Huckleberry Finn's cure for warts: Dermatology insights from the novels of Mark Twain.

Mark Twain's (1835-1910) novels provide insights into the status of medicine during the mid-19th century in the United States, especially along the Mississippi River. Quackery and superstitious rituals coexisted alongside the developing practice of scientific medicine. This contribution presents illustrations and quotes from Twain's novels that offer insight into the following dermatology-related conditions: warts, measles, alopecia, cleft lip, mumps, a big ear, and smallpox, as well as dental extractions. The novels discussed include: Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.