and 1940. 53 of those appeared in prestigious European scientific journals.
Hulusi Behçet was deeply interested in the arts, particularly literature. Generally he was nervous and suffered from insomnia
, colitis
and angina pectoris, but sometimes he was joyful and good humoured among friends. He was divorced from his wife seven years before his death from a sudden heart attack
on 8 March 1948.
In 1982, he was awarded with the Medical Award of the Turkish Republic by Eczacıbaşı Foundation of Scientific Research. In 1996, the Turkish mint released a silver commemorative coin
for Dr. Behçet during the National Dermatology Congress.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
dermatologist and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. He described a disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
of inflamed
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
blood vessel
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
s in 1937, which is named after him as the Behçet's disease
Behçet's disease
Behçet's disease is a rare immune-mediated systemic vasculitis that often presents with mucous membrane ulceration and ocular involvements...
.
Professional works
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918), he served at the military hospital in Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
as a specialist in dermatology and venereal diseases and was assigned to the head of the hospital as an assistant. After the war, between 1918–1919, he first went to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and then to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to improve his medical knowledge. He had the opportunity to meet some well known colleagues there. After his return to Turkey, he went into private practice. In 1923, Behçet was appointed as the head physician at the Hasköy Venereal Diseases Hospital at Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
in Istanbul. Shortly after, he moved to Guraba Hospital, which is now part of the School of Medicine İstanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
. While he lectured at the university, he continued his private practice as well.
In 1923, he married Refika Davaz, the daughter of a well-known diplomat. They had one daughter.
Scientific works
In 1933, Istanbul University was re-established out of the old-fashioned Dar-ul Fünun. During this period of reform, Dr. Behçet founded the department of dermatology and venereal diseases. His curiosity for research, writing and discussion were his intellectual characteristics. Starting from the early years in his profession, his participation in national and international congresses with original articles was very apparent, publishing many articles at home and abroad. The famous GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pathologist Prof. Schwartz called him once "a scientist who was well known everywhere, but in his country", adding that "you could never find him in Turkey because he was always abroad presenting his findings". He translated many articles into Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
to help educate new generations and published original case reports in international reviews in order to make contact with such far countries as Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
He was interested in syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
since 1922 and had published many international articles on its diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
, treatment
Pharmacotherapy
Pharmacotherapy is the treatment of disease through the administration of drugs. As such, it is considered part of the larger category of therapy....
, hereditary properties, serology
Serology
Serology is the scientific study of blood serum and other bodily fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum...
and social aspects. Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
(Oriental sore) was another disease, which Dr. Behçet worked on, beginning in 1923. He wrote about it in many articles and succeeded in its treatment with diathermic. He first described "the nail sign" appearing by the removal of the crust of an oriental sore. A part of his published work was concerned with parasitosis. In 1923, he described the etiologic agents of "gale cereal" in Turkey. Behçet dealt with superficial and deep mycosis
Mycosis
A mycosis is a fungal infection of animals, including humans. Mycoses are common, and a variety of environmental and physiological conditions can contribute to the development of fungal diseases...
and their treatments. Due to his observations, he described the dermatitis of fig in 1933. In 1935, at the Dermatology Congress in Budapest, he was honoured for his studies on mycosis. He was also in the publishing vanguard to improve Turkish medicine and he was responsible for the first dermato-venerology journal of Turkey called ’’Turkish Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology’’ in 1924. In 1939, he was elected as a correspondent member to the German scientific journals ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ and ’’Medizinische Wochenschrift’’. The same year, he has been promoted to ordinary professor. The most important work that Dr. Behçet brought to Turkish medicine was the monograph published in 1940 called ’’Clinical and Practical Syphilis, Diagnosis and Related Dermatoses’’. Every page of this book contains an aspect of syphilis and the footnotes, provides a wealth of detailed information about the differential diagnosis of other skin diseases. As a result, scientists had the chance to learn about syphilis and dermatology at the same time. This book, despite its outdated style, still retains its value and spirit in medicine as being the only example in its field. Dr. Behçet continued as the Head of the Department of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases until 1947.
Behçet's disease
His first observations on Behçet's diseaseBehçet's disease
Behçet's disease is a rare immune-mediated systemic vasculitis that often presents with mucous membrane ulceration and ocular involvements...
began with a patient he met between 1924-1925. This man had been consulted for 40 years in Istanbul and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
several times. According to his symptoms, the illness had been diagnosed. From the aetiology, syphilis and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
were suspected. Austrian doctors had called an unknown protozoal disease. Ophthalmologists had described the ocular symptoms as iritis, which might be the result of syphilis, tuberculosis or streptococcal or staphylococcal infection
Staphylococcal infection
Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria which includes several species that can cause a wide variety of infections in humans and other animals through either toxin production or invasion....
s. After several iridectomies, the patient had completely lost his vision. Dr. Behçet continued to follow up the patient for many years.
