Autograph manuscript prescription signed 'Behçet'.

DR. HULÛSI BEHÇET, (A Turkish dermatologist and scientis who described a disease of inflamed blood vessels in 1937, which is named after him as Behçet's disease), (1889-1948).

Letterhead 'Dr. Hulusi Behçet', Ist., 1935.

Original manuscript prescription signed by Hulûsi Behçet. 22x14 cm. In Turkish. 1 p. Only two notes and signature on an "Extra Strong" watermarked and with "Dr. Hulusi Behçet, Telef. 2,1560 - 4,0515" letterhead prescription paper. His address is written on the bottom. Behçet was a Turkish dermatologist and scientist. He described a disease of inflamed blood vessels in 1937, which is named after him as Behçet's disease. His portrait was depicted on a former Turkish postcard stamp. Born to Turkish parents, as his father was an official in the Ottoman Empire they immigrated to Damascus and he spent his early childhood thereafter he lost his mother to illness. During World War I (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 Istanbul University. While he lectured at the university, he continued his private practice as well. In 1933, Istanbul University was re-established out of the old-fashioned Dar-ul Fünun. During this period of reform, Behçet founded the department of dermatology and venereal diseases. 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 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. His first observations on Behçet's disease 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 etiology, 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 infections. After several iridectomies, the patient had completely lost his vision. Behçet continued to follow up with the patient for many years. In 1930, a woman suffering from irritation in her eye and with lesions in her mouth and genital regions was referred to 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 analyses, but he could not find anything. The prominent ophthalmologists Murat Rahmi and 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. Behçet thought the recurrent symptoms might be due to a virus. He referred the patient to Braun, who did a viral investigation and found some corpuscular structures. 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...