History of Latin American Dermatology

History of Dermatology in ColombiaInternational Society in Bogotá. At that moment we were far from imagining that oneday afterwards, on June 26, 2000, she would leave forever. She smiled sweetly andwarmly; she was serenity itself; nothing led anyone to foresee such a quick outcome.Original clinical descriptionsSince the era of the Conquest we find testimonies in our country of descriptions ofdermatological diseases, as well as of diagnostic and surgical techniques such as thesewhich we mention here:Bites: “A certain kind of spiders or mosquitoes... which, biting the flesh, raise a weltand it remains in great pain and itching for three or four hours” (Father Aguado, Sabandija,near Neiva) 9 .Nuche (Myasis): “Since of unguent a patch is placed on the swelling and lean flesh, itstrains and pulls the worm out: the hard torondón is smashed, it removes the grief andmitigates the pain” (Juan de Castellanos) 9 .Sensorial and motor alterations in leprosy: “The lack of sensitivity in the leper, is thetrue symptom of the disease and what indicates its existence.” “The examination of thepatients in the leprosarium must be carried out without their knowledge; injuring themwith a sharp instrument without the patient seeing it, and not feeling the wound; askinghim to pick up a coin with their fingers, without calluses and apparently healthy, and hecannot, because lacking the capacity of touch, he does not perceive the body of the coin.If they are walking and a toe is torn off they do not realize it if they do not see it.” (JoséJoaquín García, 1842) 23 .Yellow fever: “The disease hit suddenly... The eyes were inflamed and weepy... A deepanxiety, extreme prostration of strength, spots on the skin, epistaxis, bleeding of thegums, cold sweat, extreme slowness of the pulse, hiccups and finally death...” (AntonioVargas Reyes) 19 .Proof of the louse as etiological agent of typhus and differentiation from typhoidfever (Luis Patiño Camargo, 1922) 17 .Lleras reaction (leprosy): reaction of fixing of complement (Federico Lleras Acosta) 24 .Vaccination for carbón bacteriano: Federico Lleras Acosta.Serological positiveness of carate scabies (described by Gustavo Uribe Escobar, AlfredoCorrea Henao, José J. Escobar and Jesús Peláez Botero in Medellín).Epidermic grafts and their application in achromatic and pimply areas (Rafael Falabella,1971) 25 .Contrast coloration for the Galli Mainini and Ambrad Domínguez reaction (NayibAmbrad Domínguez).Phytophotodermatitis of the feet and the legs with rue after childbirth (Fabio LondoñoGonzález).Contribution to the description of the clinical features and naming of actinicprurigo (Fabio Londoño González).Management of actinic prurigo with thalidomide (Fabio Londoño González) 26, 27 .Description of the cytopathic effects of the papiloma virus in epidermodisplasiaverruciforme (Luis Alfredo Rueda Plata).Repigmentation of segmental vitiligo with autologous minigrafts (Rafael Falabella,1983) 28 .Hypomelanosis in idiopathic gout (Rafael Falabella, 1983) 29 .Leucodermia punctata (Rafael Falabella, 1984) 30 .Clinical parameters of tumescent anesthesia in reconstruction surgery for skincancer (Álvaro Acosta de Hart, 1997) 31 .Eosinophilic, polymorphous and pruriginous rashes associated with radiotherapy(Ricardo Augusto Rueda Plata, 1999) 32 .123