El Instituto de Higiene y la enseñanza de la Bacteriología en Chile

El Instituto de Higiene, fundado por el gobierno de Chile en 1892, aparte de sus funciones en el ámbito de la salud pública, participó activamente en la docencia de pregrado de Bacteriología de la Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Chile. La cátedra de Bacteriología fundada en 1895 fue trasladada en 1902 a la sección de seroterapia de dicho instituto (uno de los cinco edificios que formaban el instituto). La cátedra permaneció en ese lugar por tres décadas, siendo trasladada en 1930 por el Dr. Hugo Vaccaro de vuelta a la Escuela de Medicina. Por otra parte, la cátedra extraordinaria de Bacteriología siguió ligada a dicho instituto y a su inmediato sucesor el Instituto Bacteriológico de Chile. Sin embargo, luego del incendio de la Escuela de Medicina en 1948, la cátedra ordinaria tuvo que retornar a sus antiguos edificios en la ribera del Mapocho y paralelamente la cátedra extraordinaria se trasladó a una nueva ubicación en Ñuñoa.

The Institute of Hygiene, founded by the Chilean government in 1892, apart from its functions in the field of public health, actively participated in the undergraduate teaching of Bacteriology at the School of Medicine of the University of Chile. The chair of Bacteriology founded in 1895 was transferred in 1902 to the serotherapy section of the mentioned institute (one of the five buildings that made up the institute). The chair remained in that place for three decades, being transferred by Dr. Hugo Vaccaro back to the School of Medicine in 1930. On the other hand, the Extraordinary Chair of Bacteriology continued to be linked to the said institute and to its immediate successor, the Bacteriological Institute of Chile. However, after the fire at the School of Medicine in 1948, the ordinary chair had to return to its old buildings on the banks of the Mapocho and at the same time the extraordinary chair moved to a new location in Ñuñoa.

El arribo de la teoría celular a Chile: Dr. Vicente Izquierdo Sanfuentes / Dr. Vicente Izquierdo Sanfuentes and the arrival of the cellular theory in Chile

Vicente Izquierdo Sanfuentes was a leading physician, researcher and academic of the School of Medicine of the University of Chile in the period 1881-1912. Dr. Izquierdo began his medical training at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile (1872-1875) and then received a scholarship to continue his studies with the prominent researchers Wilhelm Hiss (1875-1877) at the University of Leipzig and Wilhelm Waldeyer at the University of Strasbourg (1877-1879) in Germany. After returning to Chile, he was appointed first professor of Histology (1881), initiating the first course of this subject in 1883. His main academic achievements and his foundational role in the origin and development of biology in Chile stand out in his work.

Historia de los terrenos de la Casa de Orates de Santiago de Chile / History of the locations of the Casa de Orates (madhouse) in Santiago, Chile

This work describes the origin of the different locations that Casa de Orates (Madhouse) has occupied in Chile. The locations of this institution at the Yungay and Chimba neighborhoods area are specially analyzed. Moreover, the sad and poorly known incident involving the national Madhouse of Providencia is narrated.

Historia de los terrenos del Hospital Clínico y la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chile / History of the University of Chile Faculty of Medicine and clinical hospital location

The history of the location of the University of Chile Faculty of Medicine North Campus is derived from a farm of Pedro de Valdivia founder of the city of Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura and governor of the “Reyno de Chile”. This work narrates succinctly the history of this particular location from the Spanish Conquest period to present days.

Gastroenteritis aguda causada por Vibrio cholerae no-O1, no-O139 que porta una región homologa a la isla de patogenicidad VpaI-7 / Acute gastroenteritis caused by a Vibrio cholerae non-O1, non-O139 strain harboring a genetic region homologous to the VpaI-7 pathogenicity island

Pathogenic Vibrio cholerae isolates, the etiologic agents of cholera, generally express one of two O antigens (O1 or O139). Most environmental isolates are nonpathogenic and are referred to as "non-O1, non-O139". However some V. cholerae non-O1, non-O139 strains are clearly pathogenic and have caused outbreaks or sporadic cases of gastroenteritis and extraintestinal infections in humans. We report a case of acute gastroenteritis by a V. cholerae non-O1, non-O139 harboring a genetic region homologous to a segment of the VpaI-7 V. parahaemolyticus pathogenicity island.

Cepas patogénicas de Vibrio cholerae, el agente causal del cólera, expresan generalmente uno de dos antígenos O (denominados O1 u O139). La mayoría de las cepas ambientales son no patogénicas y corresponden al tipo denominado "no-O1, no-O139". Sin embargo, algunas cepas de este tipo son claramente patogénas y han causado brotes de gastroenteritis e infecciones extra-intestinales en humanos. Se reporta un caso clínico de gastroenteritis aguda causado por una cepa de V. cholerae no-O1, no-O139 que contiene en su genoma una región homóloga a un segmento de la isla de patogenicidad VpaI-7 descrita previamente en V. parahaemolyticus.

Septicemia fatal causada por Vibrio cholerae no-O1, no-O139 hemolítico en Chile: Caso clínico / Non-toxigenic hemolytic Vibrio cholerae non-O1non-O139 fatal septicemia: Report of one case

We report a 70-year-old woman, who had recently consumed shellfish, that was admitted to the intensive care unit with septic shock and died 19 hours later due to a multi-organic failure. Microbiological, serological and molecular assays confirmed a hemolytic tdh+ Vibrio cholerae non-01, non 0139 as the etiologic agent (Rev Méd Chile 2009; 137: 1193-6).

Sobre agentes infecciosos, zoofitos, animálculos e infusorios / About infection agents, zoophytes, animalcules and infusories

By definition, zoophytes are organisms with characteristics which are intermediate between plants and animals. The concept is already outlined by Aristotle in his Historia Animalium. In the XVIII century, the great Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus, in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae, included the order Zoophyta within the class of Vermes. In this classification, for the first time the curious animalcules (infusories), discovered by van Leeuwenhoek in the late XVII century, were formally classified as zoophytes and were incorporated specifically into the genus Chaos. Audaciously, Linnaeus also conjectured that the infectious agents could be related to the animalcules-infusories, though he left the corresponding demostration to posterity.

Los zoofitos son por definición organismos con características intermedias entre plantas y animales. El concepto ya se encuentra esbozado por Aristóteles en su obra Historia Animalium. En el siglo XVIII, el gran naturalista sueco Carolus Linnaeus en la décima edición de su Systema Naturae localizó al orden Zoophyta dentro de la clase Vermes. En dicha clasificación, por primera vez, los extravagantes animálculos (infusorios) descubiertos por van Leeuwenhoek a fines del siglo XVII, fueron clasificados formalmente como zoofitos, siendo incorporados, en forma específica, dentro del género Chaos. Audazmente, Linnaeus conjeturó, además, que los agentes infecciosos podrían estar relacionados con los animálculos-infusorios, dejando, sin embargo, para la posteridad, tal demostración.