History of Latin American Dermatology

Historical sketch of Chilean DermatologyUndergraduate teaching at the St. Vincent de Pauland José Joaquín Aguirre hospitalsThe St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, in the northern area of Santiago, was the seat of thecountry’s first autonomous chair of Dermatology, within the UCH Medical School. Thischair was headed by Luis Montero Rivera between 1914 and 1938, and by Luis PrunésRisetti between 1938 and 1954. Further information on Dr. Montero is unavailable. Dr.Prunés (1883-1970) studied for three years at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris after theFirst World War, with professors Darier, Brocq, Civatte and Sabouraud. On his return toChile, he joined the St. Louis Hospital in Santiago, in the 1920s, reaching the post of headof section B and extraordinary professor of Dermatology until called in 1938 to exercisethe leadership and the title of full professor of what was then called “University Clinic forSkin and Syphilis” at the St. Vincent de Paul Hospital. This clinic had two wards of 30beds each (men and women) and an outpatients’ office.Dr. Prunés is remembered as an illustrious figure of Chilean Dermatology; in 1938,along with Roberto Jaramillo, he led the founding of the Chilean Society of Dermatosyphilology,of which he was the first president; he introduced the diagnostic methodsfor syphilis (dark field microscopy and serology) into Chile and the use of arsenicalsfor its treatment, and heralded the diagnostic importance of skin biopsies. He was a humanist/moralistof high standing and an admired educator; he reached the rank of presidentof the Medical Society of Santiago and Health Minister of the republic, withoutstanding work in social hygiene and control of STDs. He died in 1970.In 1952, when the St. Vincent the Paul Hospital was closed, the University Clinic forSkin and Syphilis was transferred to the newly founded José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital ofthe UCH, changing its name to that of Dermatology Service, which it still retains. WhenDr. Prunés retired in 1954, two new full professors of Dermatology were appointed, bothfrom the St. Louis Hospital: Florencio Prats González at the Aguirre Hospital and MauricioWeinstein Rudoy at a new chair created at the St. John of God Hospital. Dr. Prats (whodied in 1960) came from the St. Louis Hospital where he was already head of section Band extraordinary professor of Dermatology. In 1969, months before his death, Dr. Pratsedited the first Chilean Dermatology textbook, which had several authors and was aimedat undergraduates although, because of its scope, it turned out to be a reference bookfor dermatologists and general practitioners. The list of the most outstanding dermatologistsat the St. Vincent de Paul and Aguirre hospitals until 1970 includes, in addition tothe aforementioned, Roger Lamas, Ignacio González Díaz, Eugenio Robles, Mauricio Weinstein,Federico Pescetto, Oscar Klein, Raúl Alarcón and Marco Antonio de la Parra. Atthe chair at the Aguirre Hospital (Northern Area) there were almost always nine staffphysicians until 1970.In the 1960-1970 decade the teaching of medicine at the UCH was divided into fivecampuses in different areas of Santiago: north, east, central, south and west; each venueacquired independence as regards its Dermatology chair. The main protagonists of thesechairs are described below.Hernán Hevia Parga succeeded Dr. Prats as full professor, a post he held between1961 and 1969. Dr. Hevia (1914-1997) worked from its launching as dermatologist at theSt. Vincent de Paul Hospital; previously, in 1951, he had been appointed extraordinaryprofessor. He is unanimously regarded as the major figure in Chilean dermatologicalteaching in the second half of the twentieth century. Although he wasn’t very prolific inclinical or research scientific articles (he wrote preferentially on syphilis), he was theprototype of the illustrious medical professor, standing out for his great devotion to publichospital patients and to students until the end of his career. He was a tireless readerof world Dermatology journals, a transmitter of bibliographical interest as the bestmethod for remaining up to date in Dermatology for generations of physicians in his corner169