ABSTRACT
Nails occupy a very small area of the body and are considered to be dead structures, yet they have attracted the medical world from the early days of civilization. This present chapter outlines a brief overview of the history and evolution of onychology—the science of nail. The mention of nail, in health and diseases, is evident in the records of all ancient civilizations. The descriptions of nail diseases in the Mesopotamian clay tablets, various Egyptian papyri, or the ancient Indo-Iranian religio-social scripture, the Rik Veda, attest to this fact. In the medieval period the writings of renowned authors like Hally Abbas, Al Majusi, Albucassis, and others remind us of the medical significance of the nails. Modern day scientific study started with the work on the biochemical analysis of the nails by Theophil Metecki (1837). Gustav Simon (1848), Kӧlliker (1852), Virchow (1854), and others did pioneering work on the anatomical and cellular aspect of the nails. Daniel Turner (1726) described ingrown toenails and Robert Willan (1808) wrote on psoriatic nail changes. Famous authorities like Rayer (1835), Vidal (1855), and Hutchinson (1857) described the eczematous changes, syphilitic affections, and melanotic whitlow, respectively. In the present era the works of Zaias, Scher, Hashimto, Baran, and others placed onychology on a solid foundation. The subject developed in rapid pace in the last 100 years with further advancement in science and has become an important organ of modern medical science.
