History of Latin American Dermatology

Dermatology and dermatologists in BrazilAlchorne, Neuza Dillon, Nelson Proença, Maurício Alchorne and others. Noteworthy professorsof a different origin include João Roberto Antônio, from Rio Preto, and NeyRomitti, from Santos.The important educational nuclei for dermatologists are the Municipal Civil Servant’sHospital and the State Civil Servant’s Hospital. The former, headed by Dr. Aurélio AnconaLópez and later by Dr. Alexander de Mello, is currently under the leadership of Dr. IvalPeres Rosa; the latter, which was headed by Dr. J. Pessoa Mendes, is currently led by Dr.J. Alexandre Sittart.Prof. Sebastião Almeida Prado Sampaio stands out among the dermatologists whohave contributed the most to the training of new specialists. We can also mention thenames of João Bicudo Junior, Argemiro Rodrigues de Souza, Vinicio Arruda Zamith, EstevãoAlmeida Neto, Norberto Beliboni and Guilherme V. Curban and, among the institutions,the Regional Section of the Brazilian Society of Dermatology, created in 1970.State Civil Servant’s HospitalWithin the universe of users of São Paulo State Civil Servant’s Hospital, which encompassesthree million people, the Dermatology Service treats an average of 2,500 patientsper month. It provides internship facilities, under agreements with the MedicalSchools, and receives three interns each year. The training process requires the mandatorydrafting of an essay under the guidance of the instructors.The achievements of the Service include important works published nationally andabroad, the participation in meetings and the publication of a book entitled Dermatologyfor the Clinician, already in its third edition. The Dr. José Pessoa Mendes Center for DermatologicalStudies (Dr. Pessoa Mendes was head of the medical service up to 1987 andPresident of the national and regional BSD) actively contributes to the encouragement ofscientific research at that unit authorized by the Brazilian Society of Dermatology. Theleadership of the medical service is headed by Professor Alexandre Sittart, who is alsopart of the administration of the AMB.Heliópolis HospitalThe Dermatology Service of the Heliópolis Hospital, of the city of São Paulo, createdalmost thirty years ago, became a referral center for the treatment of deep mycoses, vasculitis,bullous diseases and serious skin diseases, of difficult diagnosis and treatment.Dr. Alice Alchorne was responsible for its creation, and was in charge of it for 22 consecutiveyears. At present, Prof. Jacob Levites is the Head of the Dermatology Service.Since 1984, the medical practice of Dermatology is authorized by the MEC and by the BSD.It has a specialized infirmary with ten beds and provides continuous treatment to thelocal community, including the Ipiranga and the ABC Paulista regions. It has trained numerousspecialists to date, and they are present at all the events of the specialized field.Municipal Civil Servant’s HospitalThe Dermatology Clinic of this hospital was inaugurated in 1945. Over the course ofits nearly sixty years of existence, it was headed by Drs. Aurélio Ancona López, AlexandreMello Filho, Ival Peres Rosa, Yassubonu Utiyama and Bogdana Victoria Kadunc.In 1972, still under the leadership of Alexandre Filho, Dr. Ival Peres Rosa introduceddermatological surgery, which he practiced, spread and taught; hence it has become thefirst clinic in Brazil to carry out surgical procedures without the help of plastic or generalsurgeons. The assistants of the Municipal Hospital have stood out both in the countryand abroad, publishing books and articles on the subject. There are 5 surgical wards— one of which is equipped for performing Mohs surgery — a mycology laboratory, astudy center and 10 examining rooms. Two hundred patients are treated every day, andaround 1,000 surgeries are performed monthly.101