[Laurent Theodor Biett (1780-1840): the 1st Swiss dermatologist].

A biography of Laurent Theodor Biett (1780-1840) is presented. He was born in the Engadine village S-chanf and became a student and then colleague of J.L. Alibert at the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris. Biett became a famous clinical dermatologist and teacher. His followers P.L. Cazenave and H.E. Schudel incorporated his ideas into the famous textbook "Abrégé pratique des maladies de la peau" which has been translated into many languages.