The forgotten hair transplantation experiment (1897) of Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869-1926)

Abstract: Menahem Hodara (1869−1926), an Ottoman dermatologist with international fame, made a number of remarkable scientific achievements in his 36 years of professional life. Hodara also conducted a hair transplantation experiment in 1897 by implanting hairs taken from patients with the scars left by favus. He first presented his findings at a session of the Imperial Society of Medicine in Istanbul, held on March 26, 1897, and shared his further results at two other sessions on October 22, 1897 and March 25, 1898. Later, this communication, which was literally entitled “On the Growth of Hair in Favus Scars after Scarification and Implanting of Portions of the Hair,” was also published in German and French. Soon after its publication, Hodara’s experiment received massive attention from international press media but a very little attention in the dermatology literature, and finally fell into oblivion after Hodara’s death. Considering the long-neglected gap in medical history, this paper aims to present Hodara’s experiment and its early reception in the field of dermatology.

Key words: Alopecia, dermatology, hair, history of medicine, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner H, Karamanou M. The forgotten hair transplantation experiment (1897) of Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869−1926). Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2016;82:352-5, DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.179089, PMID: 27088955.

Link: http://ijdvl.com/article.asp?issn=0378-6323;year=2016;volume=82;issue=3;spage=352;epage=355;aulast=Tekiner