DYSIDROSIS was first distinguished as a clinical entity by Tilbury Fox in 1873. During that year two succinct reports1 from his pen clearly described to both European and American clinicians his views on the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical picture of this eruption, which was previously considered a part of the great eczema group. Fox felt unequivocally that one could identify a group of acute non-inflammatory vesicular eruptions of the palms which arose simply on the basis of poral occlusion and consequent sweat retention. These views on etiology led to his choice of a name, dysidrosis, i. e., difficult sweating.
He stated that dysidrosis bore the same relation to the sweat gland as acne did to the sebaceous gland. His etiologic concept was sound and attractive, although initially supported solely by deductive reasoning. Certainly there was a distinctive group of purely vesicular hand eruptions which could be distinguished