De morbis cutaneis. A treatise of diseases incident to the skin.

Turner may be regarded as the founder of British dermatology. His book, the first English text on the subject, gives a good idea of contemporary knowledge of skin diseases. Turner began his career as a barber surgeon, but eventually bought his way out of the guild. He obtained membership in the College of Physicians without an official medical degree. Yale College conferred an honorary MD on Turner in 1723, for donating a collection of books to the school’s library. This was the first medical degree awarded in English-speaking America. Its circumstances led one wit of the period to suggest that the letters on Turner’s diploma actually stood for Multum Donavit.

Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.