Karl Herxheimer

Karl Herxheimer was born on June 26th, 1861. He was a German Jewish dermatologist born in Wiesbaden. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, an inflammatory response that he noticed after treatment for syphilis, was partially named after him. In some cases, patients with roseola (reddish or coppery/copper colored spots on the skin) due to syphilis, after the first dose of antibiotic against Treponema pallidum present this inflammatory response that can be mistaken for allergy (hypersensitivity) to the medication, especially if the antibiotic is penicillin.