History of Latin American Dermatology

RUBÉN GUARDA TATÍNof the world, a notable clinic who posed critical differential diagnoses, an expert skinhistopathologist, kind counselor and provider of encouragement for young doctors.Above all, he always taught: in undergraduate classes over his entire teaching career, incorridors, when seeing patients and at clinical meetings, in personal writings on eachsubject of the Dermatology of that time, aimed at a better understanding by students; buthe could not tolerate an uncaring attitude among students or teaching dermatologists.After his retirement in 1969, he continued working and teaching youth at the AguirreHospital up to his death in 1997 at the age of 83, while on his way to the Tuesday clinicalmeeting at the hospital. He was appointed post mortem honorary member of theChilean Academy of Medicine of the Chilean Institute in 1988 for his outstanding contributionto medical science in Chile.He was succeeded by Oscar Klein Kohn, who held the post between 1969 and 1971,a notable clinical professor and enthusiastic trade leader (he reached the vice-presidencyof the Medical Association of Chile). From 1971 to 1973 the full professor was Marco Antoniode la Parra Enríquez, a dermatologist and microbiologist, who was a devoted organizerof undergraduate teaching. Following the military coup of September 11, 1973,and for political reasons, he was unfairly removed from the post of head of the serviceby the military trustee of the Aguirre Hospital (although he was later brought back in, inother roles, by the same Dermatology service). A few days after that event, Juan HoneymanMauro was appointed interim head of the service and chair, being later confirmedin those posts and appointed full professor in 1975, a rank he retains in activity to thisday. Because of university structural reforms, the Dermatology Department of the UCHMedical School was created in 1991 to centralize the undergraduate and graduate teachingof Dermatology at the Santiago hospitals associated with that university, splittingaway from the treatment role of the Dermatology service at the Aguirre Hospital. Dr.Honeyman was then chosen director of that Department and María Elsa Maira wasnamed head of the service, posts they currently retain. Although he has shown little interestin personal and direct teaching of undergraduate and graduate students, Dr. Honeymanhas had a very significant role in Chilean Dermatology.The coordination of undergraduate teaching was handled by Marco Antonio de laParra and Raquel Nahuel until 1983, María Elsa Maira since 1983 and Rodrigo de laParra since 1987. The list of outstanding teaching dermatologists from 1970 onward, inboth undergraduate and graduate education, includes, in addition to those already mentioned,René Wolf, Raquel Nahuel, Ana María Cabezas, Gonzalo Eguiguren, RubénGuarda, Leonardo Sánchez, María Teresa Molina, Tirza Saavedra, Pilar Valdés, IvánJara, Raúl Cabrera, Walter Gübelin, Emilia Zegpi, Hilda Rojas and Orietta Gómez.Undergraduate education at the St. Louis and Savior hospitalsThe St. Louis Hospital, in the eastern part of Santiago, launched its activities as thenineteenth century gave way to the twentieth to treat patients from around the countrywith skin and venereal diseases; over time it gradually absorbed chronic patients withulcers of any origin (preferentially vascular), large burns and their aftereffects, paraplegiaand other pathologies unrelated to the skin. Around 1950 a number of 300 hospitalizedpatients was customary, outpatient care of more than 100 patients a day and a staffof 10 to 15 doctors. It had two sections called A and B, each with its own chief and teamof dermatologists. Numerous doctors who trained at this hospital went on to fill posts orchairs at the St. Vincent de Paul Hospital or vice-versa. It was at the St. Louis Hospitalwhere the first undergraduate Dermatology education in Chile was imparted (ad honorem).One or both heads of section were in charge of the chair; they might or might nothold the title of professor conferred by UCH. The full list of chiefs/heads of the chair isunknown, but it includes Mamerto Cádiz, Luis Puyó, Roberto Jaramillo, Florencio Prats,170