There are four quite separate kinds of reasons why dermatology occupies a unique position among the biomedical sciences:(i) The skin is, of course, the largest organ in the body with a remarkable protean structure. It presents a tremendous range of regional structural and functional adaptations and fulfills a variety of physiological functions that far surpass those of any other organ–in this sense it must be regarded as a “super-organ", made up of sub-organ systems.(ii) The skin is the one organ of the body with which everyone–layman and physician alike–establishes a close familiarity and concern, from early childhood. If our skin develops a rash or becomes discolored, we are immediately conscious of it and concerned for our well-being. In addition, we usually become apprehensive about the possible reactions of others to our altered appearance. By contrast, we live in blissful una-wareness of the very existence of our internal organs, until their structure or function has suffered gross derangement. Most of us will never know whether we have one kidney or two and none of our inner organs ever “itch”. With few qualifications, our entire knowledge of our fellow creatures is based upon the appearance of their skins and the sounds they emit. This is well illustrated by our ready acceptance of a lion in a museum panorama which is, in reality, no more than a well preserved skin mounted on a matrix of old newspapers and sawdust and stiffened with an armature–no