LAUSR

This is a story about a piano that played a small but special role in dermatology’s history. It belonged to Stephen Rothman, MD (18941963), one of the most influential dermatologists of the 20th century. He was also an accomplished pianist. Rothman was born in Budapest, Hungary, into a Jewish family, although he later became a Roman Catholic. His mother had musical abilities that were reflected in her son’s growing passion for the piano. Rothman was torn between becoming a musician or a physician. Fortunately for dermatology, he chose the latter. Rothman was a rising star in Hungarian dermatology. In 1935 he served as Secretary-General of the Ninth International Congress of Dermatology, which was held in Budapest. The conference was a huge success, but the future of dermatology in Hungary became clouded as the world soon turned to war and Hungary allied itself with Nazi Germany. Anti-Semitic laws in Hungary curtailed Rothman’s ability to practice dermatology, but he was able to escape to the United States in 1938. Unfortunately, many Jewish dermatologists remained in Hungary, only to perish during the Holocaust. In America, Rothman restarted his academic career at the University of Chicago, where he became chief of the dermatology section and professor of dermatology. In 1954 he published his landmark text, Physiology and Biochemistry of the Skin. As a pianist, Rothman enjoyed playing Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, and Mozart at dermatology meetings. Mozart, however, was his specialty, and he even wrote an article for this journal in 1945 that discussed Mozart’s childhood affliction with erythema nodosum. Rothman often played four-handed piano with his close friend Fritz Reiner, the famous conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Rothman’s piano (Figure), which he had left behind in Hungary, was restored and put on display in Budapest, at the 2009 annual meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. This pianino (a small upright piano) was manufactured by the Gustav Rösler company and is about 130 years old. Conference attendees from all over the world were encouraged to enjoy the pianino by playing on it their favorite musical pieces. Attendees were also thrilled to a wonderful performance of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, by the talented Hungarian pianist Jozsef Balog, on a special grand piano brought in for the occasion. Today, Dr Rothman’s piano sits quietly at the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Dermatooncology, Semmelweis University, in Budapest. The piano is a reminder of past times when dermatologists from all backgrounds learned together at conferences while enjoying each other's company. Maybe one day, people will put aside hatred and prejudice, as they gather around the pianos of the world to enjoy good music in a spirit of brotherhood and peace.