1837–1902
Moriz Kaposi (1837–1902) was born Moriz Kohn on 23 October 1837 in Kaposvár, Hungary, into a poor Jewish family who encouraged education. He earned his MD from the University of Vienna in 1861, later completing advanced training in surgery and obstetrics. Early work in Carl Sigmund’s syphilis clinic shaped his interest in dermatology and venereal disease.
In 1866, Kaposi joined Ferdinand von Hebra’s dermatology clinic at the Vienna General Hospital. Under Hebra, he became an indispensable clinician, researcher, and lecturer (Privatdozent), known for diagnostic precision at a time when dermatology was largely descriptive. In 1869, Kaposi married Hebra’s daughter, Martha, and in 1871 changed his surname from Kohn to Kaposi to avoid misattribution in academia. He explained the decision was practical – multiple physicians shared the name “Moriz Kohn,” and he feared his work might be incorrectly credited.
Kaposi became Professor and later Chairman of Dermatology at the University of Vienna (1880), a leader of the historic Vienna School of Dermatology, and host of the 1892 Second International Congress of Dermatology. Fluent in 4 languages, he attracted physicians from across Europe, mentoring a generation of future professors. He was among the first to integrate clinical care with histopathology, routinely using the microscope for diagnosis – an approach considered visionary in the 19th century.
His most enduring contributions include the earliest detailed descriptions of:
- Kaposi’s Sarcoma (1872) – an aggressive vascular malignancy initially thought incurable and fatal.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (1869–1872), recognizing the link between skin lesions and internal disease.
- Xeroderma pigmentosum (also known historically as Kaposi disease), to which he sometimes added the term “mihi” (“by me”) to assert priority of discovery.
Honored by the Imperial Court of Austria (Hofrat), the Order of Emperor Leopold, and the French Légion d’Honneur, Kaposi was remembered—despite occasional barbs from rivals—as a wise clinician, prolific author, and highly respected teacher. He suffered two strokes in 1900–1901 and died in Vienna on 6 March 1902.
Kaposi’s name lives on through the diseases he carefully characterized and the modern clinicopathologic method he helped launch.
