Robert Remak (1815-1865): Discoverer of the fungal character of dermatophytoses

Robert Remak was the first scientist to undertake successful research on fungal skin infections. A neurologist, physiologist, and embryologist, Remak was the first to observe the fungal changes causing the disease of favus; however, he gave credit for the discovery to Professor Johann Schönlein and denied all attempts by others to credit him with the discovery by calling them a mistake. He named the disease Achorion schönleinii; however, over time, the name was changed to Trichophyton schoenleinii.Remak also described axial fibers encased in a medullary sheath and was the first to recognize nonmyelated (sympathetic) nerve fibers, today called fibers of Remak. He demonstrated the existence of the medullary nerve sheath and its production in the process of structured cell division. Remak also was the first to demonstrate that the cerebral cortex consists of six layers and to assert that there are three germ layers in the early embryo and not four.