History of Latin American Dermatology

Notes on the history of Peruvian Dermatology■ The teaching of Dermatology in the Republic since 1856The teaching of dermatology in the Republic since 1856Undergraduate educationDuring the oligarchic Republic (1856-1933), the National Higher University of St.Mark reoriented medical education underthe influence of the Paris Clinical School.In 1856, Dr. Cayetano Heredia created theMedical School at the premises located atSanta Ana Square. As a forerunner to thisSchool, we can mention the St. FerdinandMedical School, founded by HipólitoUnanue Pavón (1755-1833), which carriesits name in honor of the Viceroy Fernando (Ferdinand) deAbascal, who sponsored its operation. On July 18, 1808, the St.Ferdinand Royal Medical and Surgical School was founded,which operated up to 1821 next to the Royal Hospital of St. Andrew; between 1821 and1856, it was under the name of St. Ferdinand Medical School (Figure 11). On September6, 1903, its current location was inaugurated within the perimeter of the Botanic Garden,on Grau Avenue (Figure 12).On January 5, 1855, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics School of the NationalHigher University of St. Mark was created; its first Dean was the scholar Antonio Raymondi.The School began its activities in 1866, in order to train professors for secondaryinstruction as a mandatory step before entering the St. Ferdinand Medical School. Thisconstitutes the historical precedent for the integration of pre-medical courses in the undergraduateeducation syllabus of the Peruvian physician.The records of the National Higher University of St. Mark show that in 1887, withinthe Education Program for Physicians, there was a Dermatology and SyphilographyCourse chaired by Dr. Julián Arce, who was in office until 1911, when he was succeededby Dr. Belisario Sosa, replaced in 1926 by Dr. Pedro Weiss Harvey. In 1937, Dr. AurelioLoret de Mola — who had graduated in France — took over the Chair of Dermatology,had Dr. Pablo Arana as assistant professor, and began a modernization stage in Dermatologyaccording to the concepts of the time. In 1950, the Chair was constituted by Drs.Aurelio Loret de Mola as full professor, Arturo Salas as associate professor, and MarcialAyaipoma, Amaro Urrelo, Víctor Gonzáles and Luis Flores as assistant professors.In 1961, as a consequence of the approval of university autonomy (University Law No.13,417, of April 8, 1960, in its article 34 granted the Medical School special privileges inrelation to student participation in the government of the school), there ensued the collectiveresignation of 497 faculty members who were in disagreement with co-government.Many of them later rejoined the Medical School; others — including dermatologistDr. Aurelio Loret de Mola, at that time the Chair of Dermatology — left St. Mark definitively.Other dermatologist professors who worked with him followed suit. This event isknown as “the schism” and determined the founding of the Cayetano Heredia Universityfor Medicine and Biological Sciences, marking the beginning of the proliferation of universitiesand medical schools in the country. Up to that time, only two universities withMedical Schools existed: St. Mark and the Trujillo National University, which only taughtpre-medical courses, its students having to continue their studies at the St. Mark MedicalSchool.The rector of the National Higher University of St. Mark named a transitional governingboard of the Medical School, which elected Dr. Alberto Cuba Caparó as the Dean.Dr. Clement Countar, a U.S. dermatologist, was hired for the reorganization of the TeachingService in the specialized field. In 1962, Dr. Aizic Cotlear took over the Chair, andFigure 11. Coat ofarms of the St.Ferdinand MedicalSchool of theNational HigherUniversity of St.MarkFigure 12. FrontView of the St.Ferdinand MedicalSchool359