History of Latin American Dermatology

HISTORY OFDERMATOLOGYIN COLOMBIACÉSAR IVÁN VARELA HERNÁNDEZCOLLABORATORS: DANIELLE ALENCAR-PONTE, ANTONIO BARRERAARENALES, MICHEL FAIZAL GEAGEA, JAIME GIL JARAMILLO, FLAVIO GÓMEZVARGAS, CARLOS HORACIO GONZÁLEZ ROJAS, GUILLERMO GUTIÉRREZALDANA, JAIRO MESA COCK, JUAN PEDRO VELÁSQUEZ BERRUECOSI. La Dermatología precolombina■ Pre-Columbian DermatologyJaime Gil Jaramillo-César Iván Varela HernándezIs believed that the first inhabitants of Colombia arrived in search of new lands and betterliving conditions in a Paleo-Indian stage (15,000 to 10,000 BC), coming from the islandsof the Pacific and Asia along the Behring Strait, taking advantage of the glaciations,or possibly also, according to Méndez Correa, along the Antarctic and the Pacific Ocean 1 .The low demographic density, the dispersal of settlements and the lack of domesticanimals favored the scarce dissemination of disease and there is anthropological evidenceof healthy growth among the Chibcha population 2 ; nevertheless, they sufferedfrom genetic, autoimmune, traumatic, degenerative and infectious ailments, which ledthem to the development of preventive measures and to some treatments, as well as tothe discovery of medications.The American continent’s pre-Hispanic inhabitants wisely considered that humanswere just another kind of beings within the cosmos and that they could not shatter thebalance of nature without suffering punishment in their health. Indians in these landsclassified diseases into several groups. The Nukak of the country’s southeast dividedthem into: 1) Rashes and pimples associated with “magical darts” shot by “enemy beings”and/or as part of a punishment for the hunting or fishing being either fruitless orexcessive. 2) Associated with forest spirits (EbEp) and the sting of the thunder (takuEji);very dangerous, they could cause death. 3) Ailments associated with non-compliancewith rules. 4) Lesser ailments that did not imply death, like stings and small injuries 3 .Among the Huitoto of the Putumayo diseases were the product of attacks by shamans(witch doctors) of other tribes. The Paece classified them according to whether they originatedin visions of the “elf,” the “chief” or the “bow”; among the latter they includedchildren with animal features and pimples on the skin. Other tribes classified them into111