History of Latin American Dermatology

History of Dermatology in Venezuela1941. Drs. Arminio Martínez Niochett and Adolfo Pons discovered and reported thefirst case of kala-azar in Venezuela, in a patient from the state of Guarico.1945. Dr. Martín Vegas became the head of the Chair of Dermatology at the CaracasDermatology Hospital.1945: The Antonio José de Sucre military and naval hospital was founded in Caracas.1945: Dr. Francisco Scannone established the Skin Diseases Service at the Luis RazettiOncological Institute in Caracas.1947. The Institute of Tropical Medicine within the Medical School of Venezuela’s CentralUniversity was created with a view to studying the most widespread diseases in ruralareas.1948. The Ibero-Latin American Association of Dermatology (CILAD) was establishedin Havana, Cuba 4, 5 .Biographical sketch of our notablesDr. Manuel Pérez Díaz (1872-1931). Born in Caracas on April 30, 1872, he graduatedas a physician in 1895 from Venezuela’s Central University. In the same year hewas awarded a fellowship to conduct Dermatology studies in Paris’ Saint-LouisHospital. He was a founding member of the National Academy of Medicine in1904. As of 1910, he was head of the Dermatology Service at the Vargas Hospital,a post he held until his death.He was also Inspector General of the country’s Leper Colonies. Among hisworks, those on Duhring’s herpetiform dermatitis, pemphigus vulgaris and skinsarcoma stand out.The first third of the twentieth century was marked by Pérez Díaz’s leadershipwithin Venezuelan Dermatology 4-8 . He died in Caracas on March 17, 1931 (Figure2).Dr. Miguel Jiménez Rivero (1822-1938). A successor of Dr. Pérez Díaz, Dr.Miguel Jiménez Rivero was a physician with a lengthy teaching and academic career.He studied for his doctorate at Caracas University and in Rome. He was appointedprofessor of the Chair of Dermatology in 1929. He published Venezuela’s first book onDermatology, titled Dermosifilografía Venezolana (Venezuelan Dermosyphilography). Hedied in Caracas on December 7, 1938 4, 5, 7, 8 .Dr. Pablo Guerra (1903-1944). Dr. Guerra was born in Caracas on May 3, 1903; hestudied Dermatology in Paris, where he wrote an outstanding dissertation titled Papel delas levaduras en Dermatología (The Role of Yeasts in Dermatology), which received anaward. He returned to Venezuela in 1937, where he had his doctor’s degree validated atVenezuela’s Central University. He published numerous papers on Dermatology, on hisown or in collaboration with other physicians, among whom were: Martín Vegas, J. A.O’Daly, Gil Yépez and José Sánchez Covisa. Dr. Guerra worked at the Dermatology andPathological Anatomy services at the Vargas hospital, and the Dermatology service at theCaracas Children’s Hospital. He founded the Allergy Service and, together with Dr. CarlosJ. Alarcón, created a service for the treatment of leg ulcers; he also founded the Mycologylaboratory. In 1939, he was appointed professor of the Chair of Dermatology andSyphilography at Venezuela’s Central University, following the death of Prof. JiménezRivero.In 1943, Dr. Guerra was one of the organizers of the First Venezuelan Seminar onDermatology and Venereology. Important roles in the organization of this Seminar wereplayed, among others, by Drs. Juan Iturbe, Martín Vegas, Félix Lairet, Armando CastilloPlaza, Abel Mejías, José Sánchez Covisa and Ildemaro Lovera 4, 5, 8 .Dr. Guerra died suddenly in the city of Caracas on February 5, 1944, while fully engagedin scientific work.Figure 2. Dr. ManuelPérez Díaz423