British medicine in the Peruvian Andes: the travels of Archibald Smith M.D. (1820-1870)

This article traces the travels of the Scottish physician Archibald Smith through the Peruvian Andes between the 1820s and 1860s. Despite his prominent role in the nineteenth-century Peruvian medical scene, almost nothing has been written on Archibald Smith. By exploring Smith's medical activities, publications, and debates, this article intends to uncover unexplored areas of Peruvian medical history, such as the animosity between local and foreign physicians during the post-Independence war era and the important role played by medical geography as a scientific discipline for redefining ethnical and regional issues.

O presente artigo traça a vida e obra do médico escocês Archibald Smith durante sua permanência no Peru, entre as décadas de 1820 e 1860. Apesar de sua proeminente contribuição para a medicina peruana, quase nada foi escrito sobre Archibald Smith. Através da investigação das atividades, publicações e debates de que Smith participou, o artigo pretende desvendar áreas inexploradas da história da medicina no Peru, tais como a animosidade entre os médicos locais e estrangeiros no pós-guerra de independência e o papel importante da geografia médica como disciplina científica que redefine questões étnicas e regionais.

Acute severe mountain sickness

To corroborate the clinical features of acute severe mountain sickness with ophthalmologic, electrocardiographic and radiological features. This was a prospective observational study and included patients transferred from a high altitude location with a presumptive diagnosis of acute severe mountain sickness. Field Hospital Goma and District Headquarter Hospital Skardu from Apr 1986 to Apr 1988. 43 patients suffering from Acute Severe Mountain Sickness transferred from high altitude were evaluated with detail history, examination, fundoscopy, electrocardiography and Chest radiography along with routine blood biochemistry. Most of the patients presented with dysponoea 41 [95.35%] and cough 35 [81.3%]. Headache was present in 31 [72.6%]. Common clinical signs were tachypnoea in 34 [79.7%], tachycardia in 26 [60.47%], bilateral lung crepitation 35 [81.39%], retinal heamorrhages in 14 [32.56%]. ECG changes in the form of T wave inversions were observed in 74.42% and right axis deviation was seen in 10 [23 .25%]. Radiologically 11 [25.58%] had gross pulmonary edema and 12 [27.9%] had hilar congestion. This study was different from the previous studies because almost half of the subjects i.e. 20 [46.51%] were residents of locales with an altitude greater then 3800 feet. It defines that acute severe mountain sickness is not only characterized by symptoms and signs but also includes fundoscopic, electrocardiographic and radiological features

La investigación en medicina de la altura en Bolivia, reseña histórica / Research in altitude medicine in Bolivia, outlines historical

Todos los profesionales en salud de los centros poblados del altiplano, ciudades y especialmente centros mineros situados en la cordillera, intuyen la necesidad de un conocimiento, asi sea básico, de los procesos normales y patológicos en los que influye la menor presión de oxígeno ambiental, (PIO2), sobre los sistemas del organismo humano.

Historia del conocimiento de la enfermedad aguda y subaguda de la altura en Bolivia / History of the knowledge of the acute and subacute disease of the height in Bolivia

Parece importante dejar en claro que esta comunicación no pretende dar a conocer estudios de investigación ni los aportes al conocimiento de la problemática en salud de la población que vive en la altura o mejor en las grandes alturas porque su prósito es señalar lo que se hizo en el área del llamado Alto Perú, parte del Virreinato de Lima o después de La Plata en la Colonia, o en la República con referencia al conocimiento de las enfermedades.