Una escultura de Juan José Sicre Vélez para honrar al doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés / One sculpture of Juan José Sicre Vélez to honor Doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés

Los artistas cubanos han dedicado obras de variados géneros para homenajear al doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés y su meritorio trabajo investigativo sobre la fiebre amarilla, enfermedad causante de epidemias y defunciones, en su época, en Cuba y otros países. Las artes plásticas tienen una sustancial impronta en reconocimientos al sabio, lo que hace usual su presencia en obras escultóricas del paisaje urbanístico cubano. Entre estas, se destaca por su belleza y localización, la del escultor Juan J. Sicre Vélez. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo contribuir al conocimiento de la obra escultórica dedicada por Sicre al sabio y destacar su trascendental significación para la medicina y la ciencia cubana. La escultura y su temática por su significación para la medicina y la ciencia realzan la identidad cultural de la nación cubana. Su emplazamiento en áreas del Hospital Militar Central Dr. Carlos J. Finlay, en Marianao, tiene simbolismo por ser la localidad donde Finlay desarrolló la mayor parte de las investigaciones conducentes a su teoría sobre el modo de contagio y el agente transmisor de la fiebre amarilla. La obra escultórica es también un hermoso homenaje a los médicos y trabajadores de la salud que prestan servicios médicos humanitarios en Cuba y en otros países. Por su contenido estético y temático, la escultura es un estimable recurso didáctico para desarrollar las estrategias educativas en la formación del personal de la salud(AU)

Cuban artists have dedicated works of various genres to honor Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Barrés and his meritorious investigative work on yellow fever, a disease that causes epidemics and deaths, in its time, in Cuba and other countries. The plastic arts have a substantial mark in recognizing the sage, which makes their presence usual in sculptural works of the Cuban urban landscape. Among these, the one of the sculptor Juan J. Sicre Vélez stands out for its beauty and location. This work aims to contribute to the knowledge of the sculptural work dedicated by Sicre to the sage and highlight its transcendental significance for Cuban medicine and science. The sculpture and its theme due to its significance for medicine and science enhance the cultural identity of the Cuban nation. Its location in areas of the Central Military Hospital Dr. Carlos J. Finlay, in Marianao, has symbolism for being the town where Finlay developed most of the research leading to his theory on the mode of contagion and the transmitting agent of yellow fever. The sculptural work is also a beautiful tribute to the doctors and health workers who provide humanitarian medical services in Cuba and in other countries. Due to its aesthetic and thematic content, sculpture is a valuable didactic resource to develop educational strategies in the training of health personnel(AU)

A Crouzon syndrome from the Classic period of Maya civilization?

This article describes a retrospective diagnosis through an artistic representation of a pre-Columbian Central America bowl figuring a child with clinical characteristics of Crouzon syndrome. The report also highlights the importance of icono-diagnosis for a better description of the existing diseases into ancient societies.

Possible new evidence of pre-Columbian tuberculosis in America: Pott disease in a prehistoric Mexican statue.

The authors present a case of a probable Pott disease from central/southern Mexico, dated 300 BC to 500 AD. This case highlights the importance of iconotopsy/iconodiagnosis for a better description of the natural history of diseases, especially as a complement to morphological analyses of human remains (paleopathology) and laboratory exams (DNA or immunology testing).

Ecology and identification of environmental fungi and metabolic processes involved in the biodeterioration of Brazilian soapstone historical monuments.

This study aimed to evaluate the action of organic acids produced by the fungal population associated with the biodeterioration process of the Twelve Prophets of Aleijadinho, a set of soapstone sculptures in Congonhas, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For this, samples of fungi were obtained from the surface of each of the 12 outdoor stone sculptures that comprise the set of Prophets. The identification of the colonizing filamentous fungi was performed by classical microbiology and molecular methods. Some species of filamentous fungi-dependent cultivation were detected, and the presence of species Aspergillus versicolor, Curvularia lunata, Epicoccum nigrum, Penicillium citrinum and Pseudocercospora norchiensis indicated a connection with the excretion of organic acids. The acids produced by each of these fungal species were analysed quantitatively by chromatographic methods, revealing potential biodeterioration by the action of acidic metabolites excreted in the stone. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Minas Gerais, Brazil, is vulnerable to the activities of mineral extraction industries, posing an imminent risk to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized cities, e.g. Congonhas. Many of these municipalities hold many soapstone religious sculptures and historical monuments. Consequently, soapstone is susceptible to filamentous fungi attack causing irreversible biodeterioration. Despite the concern related to nondestructive sampling of 18th century sculptures, in this study, we have discussed the factors that lead to biodeterioration of soapstone due to organic acid excretion by the fungi that damage the stone, thereby providing an insight in conserving and preserving the soapstone monuments.

