History of Latin American Dermatology

History of Argentine DermatologyThe diverse subfields■ The diverse subfieldsDermatopathology. Initially practiced solely by Pablo Box and Eugenio Forman. Thenumber of specialists expanded due to the work of Jorge Abulafia, the teacher of futuregenerations. José G. Casas, a specialist of international renown, is full professor ofPathology at the Buenos Aires Medical School and president of the InternationalAcademy of Pathology, American region. Other highly regarded pathologists are RobertoG. Schroh, Oscar Bianchi, Ignacio Calb, Maria Cristina Kien, Gabriel Magariños, GracielaSánchez, Eduardo Lacentre, Alicia Kowalczuk, Javier Anaya, Alberto Carril and OscarSanguinetti. In Rosario, Jorge Monti and Adriana Bergero; in La Plata, Roberto Castelletoand Jorge Cueto, junior. In Mendoza, Aníbal Ortiz Medina. In Salta, Susana Romero.The Argentine Society of Dermopathology (SADEPA) provides courses and periodicalmeetings to which it invites dermopathologists from abroad. The Argentine Society ofDermatology offers the Twice-Yearly Course on Basic Optical Dermatology, under theleadership of Oscar Bianchi and Roberto Schroh.Pediatric Dermatology. Some outstanding figures: Prof. Héctor Crespi, of highearnestness and prestige; Dagoberto O. Pierini (Figure 19), Master of this field; AdriánM. Pierini, President of the Seventh International Congress of Pediatric Dermatology;Margarita Larralde de Luna (president elect of the Latin American Congress of PediatricDermatology); Rita García Díaz, José A. Massimo; Silvia Pueyo, Zulema Piccone, NélidaPizzi de Parra, Jorge Laffargue, among others.The Argentine Society of Pediatric Dermatology was founded in December 1989 andlater the Argentine Association of Pediatric Dermatology (ASADEPE), under the presidencyDr. José A. Mássimo, which carries out Congresses and Sessions in diverse cities.At the present time a University Course on Pediatric Dermatology is being taught, offeringthe respective degree, under the leadership of José A. Mássimo, M. Larralde, A.M. Pierini y L. Valle.Dermatological surgery. It gained considerable momentum under Prof. NorbertoGrinspan Bozza, founder the Society of Dermatological Surgery. It´s membership includescompetent dermatological surgeons like Abel González (expert in Mohs surgery), RafaelGarzón, Horacio Costa Córdova, Daniel Ballesteros, Gilberto González Rescigno. The AnnualCourse of Dermatological and Esthetic Surgery of the Argentine Society of Dermatologyis headed by Horacio Costa Córdoba, Eduardo De Carli and Lidia Inés Villalba.Stomatology. As has already been pointed out, it was launched by David Grinspan, whosemonumental treatise covers all facets of the field. His successors are José Kriner, SamuelBlaustein, Julio Díaz, S. Belin, E. Mc. Adden, Graciela Fernández Blanco and Silvina González.Cosmetology. Launched in Argentina at the prompting of Prof. Aarón Kaminsky, it acquiredan international standing. Frequent courses on this field are held in the countrywith the assistance of a large number of Latin American dermatologists. Among its notablefigures are Alejandro Cordero, junior, Ana Kaminsky, Graciela Cuomo, Rosa Flom.In each Dermatology service there is a dermatocosmetic section headed by an attendingdermatologist and staffed with technicians in cosmiatrics (previously cosmeticians).There are societies within this field that monitor and improve the ethical aspectsof this practice. The books Cosmetología Dermatológica, by M. I. Quiroga and C. F. Guillot(1973), and Cosmiatría by P. Viglioglia and J. Rubin, are classics.Leprology. Its history runs parallel to that of Dermatology. According to some theories,leprosy was introduced in America by the discoverers and first conquerors, whoprobably signed up some diseased persons as soldiers and navigators. Another factorthat contributed to the expansion of this disease on the continent was the trade of blackslaves brought from Africa since the early sixteenth century. In Argentina the arrival ofslaves was more limited, for this reason it is likely that the ailment entered the countryfrom neighboring areas, like Paraguay, Brazil and Peru.Figure 19. Prof.Dagoberto Pierini43