At the 7th Congress, held in Rome in 1911, a proposal was submitted for the founding of an International Society of Dermatology and Syphilology with individual members. The proposal was discussed the following year and statutes were drafted for the establishment of an appropriate structure. Due to the outbreak of World War I, no congresses were held for the next 19 years so the proposal could not be considered until the 8th Congress in 1930 in Copenhagen. Before the Congress, the Danish Organizing Committee asked representatives of different nations to elect delegates to attend a special meeting to discuss the organization of future congresses and the proposal for an international society. There was a great deal of debate regarding organizational matters and it was proposed that a special committee be appointed to study the issues. The proposal was approved by the delegates in principle, and an executive committee of 11 members, led by a President and a Secretary-General, was elected.

During the 9th Congress, 1935, the Committee’s proposal for founding a union named “The International League of Dermatological Societies” (ILDS) was approved.

Once again, war intervened and no congresses were held between 1935 and 1952. At the congress in 1952 (London), a meeting attended by 76 national delegates representing 35 countries, confirmed the plan for the formation of the ILDS, with a coordinating International Committee, or Board, (International Committee of Dermatology, ICD) of 12 members. At the 11th Congress, 1957, delegates approved the International Committee’s proposal for “rules and regulations”, which later became known as By-Laws, for the organization, goals and committees of the ILDS. Although the By-Laws have been amended from time to time to meet new challenges, the goals that were identified in 1957 have remained essentially unchanged.

During the following decades the International Committee of Dermatology continued to be responsible for developing the educational programs of the World Congresses as well as special projects in pursuit of the ILDS objectives. Examples of ICD efforts to achieve ILDS goals include:

• In 1987 the Assembly of Delegates approved the ICD’s recommendation to establish the International Foundation of Dermatology (IFD) with the mandate to improve dermatologic care in rural areas of developing countries through education, service, and science. A mission of the IFD is to assist in the establishment and continuing support of Regional Dermatology Training Centers (RDTCs). The flagship facility is on the campus of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania.

• At the World Congress in 1987, a special Committee for Definitions of Dermatological Terms presented its studies in a “Glossary of Basic Dermatological Lesions”.

• In March 1993 the ILDS was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), for official relations as a non-governmental organization (NGO).

• The ILDS provided editorial assistance in the publication of WHO’s “Model Prescribing Information for Drugs used in Skin Diseases”, (e.g., suggesting reasonably-priced alternative drugs). A complimentary copy of the book was provided to each ILDS Member and Affiliate Member Society.

• An ad hoc subcommittee developed a report on “The Role of Women in Dermatology”.

• An awards program was developed to recognize achievements in the field of international dermatology. Recipients have included Dr. Darrell Wilkinson, Dr. David Taplin, Dr. Stuart Maddin, Dr. Joe Pace, Dr. David Grinspan, Dr. Emiliano Panconesi., Dr. Rubem David Azulay, Dr. Atsushi Kukita and Dr. Stephania Jablonska, and many others.