Helene Ollendorff Curth
Helene Ollendorff Curth (28 February 1899 – 17 June 1982) was a German-American dermatologist, known for her studies on acanthosis nigricans (AN) and introducing Curth's criteria, a set of characteristics for associating skin signs as markers for internal cancers. She is named in two rare inherited skin diseases, the Buschke–Ollendorff syndrome and Ichthyosis Hystrix, Curth-Macklin Type. A medical sign in secondary syphilis, known as the Ollendorff sign, and one form of measuring clubbed fingers, known as the Curth's angle, are named after her.
Helene Ollendorff Curth | |
|---|---|
| Born | Helene Ollendorff 28 February 1899 Breslau, German Empire |
| Died | 17 June 1982 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for |
|
| Parent |
|
| Academic background | |
| Education |
|
| Alma mater | University of Breslau |
| Thesis | (1924) |
| Doctoral advisor | Josef Jadassohn |
| Other advisors | Abraham Buschke |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Dermatology |
| Sub-discipline | Genodermatosis |
| Institutions |
|
| Main interests | Acanthosis nigricans |
| Notable ideas | Skin signs associated with internal cancer |
| Influenced | Robert J. Gorlin |
Ollendorff Curth completed her early training under Josef Jadassohn at the University of Breslau. She moved to Berlin in 1924 and was appointed assistant to Abraham Buschke. In 1931 she settled in New York where she established a dermatology practice with her husband and became associated with Columbia University. During her career in the US, she published the first description of cases of Behçet's disease there, introduced patch testing for industrial employees in New York, and worked with Madge Thurlow Macklin.