History of Latin American Dermatology

History of Ecuadorian Dermatologypresidency of Dr. José Andino Vélez, the MedicalAssociation of Azuay had the appropriategesture of giving him the “Timoleón CarreraCobos” award, in recognition of his academic,professional and social merits 18 . He was alsothe first president of the Azuay Nucleus of theSociety of Dermatology since its founding in1971 until October 1985, the year in which hewas also president of the Third Congress ofDermatology. Finally, he headed the Sixth Ecuadorian Congress held in Cuenca in April1993, which was also headed by Dr. Claudio Arias 24, 32 .In 1977, during the deanship of Dr. Vicente Ruilova S., a major crisis unfolded at theSchool, with the resignation of 53 standing professors because of political and administrativedisagreements with the new authorities. As of that time, Dr. Alberto Quezada R.took over the Chair until 1979. In that year, the Main Chair of Dermatology was takenover by Dr. Franklin Encalada Córdova, who, after entering the Medical Sciences Schoolin 1973, completed his dermatology training in the city of Guayaquil under the tutelageof the well-remembered professors Wenceslao Ollague and Servio Peñaherrera, for atwo-year period; he then went to Argentina to complete his specialized field training atthe José de San Martín Clinics Hospital. He held the Chair until 1991,when he died prematurely, leaving a void at the Medical School, in theSociety of Dermatology, which he contributed to form, and in society atlarge. Dr. Encalada Córdova provided his services at the Venereal ProphylaxisDepartment of the Azuay Provincial Health Office, and as associatedoctor in the Dermatology outpatient office from 1978 to 1983;from that year on, he worked as Head and Treatment Doctor of Dermatologyat the city’s “Vicente Corral Moscoso” Regional and TeachingHospital. In 1990, Dr. Franklin Encalada was elected president of theNucleus, national president and president of the Sixth EcuadorianCongress of Dermatology held in Cuenca in April 1993. Simultaneously,Dr. Encalada occupied the presidency of the Medical Association ofAzuay during the 1988-1990 period. After his premature death in August 1991, theAzuay Nucleus, during the national Sessions held in the city of Guayaquil on August 30of that year, ratified the resolutions issued by the host nucleus of the National Congress,and the national presidency and that of the Nucleus were taken over by Dr. MauricioCoello Uriguen, who held the vice-presidency at the time; he chose Dr. Iván ZéasDomínguez as national vice-president and Dr. Claudio Arias Argudo as president of theSixth Ecuadorian Congress; it was agreed that that Congress would be heldin homage to the memory of Dr. Franklin Encalada Córdova 24, 32 . TheSchool Board entrusted the Chair to one of his disciples, Dr. Iván ZéasDomínguez, who has held it up to the present.Since 1991, Dr. Marcelo Merchán M., after having won the oppositionand merits selection process promoted by Azuay’s Health Office to hold thepost left vacant by Dr. Encalada, works as Treatment Doctor of the DermatologyService at the Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital, up to the present(2004).Let us recall that Cuenca is a university city; this essay would be incompleteif we did not mention that in our city there operate, in addition to the University ofCuenca, the Catholic University, the University of Azuay (1990), formerly the PontificalCatholic University of Ecuador 20 , the Silesian Technical University, the UNITA and thePacific University, among others, each of which has its own and valuable history and hascontributed to a large extent to the development and progress of Cuenca in the nationalFigure 24. The oldMedical School, nextto the St. Vincent dePaul HospitalFigure 25. Frontalfaçade of the currentMedical School of theUniversity of CuencaFigure 26. Dr. NicolásSojosFigure 27. Dr. LeoncioCorderoFigure 28. Dr. ClaudioAriasFigure 29. Prof.Enrique Uraga Peña211