Walter Freudenthal (6 May 1893 – 27 March 1952) was a German-Jewish dermatologist who gave the earliest clear histopathological description of keratoma senile (actinic keratosis) in 1926 in Breslau.

He worked with dermatologist Geoffrey Barrow Dowling on the connection between dermatomyositis and scleroderma and was later appointed to the first readership in dermatological histology by London University.

In addition to lecturing, demonstrating specimens at the Royal Society of Medicine and postgraduate training, Freudenthal wrote many papers on his histopathological findings, and chapters in dermatology textbooks.

He opted against this and instead, with the help of Sir Archibald Gray,[3] who had already recruited Freudenthal's old friend from Breslau W. N. Goldsmith,[6] took up studies in dermatohistopathology at University College Hospital (UCH) in London.

[2][3] In addition, he noted significant acanthosis in a lesion he was studying and coined the term "keratoacanthoma"[9][10] which was adopted by dermatologist Arthur Rook and pathologist Ian Whimster in 1950.

[11] Freudenthal suffered from constant headaches[2] and heart disease in the final five years of life and, following a morning's work in the laboratory, died in London on 27 May 1952 at the age of 58.

He would depart with a short farewell, which would not last longer than the usual good-bye on the main station of Breslau after a weekend trip, even when it involved foreign travel, the ocean, years, and war.