Last week-end, a homage to Professor Rudolf Happle (Rudi) was held in his hometown in Freiburg im Briesgau. A group of dermatologists, geneticists and researchers collaborated in an intensive scientific session that updated the current knowledge about cutaneous mosaicism. This group was composed by the following doctors: Leena Bruckner-Tuderman (Germany), Arne König (Germany), Mario Bittar (Argentina), Dimitra Kiritsi (Germany), Pierre Vabres (France), Sigrid Tinschert (Germany), Peter Steijlen (Netherlands), Retno Danarti (Indonesia), Hae Woong Lee (Korea), María Boente (Argentina), Jean-Baptiste Rivière (France), Heiko Traupe (Germany), Jan Izakovic (Switzerland), Veronica Kinsler (United Kingdom), Regina Fölster-Holst (Germany), Cristina Has (Germany), Jorge Frank (Germany), Antonio Torrelo (Spain) and Karin Echternacht-Happle (Germany). Rudi and Karin Happle prepared a memorable event, including a reception dinner on Friday and a gala dinner on Saturday, that run within an atmosphere of charm, friendship and admiration towards the figure of Rudi Happle.
There were memorable lectures during the meeting. Outstanding clinical cases and new mosaic diseases were presented by Drs. Vabres, Steijlen, Danarti, Lee, and Boente. Genetic advances in mosaicism by Drs. Rivière, Kinsler, Frank and Haas were also presented. Drs. König, Tinschert, Bittar, Kiritsi, Traupe, Izakovik, Fölster-Holst and Torrelo offered critical updates and new personal observations in both genetic and clinical aspects of mosaicism. Professor Happle hosted the session and his opinions and expertise were of outmost quality.
A SHORT BIO
Rudi Happle was born on the 18th of May 1938 in Freiburg, Germany. He graduated in Medicine in 1964, and finished his training in Dermatology in 1972 in Freiburg. He gave his first dermatological steps in Cutaneous Surgery, and he was credited as designer of the Happle's flap for glans penis reconstruction. His mentor Professor Egon Macher encouraged him to develop a research career, and started his investigations on the treatment of alopecia areata with topical sensitizers. The observation of an enigmatic patient, now known to have CHILD syndrome, arose his curiosity in the patterns of skin lesions, especially the lines of Blaschko. Working with the geneticist Professor Widukind Lenz in research about incontinentia pigmenti, Rudi Happle devised his idea of the development of clones of cells along the lines of Blaschko. During the 70's, Rudi Happle proposed seminal hypotheses that later were proved to be correct, based on observation, thinking and reasoning. The hypothesis of mosaicism in X-linked disorders was followed by others about autosomal dominant disorders and lethal genes surviving by mosaicism.
In 1986, Rudi Happle was named to the Cathedra of the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where he stayed for 5 years and left a considerable scientific and personal heritage. In 1991 he gained the Cathedra of the Philipp University of Marburg, and during these years he developed new theories that resolved the conundrum of mosaic disorders: the epidermal nevus syndromes, mosaicism types 1 and 2, superimposed mosaic manifestations of autosomal and polygenic disorders, twin spotting, and many others.
His article published in the Archives of Dermatology in 1993 about cutaneous mosaicism was considered within the most 10 relevant articles published in that journal in the period 1990-2000. The publication in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology of a series of papers about the theory of loss of heterozygosity in human skin mosaicism remains as one of his most brilliant writings. He also described many new syndromes and revisited many old diseases under his personal and critic scope.
The advances in genetics in the latest years, have come to give a molecular evidence for most of Rudi Happle's theories, thus stressing his extraordinary ability to think and reason much ahead of his time.
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In 2008 he retired but has been extremely active in writing many scientific articles and chapters for textbooks. In 2014, he finally wrote and published his outstanding textbook 'Mosaicism in Human Skin', as an encyclopedia of all the current knowledge about this topic.
THE LEGACY OF RUDI HAPPLE
It can be said that before Rudi Happle, confusion reigned in the world of patterned skin lesions. Rudi Happle showed us how make a solid theory to clearly order the preexisting chaos of bizarre skin patterns. It may look simple nowadays, but he was the one who was able to foresee the explanation for the amazing patterns that nature was concealing under cutaneous mosaicism. Most importantly, he did it only with the eyes of his mind, and time has come to prove that he was essentially right in most of his theories.
Rudi Happle also spread his knowledge throughout the whole world, wherever he was asked to appear, with a great generosity. He collaborated with all colleagues in the world who wanted to share strange diseases with him, no matter age or position. He humbly defended his theories and accepted new ideas from young and old colleagues.
As a speaker and lecturer, Rudi is second to none. No matter how many times you heard him lecture, he always had something new to hit you right between the eyes with new ideas, syndromes, classifications and reviews to challenge the most expert audiences.
It is out of any doubt that Rudi Happle has a charming spirit and a fantastic sense of humor. His conversation in at least seven different languages, most learnt by himself, is always fun and interesting.
