History of Latin American Dermatology

Notes on the history of Peruvian Dermatologypublished: Infectology and Skin and Dermatology Update, by Drs. Leonardo Sánchez Saldañaand Jorge Candiotti Vera (2000); Professional Dermatoses, by Dr. Luis ValdiviaBlondet, and Issues in Sexually-Transmitted Diseases, by Dr. Oscar Tincopa Wong.The Peruvian Society of Dermatology, as the country’s Main Scientific Society, is theone authorized to hold national and international congresses of the specialized field, havingcarried out ten national congresses to date: the First National Congress in 1970, heldat the Employee’s Hospital in Lima; the Second Peruvian Congress of Dermatology andFourth Bolivarian Congress of Dermatology, from July 23 to 26, 1979, at the Central MilitaryHospital, under the presidency of Dr. Juan Manrique Ávila, the Third PeruvianCongress of Dermatology, which had Drs. Arturo Tapia (Panama), Jorge Abulafia (Argentina)and Emilio Quintanilla (Spain) as guest professors, held at the Central MilitaryHospital from November 12 to 15, headed by Dr. David Carrizales Ulloa; the Fourth PeruvianCongress of Dermatology, held in 1988 at the Central Military Hospital under thepresidency of Dr. Luis Valdivia Blondet; the Fifth Peruvian Congress of Dermatology, fromOctober 21 to 26, 1990, at the Alberto Sabogal Hospital under the presidency of Dr. JoséSalazar Zumarán; the Sixth Peruvian Congress of Dermatology, held at the Peruvian MilitaryCircle, from November 8 to 10, 1996, under the presidency of Dr. Luis Valdivia Blondet,which marked the beginning of national congresses as mega events; the SeventhPeruvian Congress of Dermatology, held from September 24 to 27, 1998, with Dr.Leonardo Sánchez Saldaña in the lead; the Eighth Congress of Dermatology, held fromAugust 30 to September 3, 2000, in Arequipa, with the presidency of Dr. Héctor CáceresRíos; the Ninth Peruvian Congress of Dermatology, Seventeenth Bolivarian Congress ofDermatology and First Latin American Congress of Photobiology, held from August 28 toSeptember 1, 2002, in Lima, headed by Dr. Gadwyn Sánchez Félix; and the Tenth PeruvianCongress of Dermatology, held from September 1 to 5, 2004, with the presidency ofDr. Nicolás Tapia Dueñas.In 2003, the Society sponsored the Third Latin American Congress of Pediatric Dermatology,an event it organized in coordination with the Latin American Society of PediatricDermatology.In the corporate aspect, its first challenge as an organization in defense of its membersoccurred in July 1971. Several professors of the Chair of Dermatology and membersof the Society were victims of an abuse of power by the authorities of University of St.Mark’s Medical School, when they were not ratified in their faculty posts, without the dueprior process that would the affected parties the right to defend themselves. At that moment,the Society was unable to defend its members: at a Meeting of the Board of Directorsin 1971, it declared that it would not step into the issue because it was “not thejurisdiction of the Peruvian Society of Dermatology.” Today, the lesson having beenlearned, it can be proudly said that it has been successful on many occasions in defenseof its members and of the profession, even in periods of national political life when individualguarantees were suspended, with the risks that this implies.In the educational aspect, this Society has permanently fulfilled its teaching activitythrough the organization of updating courses, sessions and round tables aimed at thespecialist and the general practitioner. It always fought for the creation of the SchooledMedical Residency, a goal it achieved on February 4, 1981. Under Resolution No. 63,772of the president’s office, dated April 7, 1981, the first Specialized Field Committees forthe Second Specialization Program in Human Medicine were appointed; the DermatologyCommittee was made up of Drs. David Carrizales Ulloa (president), Víctor Meth Tuesta,Iram La Torre Tuesta, Wenceslao Castillo Rivadeneyra and Oscar Romero Rivas.In relation to National and International Scientific Societies, a positive and ethicalattitude is maintained. The Society has belonged to the Bolivarian Federation of Dermatologysince 1966 and to the International League of Dermatological Societies since1965. It always hews to the doctrine emanated from the Peruvian Medical AssociationFigure 20. Cover ofthe Journal of thePeruvian Society ofDermatology367