El doctor Juan Noé y el nacimiento de la biología celular en Chile / Dr. Juan Noé and the birth of cell biology in Chile

Dr. Vicente Izquierdo San Fuentes was the first professor of Histology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile. In that Chair, cell theory strongly radiated to new generations of health students. However, the conditions for the creation of the discipline of General or Cell Biology were not yet ripe. Almost three decades later, Dr. Juan Noé Crevani was hired in Italy to lead Medical Zoology in 1912. From the heterogeneous discipline of Medical Zoology, Dr. Noé managed to create in 1926 the new chairs of General Biology, Embryology-Comparative Anatomy and Parasitology. His vision of biology as an essentially dynamic and experimental science, contributed to modernize and encourage the development of different areas of biology in Chile. Retaining their full independence, these chairs met in 1931, in a new organization called the Juan Noé Institute of Biology, which lasted until the university reform of 1968. Afterwards, the departments of Biology and Genetics, Parasitology, Human Anatomy and Histology were created. In 1998, a new reorganization of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile began, creating the so-called Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM) that houses several disciplinary programs that replaced the old departments.

Una notable convergencia semántica: infección y miasma / A remarkable semantic convergence: infection and miasma

Resumen Se analiza el desarrollo histórico de los términos "infección" y "miasma". Se entendía por miasma un tipo de aire corrupto o pestilente que emanaba de cuerpos en putrefacción y que propalaba las enfermedades infecciones. Dicho concepto fue el dominante para comprender la causa de las enfermedades infecciosas desde la antigüedad hasta los albores de la teoría microbiana. El concepto de infección tuvo inicialmente un significado similar al de miasma, pero actualmente se define como la invasión de un hospedero por un agente infeccioso. En este trabajo se discutirá que ambos términos derivan del mismo concepto original.

The historical development of the terms "infection" and "miasma" is analyzed. Miasma was understood as a kind of corrupt or pestilent air that emanated from putrefactive bodies and spread infectious diseases. This concept was the dominant one to understand the cause of infectious diseases from antiquity to the dawn of the microbial theory. The concept of infection initially had a similar meaning to miasma, but is currently defined as the invasion of a host by an infectious agent. It will be discussed in this paper that both terms derive from the same original concept.

Sobre el origen de la Bacteriología Experimental en Chile / The history of microbiology in Chile: About the origin of experimental bacteriology

The origin of Bacteriology in Chile is intimately bound to the life of the physicians Vicente Izquierdo Sanfuentes and Francisco Puelma Tupper. Both were awarded in 1874 with a government fellowship to study in the most prestigious universities of Europe. Dr. Izquierdo studied Histology and Dr. Puelma Tupper Pathology. After their return to Chile in 1879, both founded in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile, the frst experimental laboratories in their respective disciplines. It was in those laboratories that the new science of microbiology started to be developed slowly. This discipline was just consolidating itself in Europe, led by the famous scientists Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.

Isla de patogenicidad de Vibrio parahaemolyticus en cepas chilenas clínicas y ambientales / Pathogenicity island region of clinical and environmental strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, isolated in Chile

Background: Most clinical isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus produce a major virulence factor known as the thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH). TDH is encoded by the tdh gene which is located in a genomic pathogenicity island (PAI). Most environmental isolates are described as tdh negative. Aim: To assess if environmental strains lack the full pathogenicity island or if only the tdh gene is deleted. Material and methods: Thirty eight clinical and 66 environmental strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were studied. PAI was characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presence of tdhA and tdhS genes, was determined by Southern blot. Results: Fifty three environmental strains (80%) lacked a full PAI when compared with clinical strains. In environmental strains, Southern blot and sequence analysis showed that a genetic región of 80 kilobase pairs including genes from VPA1310 to VPA1396 was missing. Conclusions: These results highlight the genetic dynamism of Vibrio parahaemolyticus pathogenecity island región and suggest that new pathogenic strains could appear by horizontal transfer of the island between toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains.

Arqueología del Hospital San Vicente de Paul / The archeology of the San Vicente de Paul Hospital in Santiago, Chile

The San Vicente de Paul Hospital was the first Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile and was located at the same place of present School of Medicine. The School are contains several old buildings, which are probably remains of the San Vicente de Paul Hospital. After a careful study of the current plans of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile and those of the San Vicente de Paul Hospital, and after checking measurements on the actual site, we were able to demonstrate that two and a half clinical rooms of the original building and some parts of the old laundry still remain intact. At present, these constructions are being used as storerooms, student's union offices, and other activities. We expect that this article may contribute to improve the knowledge of our roots by our own as well as by future generations and that it may inspire our authorities to take care and preserve this important patrimonial remains of our national medicine