History of Latin American Dermatology

ANNUAL GATHERINGOF LATIN AMERICANDERMATOLOGISTS(RADLA)FERNANDO MAGILLOn October 27, 1972, on the occasion of the Argentine Congress of Dermatology heldin the city of Buenos Aires, at a Meeting summoned by Prof. Pablo Viglioglia, Presidentof the Congress, it was decided to found the Annual Gathering of Latin American Dermatologists(Reunión Anual de Dermatólogos Latinoamericanos, RADLA), in accordancewith the Declaration signed by the representatives of the dermatologists of 13 LatinAmerican countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela 1, 3 . It was decidedto hold it on an annual basis and that it should be constituted as a meeting forscientific exchanges, teaching and fraternity, whose main aim is a permanent updatingand training in the diverse fields of Dermatology.The history of RADLA is traceable, according to Dr. Clovis Bopp 1 , to the conjunctionof diverse initiatives that had arisen previously; in the first place, in the framework of ameeting organized by Prof. Alejandro Cordero in Buenos Aires, with the participation ofArgentine and Brazilian dermatologists, as well the groups formed on the occasion of theSeventh Ibero-Latin American Congress (Caracas, December 1971) and of the Twenty-Ninth Brazilian Congress of Dermatology (Nova Friburgo, October 12 through 21, 1972).Dr. Sebastião Sampaio states 2 that during the Congress of the CILAD in Caracas in1971, Drs. Juan Carlos Gatti, Pablo Viglioglia, Osvaldo Mangano and Sampaio himselfsuggested the holding of an annual gathering of Argentine and Brazilian dermatologists,an idea that garnered the support of Dr. Tancredo A. Furtado.A year later, during the Brazilian Congress in Nova Friburgo in October 1972, the subjectwas again posed by the above-mentioned dermatologists, who were enthusiasticallyjoined by the President of the Congress, Dr. Rubem Azulay. On that occasion, the proposalwas expanded to an annual meeting of Latin American dermatologists.A week later, RADLA was born. It was decided that the first meeting should take placein Buenos Aires on November 1 through 4, 1973. This first meeting was held under thepresidency of Prof. Pablo Viglioglia, with Prof. Jorge Abulafia as vice-president Prof. JuanC. Gatti as secretary-general; some 300 dermatologists took part.According to the Bylaws in force, the Annual Gathering of Latin American Dermatologists(RADLA) was created in view of the rising importance and medical and social responsibilityof Dermatology in Latin America; it is held every year at rotating venues in437