Books
I have written 34 books to date. It concerns 24 titles, of which one (Patch testing) has had five editions (1986, 1994, 2008, 2018, 2022) and another (Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology) three (1983, 1985, 1994); three books have been published in two editions and my dissertation had a separate commercial edition. A second edition is often referred to (at least in Dutch) as a 'second print'. However, all of our new issues of previous books were completely adapted based on the most recent literature and insights and were therefore new editions, not new printings (this term is used when the edition is sold out and the book is reprinted without being changed/adapted).
Of the 34 books, 15 are written in English: 5 editions of Patch testing, 3 of Unwanted effects......, 4 books in the Monographs in Contact Allergy series, my dissertation and its commercial version, and the book Essential oils: Contact allergy and chemical composition. The other 19 books (and booklets) are in Dutch, of which 5 are for general practitioners (in training) and medical students, 7 for pedicurists and podotherapists, 2 for 'skin therapists' and my recent book for hairdressers (all in cooperation with Johan Toonstra). The remaining 4 are a booklet for patients with atopic eczema and their parents, one about my first 500 publications, my practice and scientific autobiography from 2020 and its update, which was published in 2022.
The complete list of books is shown below. A little more is told about some of them. Be sure to read the anecdote 'No enthusiasm goes unpunished' at the section Patch testing.
International books
Dissertation
De Groot AC. Adverse reactions to cosmetics. Dissertation, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 1988. DOWNLOAD here
De Groot AC. Adverse reactions to cosmetics (commercial edition). Nieuwegein, The Netherlands: Glaxo BV, 1989
The front and back cover (top right and below left) of the commercial edition of my thesis. I had sold a large number of books to Glaxo BV. That was a double celebration for me: they paid me more than the entire edition had cost (despite the representative of Glaxo saying 'It is not the intention that you earn money from it') and my dissertation was distributed to all Dutch dermatologists.
Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology
Nater JP, de Groot AC. Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica, 1983 (ISBN 0444902651)
Nater JP, de Groot AC. Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology, 2nd Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1985 (ISBN 0444903585)
De Groot AC, Nater JP, Weijland JW. Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology, 3rd Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 1994 (ISBN 0444897755)
The book Unwanted effects of cosmetics and drugs used in dermatology was actually a spin-off of our chapters in Meyler's side effects of drugs. Johan Nater had started it with the subject 'Drugs used on the skin'. Later, when I had become co-writer, cosmetics were added, and later still 'drugs used in dermatology', systemic drugs specific to dermatology, e.g. the retinoids (drugs derived from vitamin A) such as isotretinoin for acne and etretinate for psoriasis. In our own book the subjects were dealt with much more extensively. This certainly applied to cosmetics, for which the help of the cosmetics department of the Keuringsdienst van Waren (KvK) in Enschede was requested, where there was a lot of expertise in this area.
The first edition was published in 1983 by Elsevier, then called Excerpta Medica ('medical extracts', they had started presenting short summaries of medical articles). A second, much more extensive edition followed just two years later. Because Johan Nater had come up with the idea and we made extensive use of his earlier chapters, he was the first author in these editions. Dr. Dhiam H. Liem of the Keuringsdienst van Waren was co-author for the section on cosmetics. Incidentally, in these books we also discussed the side effects of systemic drugs that are not specific to dermatology, but are used for skin diseases, such as antibiotics, antifungal agents and immunosuppressants. The third and last edition appeared in 1994. Because I had written everything, I now became first author and the new director of the cosmetics department of the KvW, Dr. Jan Willem Weijland, became co-author. Six years earlier he had already been one of the paranymphs during my PhD in 1988 for my thesis Adverse reactions to cosmetics.
An Elsevier advertising brochure from 1986, which promoted both my books at the time
The books were enthusiastically received in the international press (some examples of book reviews) and were, according to the publisher, among Elsevier's best-selling publications. I can't remember why there wasn't a fourth edition. Maybe I didn't feel like it anymore. It was always an awful lot of work. For a new edition I received A3 photocopies of all the pages of the previous edition from the publisher and could then write the changes on them. But the most – and undoubtedly the most tedious – work was checking the proofs. At the time, everything was still typed over and many mistakes were made that had to be corrected. Tables were also sometimes shifted so that, if you did not check carefully, an entire table could give incorrect information. Moreover, a third edition would only have been necessary after five or six years, which would have been around 2000. At that time, after 20 years, I was a bit tired of writing the chapters in Meyler's side effects of drugs and the Annuals, for which we received the literature from Elsevier that we also used for this book. Moreover, I was already gradually taking steps to end my practice and was convinced at the time that I would leave dermatology and publishing behind me completely. The future - fortunately - would teach otherwise…….