Rudi has left an important print in all his fellows, residents and also in thousands of colleagues around the world. His personal legacy definitely goes beyond his magnificent scientific knowledge.
THE HAPPLE MOSAIC SOCIETY
During the last week-end's homage to Rudi Happle, it was proposed that a society for the study of human skin mosaicism, under the scientific presidency of Rudi Happle was created, to meet every year and share the most recent advantages in the topic to which Rudi Happle dedicated most of his scientific life.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank Dr. Karin Echternacht-Happle for her incredible hospitality during this week-end and for having organized this wonderful event.
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| Karin Echternacht-Happle, Mario Bittar and Retno Danarti |
There were memorable lectures during the meeting. Outstanding clinical cases and new mosaic diseases were presented by Drs. Vabres, Steijlen, Danarti, Lee, and Boente. Genetic advances in mosaicism by Drs. Rivière, Kinsler, Frank and Haas were also presented. Drs. König, Tinschert, Bittar, Kiritsi, Traupe, Izakovik, Fölster-Holst and Torrelo offered critical updates and new personal observations in both genetic and clinical aspects of mosaicism. Professor Happle hosted the session and his opinions and expertise were of outmost quality.
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| Rudi Happle and Hae Woong Lee |
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| Dimitra Kiritsi, Pierre Vabres and Veronica Kinsler |
A SHORT BIO
Rudi Happle was born on the 18th of May 1938 in Freiburg, Germany. He graduated in Medicine in 1964, and finished his training in Dermatology in 1972 in Freiburg. He gave his first dermatological steps in Cutaneous Surgery, and he was credited as designer of the Happle's flap for glans penis reconstruction. His mentor Professor Egon Macher encouraged him to develop a research career, and started his investigations on the treatment of alopecia areata with topical sensitizers. The observation of an enigmatic patient, now known to have CHILD syndrome, arose his curiosity in the patterns of skin lesions, especially the lines of Blaschko. Working with the geneticist Professor Widukind Lenz in research about incontinentia pigmenti, Rudi Happle devised his idea of the development of clones of cells along the lines of Blaschko. During the 70's, Rudi Happle proposed seminal hypotheses that later were proved to be correct, based on observation, thinking and reasoning. The hypothesis of mosaicism in X-linked disorders was followed by others about autosomal dominant disorders and lethal genes surviving by mosaicism.
In 1986, Rudi Happle was named to the Cathedra of the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where he stayed for 5 years and left a considerable scientific and personal heritage. In 1991 he gained the Cathedra of the Philipp University of Marburg, and during these years he developed new theories that resolved the conundrum of mosaic disorders: the epidermal nevus syndromes, mosaicism types 1 and 2, superimposed mosaic manifestations of autosomal and polygenic disorders, twin spotting, and many others.
His article published in the Archives of Dermatology in 1993 about cutaneous mosaicism was considered within the most 10 relevant articles published in that journal in the period 1990-2000. The publication in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology of a series of papers about the theory of loss of heterozygosity in human skin mosaicism remains as one of his most brilliant writings. He also described many new syndromes and revisited many old diseases under his personal and critic scope.
The advances in genetics in the latest years, have come to give a molecular evidence for most of Rudi Happle's theories, thus stressing his extraordinary ability to think and reason much ahead of his time.
In 2008 he retired but has been extremely active in writing many scientific articles and chapters for textbooks. In 2014, he finally wrote and published his outstanding textbook 'Mosaicism in Human Skin', as an encyclopedia of all the current knowledge about this topic.THE LEGACY OF RUDI HAPPLE
It can be said that before Rudi Happle, confusion reigned in the world of patterned skin lesions. Rudi Happle showed us how make a solid theory to clearly order the preexisting chaos of bizarre skin patterns. It may look simple nowadays, but he was the one who was able to foresee the explanation for the amazing patterns that nature was concealing under cutaneous mosaicism. Most importantly, he did it only with the eyes of his mind, and time has come to prove that he was essentially right in most of his theories.
 |
| Rudi Happle lecturing at the World Congress of Pediatric Dermatology in Madrid |
As a speaker and lecturer, Rudi is second to none. No matter how many times you heard him lecture, he always had something new to hit you right between the eyes with new ideas, syndromes, classifications and reviews to challenge the most expert audiences.
It is out of any doubt that Rudi Happle has a charming spirit and a fantastic sense of humor. His conversation in at least seven different languages, most learnt by himself, is always fun and interesting.
Rudi has left an important print in all his fellows, residents and also in thousands of colleagues around the world. His personal legacy definitely goes beyond his magnificent scientific knowledge.
THE HAPPLE MOSAIC SOCIETY
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| A twin-spotted cherry |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank Dr. Karin Echternacht-Happle for her incredible hospitality during this week-end and for having organized this wonderful event.
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| Rudi Happle and me |
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