Beauty: soul or surface?

Authors: Fatović-Ferenčić, S¹; Dürrigl, M-A²; Holubar, K³

Source: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Volume 2, Number 2, April 2003 , pp. 82-85(4)

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Abstract:

Summary

It is proposed that beauty can be external or internal or both. External or physical beauty is immediately visible. Internal or inner beauty is not always immediately visible. Ideally both types of beauty are connected and spring from one another.

The opposite situation, in which only one exists while the other is suppressed, is exemplified in this paper, using a tale from 19th century Croatian literature as a model. The main character is Tena. Initially physically beautiful, she is later disfigured by smallpox. Consequently her psyche metamorphoses through illness, distress and destitution, and she discovers an inner self that allows her full personality to develop. The story of Tena illustrates how love based only on outer appearance may end in unhappiness. Perhaps true love depends more on soul than surface.

Endless quests for external beauty are part of medical practice today more then ever before. Skin is the paradigm of this. The dermatologist needs many clinical skills, including an understanding of psychology, when addressing skin-related problems - appearance-related problems in particular. Sometimes the humanities (e.g. literature, poetry, etc.), may help broaden our perspective of such a complex phenomenon as beauty.

Keywords: beauty; attitude to beauty; humanities; literature and medicine; cosmetic dermatology; smallpox

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00037.x

Affiliations: 1: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Department for the History of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia 2: Old Church Slavonic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia 3: Institute for the History of Medicine, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Publication date: 2003-04-01