History of Latin American Dermatology

RAMÓN RUIZ MALDONADOin the new sexennium by the Mexican Institution for the Treatment of Children (IMAN),which was to be presided by María Esther Zuno de Echeverría.The name of the Allergy and Dermatology Service had been inherited from Mexico’sChildren’s Hospital, which had an allergist doctor as the Head. At the new hospital of theIMAN, I was the Head, and I considered it appropriate to separate the two services,something that happened a year later.In December 1971, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology washeld in Chicago. There, I met Dr. Lourdes Tamayo Sánchez, who had written her Ph.D.thesis on “The Etiology of Edema in Children’s Chronic Malnutrition” at Mexico’s Children’sHospital under the guidance of the renowned teacher of Pediatrics, Dr. JoaquínCravioto, and had recently completed the specialization in Dermatology at the NationalInstitute of Tropical Diseases, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Antonio González Ochoa.In those years, the struggle — which came from some time back — between the “tropicalsgroup” and the “Pascua and Hospital General group,” led respectively by GonzálezOchoa and Latapí, was at its height. As a consequence of this regrettable situation, therewas practically no contact between the students and former students of the two professors.In spite of this, and based on the good references that I had received on Dr. Tamayo,I invited her to work as adjoint doctor at the Dermatology Service; fortunately she accepted,and the fruitful collaboration between us has lasted thirty-three years, sinceApril 1971. In 1989, after almost twenty years as head of service and with the aim of obtaininga post as researcher for the Service, I left the office to Dr. Tamayo, who, in turn,resigned in 2002 for health reasons, and was replaced in office by Dr. Carola Durán Mckinster,a brilliant student of ours.Doubtlessly under the influence of the optimism and the creative energy that existedin most of us who started the new hospital of the IMAN — including the General Directorof the Institution, Dr. Alger León Moreno, and the President of the Board, Mrs. MaríaEsther Zuno de Echeverría, wife of the President of the country at the time — in October1973 we organized the First International Symposium of Pediatric Dermatology, whichwas held in the brand-new auditorium of the IMAN Hospital with the attendance of doctorsfrom twenty-six countries; among them were the pioneers of Pediatric Dermatologyin their respective countries: Martin Beare from Ireland, Ferdinando Gianotti from Italy,Gabriela Lowy from Brazil, José María Mascaró from Spain, Edmund Moynahan fromBritain, Dagoberto Pierini from Argentina, Lawrence Solomon, Sydney Hurwitz, Alvin Jacobs,Samuel Weinberg and Guinter Kahn from the United States, Eva Torok from Hungaryand Kazuya Yamamoto from Japan.During the Symposium, at a dinner that was offered to the foreign professors, I suggestedthe constitution of an International Society of Pediatric Dermatology, an initiativewhich was enthusiastically accepted. Ten congresses have been held under the auspicesof this Society, the first in the City of Mexico, in October 1976. The first eight were namedInternational Congresses; starting with the ninth, which was held in Cancún in 2001, mysuggestion of calling them World Congresses was accepted.In 1996, upon a suggestion of Dr. Alejandro García Vargas, from the DermatologicalInstitute of the City of Guadalajara (Mexico), the Mexican Association of Pediatric Dermatologywas founded, myself becoming its first president. The Association has biannuallyorganized the Mexican Congress of Pediatric Dermatology. The first one was held inMexico City, in 1997, under my presidency; the second one in Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco),presided by Dr. García Vargas; the third in the City of Chihuahua, presided by Dr. Maríade Lourdes Trevizo de Moreno; and the fourth in the City of Puebla, presided by Dr. JavierGil Beristain. The next one will be held in the City of Querétaro in 2006, presided by Dr.Margarita Royo de Garfias.Pediatric Dermatology exerts a great attraction for the general practitioner, the generaldermatologist and the pediatrician, and this is why in practically all dermatological270