Social Medicine in Dermatology Must Remain Center Stage

Over the last 4 years I completed a biography of Rudolf Virchow. The book is called Rudolf Virchow: Father of Pathology. Rudolf Virchow’s approach to medicine was characterized by his ability to examine life with a simultaneous focus on microscopic details and a broader cultural and public health perspective. His renowned statement, “Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a grand scale,” encapsulates his belief in the interconnectedness of medicine and societal well-being. Virchow viewed medicine as a metaphor for understanding the entirety of society, considering it as an ailing patient in need of remedy.