El cráneo de la mirada mágica y dentadura de jade / The skull of the magic glimpse and its jade teeth

Se presentan dos esculturas prehispánicas de la cultura azteca, la primera en forma de cráneo a la cual se le tallaron y colocaron ojos de diferentes tipos de piedra, también una dentadura completa y bien alineada hecha de jade. En la zona del occipital se distingue el grabado de un rey desconocido, el cual porta un arete, un penacho y un cetro. La segunda escultura es una charola de piedra tallada con incrustaciones de piedras preciosas de jade y rubí que muestra la imagen del mismo rey sostenida por tres personajes parcialmente desdentados padeciendo de dolor dental. Estos eventos demuestran la importancia de la salud bucal en la población prehispánica, particularmente en la cultura azteca, al igual que la relevancia de los aspectos mágicos y religiosos en torno a la muerte.

It is described a couple prehispanic carved solid stone sculptures of theAztec culture, the fi rst one with a human skull shape, with carved andmounted stone eyes, as well as a complete and fi ne lined jade denture.It is also remarked on its occipital area a fi gure of carved unknownking, wearing a mobile stone earring, a feather cap, and a cane. Thesecond stone sculpture is a carved stone plate with jade and ruby carvedmounted stones. This sculpture also shows the same mentioned kingimage, which is supported by three no complete dental (toothless) maleservants, that resemble the three men suff ering dental discomfort. Thesecouple sculpture pieces show the magical and religious aspects of themighty importance of the death to the Aztecs.

[Trisomy 21 in visual art]. / La trisomie 21 dans les arts visuels.

In 1866, J. Langdon Down published a paper on "an ethnic classification of idiots" and noted their facial resemblance with individuals of the Mongolian people. In 1959, J. Lejeune, M. Gautier, and R. Turpin demonstrated that the children with Down syndrome had an extra copy of chromosome 21. There is now a debate within the medical literature on the age of trisomy 21 as a disease affecting mankind. Since it was not described before 1866, some authors questioned whether this disease is an old or new condition in humans. Three methods of investigation are useful for demonstrating that trisomy 21 has been present in humans for a long time: the figuration of this condition in historical paintings, figurines, and pottery; its presence in old skeletal remains; and the origin of human chromosome 21 during primate phylogeny. Figurines strongly suggestive of trisomy 21 have been found in the Greco-Roman world, in many Central and South American pre-Columbian cultures, and in Khmer temples. In Europe, during the Renaissance, Italian and Flemish artists represented trisomy 21 in paintings of religious inspiration. Studies on the origin and pathology of chromosome 21 have shown that the ancestral human chromosome 21 arose 30-50 million years ago and that trisomy 21 has existed since time immemorial.

El cuerpo humano en el "Moisés" de Miguel Ángel / The human body in Michelangelo's Moses

What grips us so powerfully to a work of art is the artist's intention, if he succeeds to express it in his work and we are able to understand it. Michelangelo's Moses established the essential structures of an animate organism and the embodiment of consciousness in the world. Since the body is an expressive unit, it is possible to reconstruct a highly feasible sequence of movements that might have preceded the moment caught in the statue. It is an expression of the highest ideal of mental and spiritual achievement through the controlled tension between action and restraint. The phenomenon of embodiment and feeling the body as own is the basis of concrete human existence.

[The human body in Michelangelo's Moses]. / El cuerpo humano en el "Moisés" de Miguel Ángel.

What grips us so powerfully to a work of art is the artist's intention, if he succeeds to express it in his work and we are able to understand it. Michelangelo's Moses established the essential structures of an animate organism and the embodiment of consciousness in the world. Since the body is an expressive unit, it is possible to reconstruct a highly feasible sequence of movements that might have preceded the moment caught in the statue. It is an expression of the highest ideal of mental and spiritual achievement through the controlled tension between action and restraint. The phenomenon of embodiment and feeling the body as own is the basis of concrete human existence.

Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico.

As a defining characteristic of Mesoamerican civilization, the ballgame has a long and poorly understood history. Because the ballgame is associated with the rise of complex societies, understanding its origins also illuminates the evolution of socio-politically complex societies. Although initial evidence, in the form of ceramic figurines, dates to 1700 BCE, and the oldest known ballcourt dates to 1600 BCE, the ritual paraphernalia and ideology associated with the game appear around 1400 BCE, the start of the so-called Early Horizon, defined by the spread of Olmec-style symbols across Mesoamerica. Early Horizon evidence of ballgame paraphernalia both identical to and different from that of the Gulf Coast Olmec can be seen on figurines from coastal Chiapas and the central highlands of Mexico, respectively. The Mexican state of Oaxaca, however, has yielded little data on early involvement in the ballgame. The discovery of a ballplayer figurine in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca demonstrates the early participation of this region in the iconography and ideology of the ballgame. In lieu of an actual ballcourt, the focus may have been on the symbolic component of ballplayers and their association with supernatural forces, as part of emerging leaders' legitimization strategies.