Josef Kyrle


Josef Kyrle was an Austrian pathologist and dermatologist who was a native of Schärding.
He studied medicine at the University of Graz, and afterwards was an assistant to Anton Weichselbaum at the clinic of pathological anatomy at the University of Vienna. In 1907 he was an assistant to Ernst Finger at the dermatology clinic in Vienna, and in 1918 he became an associate professor.
Kyrle specialized in microscopic and histological research of skin disorders. His name is associated with Kyrle disease, being also known as "hyperkeratosis penetrans". In 1916 Kyrle referred to this condition as hyperkeratosis follicularis et parafollicularis in cutem penetrans. It is characterized by keratotic plugs that develop in hair follicles and eccrine ducts, penetrating the epidermis and extending into the dermis. This disorder is often associated with diabetes mellitus and kidney failure.
He performed investigations on the use of Jauregg's malaria therapy for treatment of syphilis in its early stages, and with Dr. Weichselbaum, he performed important studies involving the origin and development of the islets of Langerhans in the fetus.

Selected writings