Tribute to Dr. Abraham Horwitz (1910-2000) : "epidemiology in Latin America"

The article which is mentioned in the Editorial, was published in the Spanish edition of the September 1961 Bulletin of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau. It resulted from a presentation made by Dr. Abraham Horwitz during the Symposium on World Medicine at Yale University in New Haven, CT, on March 17, 1961

Reflexiones sobre un aniversario: la Escuela de Salud Pública de Chile en su cincuentenario / Thoughts on an anniversary: the Public Health School of Chile in its 50th years

This is the speech pronunced by Dr. Abraham Horwitz, Emeritus Professor of the University of Chile and Honorary Director of PAHO, during the academic act that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Chilean Public Health School endowment. The school had a doctrinal and technical impact on Chilean health and decisively influenced the National Health Service School, therefore naming this school "little Hopkins". Its creation was stimulated by the chilean health profile of the forties. Chile had 5.273.000 inhabitants and a 28.2 percent of iliteracy. General mortality was 19.5 percent, infant mortality 18.1 and newborn mortality 73.3 percent. At the present time, forty years later, the figures are 14.000.000 inhabitants (85 percent in urban areas), less than 10 percent iliteracy, a general mortality of 5.6 percent, infant mortality of 14.6, newborn mortality 7.9 percent and a life extancy of 72 and 75 years for men and women. Almost all labors are attended by professionals in institutional settings and only 5.6 percent of newborns have a low birth weight, one of the lowest figures in the world. To say that health in the Americas is in crisis and the population health needs are not satisfied, is a dangerous generalization and chilean health evolution seems to disprove this assertion. This does not mean that some reforms are needed that can be accomplished with the help of School of Public Health (AU)

Reflexiones sobre un aniversario: la Escuela de Salud Pública de Chile en su cincuentenario / Reflections on an anniversary: the Public Health School of Chile in its 50th years

This is the speech pronunced by Dr. Abraham Horwitz, Emeritus Professor of the University of Chile and Honorary Director of PAHO, during the academic act that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Chilean Public Health School endowment. The school had a doctrinal and technical impact on Chilean health and decisively influenced the National Health Service School, therefore naming this school "little Hopkins". Its creation was stimulated by the chilean health profile of the forties. Chile had 5.273.000 inhabitants and a 28.2 percent of iliteracy. General mortality was 19.5 percent, infant mortality 18.1 and newborn mortality 73.3 percent. At the present time, forty years later, the figures are 14.000.000 inhabitants (85 percent in urban areas), less than 10 percent iliteracy, a general mortality of 5.6 percent, infant mortality of 14.6, newborn mortality 7.9 percent and a life extancy of 72 and 75 years for men and women. Almost all labors are attended by professionals in institutional settings and only 5.6 percent of newborns have a low birth weight, one of the lowest figures in the world. To say that health in the Americas is in crisis and the population health needs are not satisfied, is a dangerous generalization and chilean health evolution seems to disprove this assertion. This does not mean that some reforms are needed that can be accomplished with the help of School of Public Health

El servicio nacional de salud chileno: una aventura intelectual y humanitaria / The chilean national health service: an intellectual and humanitarian adventure

This is the speech delivered by Dr. Abraham Horwitz, Emeritus Director of the Panamerican Health Organization, when he was granted a decoration from the Chilean Government I believe -he said- that protection and promotion of health are not only an ethical imperative but also a basic political need of nations and peoples, a foundation for peace and development of human beings and society. Analyzing the origin and development of the Chilean National health Service in 1952, he concludes that this was an intelectual and humanitarian endeavour of a group of idealists who devoted their best to improve the condition of the Chilean people. (AU)

Guias alimentarias y metas nutricionales en el envejecimento / Food guideline and nutritional goals for the elderly

Como una contribución a la formulación de guías de alimentación y metas nutricionales para América Latina, este trabajo examina la situación singular de los ancianos, definidos como personas de 60 años y más. Con base en los datos publicados por el Departamento de Población de las Naciones Unidas proyectados hasta el año 2025, se demuestra que representan en promedio un grupo importante -el 6.4% de la población en 1980- con tendencia a crecer. Hay países cuya tasa es comparable a la de los Estados Unidos del 11.3%, como son Argentina, 12.7% y Uruguay, 14.8%; esta última semejante a la de Europa. Además de otras informaciones demográficas comparativas, se analizan algunas características biológicas, patológicas y psicosociales que se incrementan con la senectud. Ellas tienen relación directa o indirecta con la dieta y su contenido de energía, proteínas y otros nutrientes. Resulta más evidente cuando se examinan las causas de mortalidad y morbilidad de los ancianos, cuyas enfermedades con crónicas y degenerativas con mucha frecuencia. Las de mayor incidencia, como las cardiovasculares, la diabetes, la obesidad, la osteoporosis, las anemias por falta de hierro y folatos, y algunas formas de cáncer, revelan en su etiopatogenia la influencia de ciertos nutrientes. Son muy pocos los estudios en personas de 70 años y más, en los cuales se han determinado los requerimientos de energía, proteínas y de diversos nutrientes que sirvan de base a guías de alimentación apropiadas. Por lo común...