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Arch Dermatol. 2000;136:79-80.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Dermatologists have been accused of thinking that they are the only people who know about skin diseases and that they are the only people sufficiently qualified to treat them. How true is this, and is it likely that dermatologists are going to be the major sources of advice on dermatological matters in the new millennium?

To answer these questions, one only has to look at the developing countries to appreciate the fact that there is a problem. In these regions of the world, whose populations constitute more than two thirds of the world population, the vast majority of people live in rural communities where skin diseases are predominantly infective-parasitic.¹ In contrast, in those countries the vast majority of medical practitioners are situated in cities and provide care to a relatively small proportion of the total population.

In addition, there is a mismatch in training between dermatological professionals and work requirements . . . [Full Text of this Article]