Patch testing
De Groot AC. Patch testing. Test concentrations & vehicles for 2800 allergens. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1986 (ISBN 044490445x) Read more
De Groot AC. Patch testing. Test concentrations & vehicles for 3700 allergens, 2nd Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 1994 (ISBN 0444819118) Read more
De Groot AC. Patch Testing. Test concentrations and vehicles for 4350 chemicals, 3rd Edition. Wapserveen, The Netherlands: acdegroot publishing, 2008 (ISBN 9789081323314) Read more
De Groot AC. Patch Testing, 4th Edition. Wapserveen, The Netherlands: acdegroot publishing, 2018 (ISBN 9789081323345) Read more
De Groot AC. Patch testing, 5th edition. Test concentrations and vehicles for 5200 chemicals. Wapserveen, The Netherlands: acdegroot publishing, 2022 (ISBN/EAN 978-90-813233-6-9) Read more
Patch Testing: definitive breakthrough on the world stage of dermatoallergology
The first edition of my book Patch testing appeared in 1986; 36 years later, in 2022, I published the fifth edition myself. This is not commercially available, I have only had a limited number of them printed for family, friends and colleagues. The digital version of the book is available on the websites of the American Contact Dermatitis Society and the European Society of Contact Dermatitis and can be viewed online by their members. The whole story of this book, which marked my definitive breakthrough on the world stage of dermatoallergology and contributed in no small measure to my honorary memberships in both the American and European Society, from the first to the fifth edition, with all the amusing but also embarrassing details, can be read here.
All five editions of Patch testing. From the second edition, the cover has remained largely unchanged, but with each subsequent edition the number of red boxes (positive patch test reactions) increases by 1. The fifth edition is printed in gold, much nicer than the dark yellow one pictured here. There is no other way: when a scan is made, the gold reflects all light rays, making the letters black (this was a preliminary cover in yellow-brown to simulate gold)
Monographs in contact allergy
De Groot AC. Monographs in Contact Allergy Volume 1. Non-Fragrance Allergens in Cosmetics (Part I and Part 2). Boca Raton, Fl, USA: CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group, 2018 (ISBN 978-1-138-57325-3 and 9781138573383)
De Groot AC. Monographs in Contact Allergy, Volume 2. Fragrances and Essential Oils. Boca Raton, Fl, USA: CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group, 2019 (ISBN 9780367149802)
De Groot AC. Monographs in Contact Allergy, Volume 3. Topical Drugs. Boca Raton, Fl, USA: CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group, 2021 (ISBN 978-0-367-23693-9)
De Groot AC. Monographs in Contact Allergy, Volume 4. Systemic Drugs. Boca Raton, Fl, USA: CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group, 2022 (ISBN 9780367436490)
The book series Monographs in contact allergy has 4 volumes. The books are published by one of the largest publishers in the world, the American CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group. Earlier my book Essential oils: contact allergy and chemical composition had been produced by the same publisher. The special thing about these books is that I lay them out completely myself, including table of contents, page numbering, index, headers and footers, et cetera. That is quite a puzzle every time, but it always worked out and I actually enjoy doing it. Big advantages of this approach are that I don't have to check proofs and that the books appear after only a few months. They are also available as e-books and - after a year or two - as paperbacks (soft cover), which are offered for a ridiculously low price in my opinion. It has not all gone smoothly, however ..... Please read more
Other English books
De Groot AC, Schmidt E. Essential oils: contact allergy and chemical composition. Boca Raton, Fl., USA: CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 2016 (ISBN 9781482246407) BOOK REVIEWS
Essential oils: Contact allergy and chemical composition was my first book published by CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group in the United States. I had sent the proposal for this book with table of contents to about 8 publishers, and this company accepted. It was very difficult to put the huge tables in a matrix, and it didn't work well. I repeatedly offered to edit the book myself, but they declined. I think they must have kicked themselves later, because all the books in the Monographs in contact allergy series, which would later also be published by this company, I made myself and that saves a lot of money to the publisher. If only they had listened…. Of course I am happy and also a little proud that one of the largest publishers in the world wants to produce and market my books. And a big advantage for me is that, because the books are printed exactly as I deliver the copy in PDF files, I don't have to correct proofs. Erich Schmidt, the (former) head of the chemical analysis and quality checking department of a large German company that produces perfumes and essential oils, had vast amounts of unpublished analytical data, which we have included in the book and which are completely unique in world literature.