In 1930, a woman suffering from irritation in her eye and with lesion
Lesion
A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism , usually caused by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.- Types :...
s in her mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
and genital regions was referred to Dr. Behçet's clinic and told him that these symptoms had been recurring for several years. He consulted the patient until 1932 and tried to diagnose the aetiological agent for tuberculosis, syphilis or mycosis etc. by biopsy
Biopsy
A biopsy is a medical test involving sampling of cells or tissues for examination. It is the medical removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
and other laboratory analysis, but he could not find anything. The prominent ophthalmologists Dr. Murat Rahmi and Dr. Iggescheimer had been also consulted.
Following those two patients, in 1936 a male patient from a dental clinic with oral wounds, acneiform signs on the back, scrotal ulcer, eye irritation, evening fever, and abdominal pain was sent to his clinic. After the consultation, nothing except a dental cyst
Cyst
A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue. It may contain air, fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is called an abscess, not a cyst. Once formed, a cyst could go away on its own or may have to be removed through surgery.- Locations :* Acne...
was found. Dr. Behçet thought the recurrent symptoms might be due to a virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
. He referred the patient to Prof. Braun who did a viral investigation and found some corpuscular structures.
Dr. Behçet, with the symptoms of these three patients whom he had followed for years, then decided that they were the symptoms of a new disease and in 1936, he described the situation in a meeting and this was published in the Archives of Dermatology and Venereal Disease. He wrote in 1937 his ideas in the ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ and the same year he presented it at the meeting of the Dermatology Association of Paris. At this meeting, he declared that a dental infection might cause the etiology of the disease. In 1938, he published his ideas about the subject in the ’’Dermatologische Wochenschrift’’ in a more detailed form. In the same year, Dr. Niyazi Gözcü and Prof. Frank reported two new cases with the same symptoms. The Belgian scientists Weekers and Reginster, and the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Frachescetti reported some patients with similar symptoms. Therefore, European doctors had accepted the appearance of a new disease. Ophthalmologists had begun to accept "Behçet's Disease", but dermatologists kept denying the new disease, insisting they could be symptoms of known diseases. While that debate was taking place, some new cases were reported from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. When they had been published, the whole world finally came to accept that they were confronted with a new disease. In 1947, at the suggestion of Prof. Mischner of the Zurich Medical Faculty during the International Medical Congress of Geneva, the finding of Dr. Behçet was named "Morbus Behçet". Though it was evaluated in the early days as "Behçet's Syndrome", "Trisymptom Behçet", and "Morbus Behçet", today the disease is universally called ‘’’Behçet's Disease’’’ in medical literature. Dr. Behçet published 126 national and international articles between 1921 and 1940. 53 of those appeared in prestigious European scientific journals.
Hulusi Behçet was deeply interested in the arts, particularly literature. Generally he was nervous and suffered from insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, colitis
Colitis
In medicine, colitis refers to an inflammation of the colon and is often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine .Colitides may be acute and self-limited or chronic, i.e...
and angina pectoris, but sometimes he was joyful and good humoured among friends. He was divorced from his wife seven years before his death from a sudden heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 8 March 1948.
Commemoration
In 1975, many years after his death, he was honoured with the TÜBİTAK Scientific Award. Several classes, laboratories and libraries had been named in his honour. In national and international congresses, events like "Korean-Turkish Behçet Days" are taking place. In 1980, on the initiative of one of his students, a postal stamp was issued in his commemoration, about which an article was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. His biography was published in the Journal of Philatelic Society and in the Medical Bulletin of the United States Army, Europe’’ and ’’Seventh Army's Medical Bulletin.In 1982, he was awarded with the Medical Award of the Turkish Republic by Eczacıbaşı Foundation of Scientific Research. In 1996, the Turkish mint released a silver commemorative coin
Commemorative coin
Commemorative coins are coins that were issued to commemorate some particular event or issue. Most world commemorative coins were issued from the 1960s onward, although there are numerous examples of commemorative coins of earlier date. Such coins have a distinct design with reference to the...
for Dr. Behçet during the National Dermatology Congress.
External links
- Hulusi Behçet's Biography page / warning virus alert