History of Latin American Dermatology

RUBÉN GUARDA TATÍNValparaíso in 1970, presided by Pedro Cofré, and National Sessions of Dermatology carriedout in Santiago in 1974 and 1975. Since 1976 they have come to be called AnnualSessions of Dermatology and Venereology, with Santiago as the customary venue until1985. Nevertheless, from 1990 onwards (save in 1999), these Annual Sessions have beenheld in provincial cities with the aim of promoting the dissemination of the specializedfield and the decentralization of SCDV. The nature of these meetings has been both scientific(advances in Dermatology and presentation of original papers with the participationof top-level foreign guests) and social, since unity and fruitful coexistence andfriendship among Chilean dermatologists is an essential task of the SCDV. Since 1997, finally,they have been given the name of Prof. Hernán Hevia Parga Annual Sessions ofDermatology and Venereology, in homage to the great Chilean professor.Between 1986 and 1989 the so-called Spring Sessions were carried out in Santiago,four in all (one per year). They were proposed by Leonardo Sánchez and Patricio Rifoand organized under the presidency of Rubén Guarda, with the exclusive aim of presentingthe papers and problem cases of provincial dermatologists for discussion with thedermatologists of Santiago, enriched by the presence of a foreign guest per session. Thegoal was support of scientific progress and social getting-together within the midst of theSCDV. They recorded a notable success in attendance and contributed not only to solidaryunity among the country’s dermatologists, but also — at anecdotal level — to theelimination of the chronic resistance by members to the payment of their dues.In May 1986, upon taking office as president of the SCDV, Rubén Guarda proposedfounding the Chilean Congresses of Dermatology and Venereology as periodic majorgatherings of Chilean Dermatology, lasting three days, with sessions offering selectedcontributions on research and experiences, symposia, workshops and conferences, withthe participation of foreign guests of high scientific standing. The first Chilean Congress,presided by Dr. Guarda, was held in April 1988 with the four guests from the UnitedStates: Mark Dahl, Marcus Conant, Bijan Safai and Jon Hanifin. Since then, a total ofeight Congresses have been held, every two years in Santiago in the month of April, exceptin 1992 (suppression originating in the holding of the RADLA congress in Santiago),with the participation of numerous and very distinguished dermatologists from Europe,the United Sates and Latin America and attendance by 200 to 400 physicians. Their presidentshave been Rubén Guarda (1988), Daniel Villalobos (1990), Félix Fich (1994), TirzaSaavedra (1996), María Isabel Herane (1998), Iván Jara (2000), Mirtha Cifuentes (2002)and Raúl Cabrera (2004).Many dermatological meetings of a high scientific level and with foreign guests havebeen organized by diverse institutions; the most traditional and best-attended have been:(1) the annual course/session of the Aguirre Hospital’s Dermatology service (since 1988),lately devoted to dermatological therapeutics and generally headed by Juan Honeyman;(2) the annual symposium/course of the PUC’s Dermatology unit (since 1990), with alternatingpresidents; and (3) the annual course/session of the German Clinic in Santiago: thefirst in 1991, headed by Rubén Guarda, and then, uninterruptedly from 1995 to date,under the presidency of Raúl Cabrera.■ Chilean Dermatology in the in international the international concert concertPresence of Chilean dermatologists at international meetingsUntil the mid-1970s Chilean dermatologists only rarely participated in institutionsand gatherings of an international character. Contributing to this was the fact that Chileis the American country furthest from Europe and the South American country furthestfrom the United States. Although there were contacts of a personal nature with French184