You can read book reviews here.
A sheet of stamps with the cover of the book, received as a gift from my friend Dr. Han Israels on the occasion of the release of the Essential oils book
Dutch books
I have written all but four Dutch books in collaboration with my friend and colleague Johan Toonstra, one of the best dermatologists in the Netherlands and a very amiable person. You can read more about this highly productive collaboration, which has resulted in 14 books and dozens of scientific articles here.
Book for general practioners (and trainees) and students of medicine
De Groot AC, Toonstra J. Casuïstiek in de dermatologie – deel 1. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2009 (ISBN 9789031361885)
De Groot AC, Toonstra J. Casuïstiek in de dermatologie – deel 2. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum,2010 (ISBN 9789031384570)
De Groot AC, Toonstra J. Kanker en Huid. Dermato-oncologie voor de huisarts. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2010 (ISBN 9789031377503)
De Groot AC, Toonstra J. Dermatologie en Venereologie in de praktijk. Den Haag, The Netherlands: Boom Lemma uitgevers, 2012 (ISBN 9789059318977) BOEKBESPREKING
De Groot AC, Toonstra J. Verdachte huidafwijkingen. Casuïstiek, differentiaaldiagnoses en achtergrondinformatie. Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2020 (ISBN 9789036824668)
Books for pedicures and podotherapists
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en huid. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2009 (ISBN 9789031352739)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Nagelaandoeningen. Handboek voor pedicures, podotherapeuten en andere voetspecialisten. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2010 (ISBN 9789031386185)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en Huid, 2nd Edition. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2016 (ISBN 9789036810463)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en Kanker. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2016 (ISBN9789036810708)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en schimmels. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2016 (ISBN 9789036811682)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en nagels, 2e Edition. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2016 (ISBN 9789036813174)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en Vaten. Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2020 (ISBN 9789036824156)
Toonstra J, de Groot AC. Voeten en infecties. Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2023 (ISBN 978-90-368-2916-8; ISBN 978-90-368-2917-5 (eBook)
Books for 'skin therapists' (huidtherapeuten)
De Groot AC, Toonstra J, Lorist JM. Dermatologie voor huidtherapeuten. Den Haag, The Netherlands: Boom Lemma uitgevers, 2012 (ISBN 9789059318199)
De Groot AC, Toonstra J, Lorist JM. Dermatologie voor huidtherapeuten, second edition. Amsterdam: Boom uitgevers, 2020 (ISBN 9789024428441)
Dermatologie voor huidtherapeuten ('Dermatology for skin therapists', a paramedicald discipline largely restricted to the Netherlands and Belgium) was an initiative of Josètte Lorist, a leading skin therapist and our co-author. After much discussion about the contents (my fault, I didn't want to mix dermatology with skin therapy) it was agreed that this would be a dermatology book, in which no skin therapy content is discussed. Yet, for each skin abnormality it is indicated whether skin therapy can be applied and, if so, which treatment methods. The first edition in 2012 was followed by a second in 2020. The content of both books is fully aligned with the curriculum of the Huidtherapie section at Hogeschool Utrecht and The Hague University of Applied Sciences and was created in close consultation with the educators. The book is referred to as the 'dermatological bible' in both programmes.
Other Dutch books
Boersma I, Toonstra J, de Groot A. Dermatologie voor haarprofessionals. Praktische gids over afwijkingen aan huid en haar. Amsterdam: CocoBooks, 2024 (ISBN 9789079142323)
Dirven-Meijer P, de Groot AC. Leven met eczeem. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2011 (ISBN 9789031387168)
De Groot AC. Vijfhonderd publicaties 1977-2015. Wapserveen, The Netherlands: acdegroot publishing, 2016 (ISBN 978908132238)
De Groot AC. Vijfenveertig jaar praktijk en wetenschap. Een terugblik (autobiography). Wapserveen: acdegroot publishing, 2020 (ISBN 978-90-813233-5-2)
De Groot AC. Vijfenveertig jaar praktijk en wetenschap. Een terugblik (autobiography): Update 2020-2022. Wapserveen: acdegroot publishing, 2022
