Ernst Kromayer

Ernst Kromayer (26 September 1862 in Stralsund – 6 May 1933 in Berlin) was a German dermatologist. He was the younger brother of historian Johannes Kromayer (1859–1934).

He studied medicine at the universities of Strasbourg, Würzburg, and Bonn, receiving his doctorate in 1885. From 1888 he worked as an assistant to Karl Koester at the pathology clinic in Bonn, and in 1890 qualified as a lecturer at the University of Halle. At Halle he established a clinic for skin and venereal diseases that eventually acquired the status of a university clinic. In 1901 he received the title of professor at the university, then in 1904 relocated to Berlin, where he opened a private practice.

He is best remembered for inventing a water-cooled mercury-vapor lamp (Kromayer lamp) for ultraviolet irradiation of the skin. On 23 October 1906 he received a patent for the lamp. He also made pioneer contributions in regards to dermabrasion; around 1905 he introduced a device that consisted of rotating burrs attached to a dental drill, being designed for the removal of unwanted skin layers.

In 1962 Grünstraße ("Green Street") in Halle an der Saale was renamed Ernst-Kromayer-Straße in his honor.