ABSTRACT
The words ‘dermatitis’ and ‘eczema’ are used synonymously in the dermatological literature. Dermatitis derives from the Greek word derma, meaning skin. However, the word ‘dermis’ is now applied to the structure of the skin below the basement membrane, whilst that above is called the epidermis. Thus, it could be argued that dermatitis, strictly speaking, refers to the dermis and not to the whole skin. Eczema is derived from the Greek word ekzein, meaning ‘to boil over’, and is a purely descriptive term. Which term is more accurate is debatable. In this book, the term eczema is preferred, but the choice is arbitrary.
