Medicine from the 16th century to the present in Equatorial South America. (Editorial).During my most recent visit to Quito, Ecuador, in February 2002 as guest speaker at a course on surgery for chronic otitis media Chronic otitis media Inflammation of the middle ear with signs of infection lasting three months or longer. Mentioned in: Myringotomy and Ear Tubes chronic otitis media and the facial nerve facial nerve n. Either of a pair of nerves that originate in the pons, traverse the facial canal of the temporal bone, and pass through the parotid gland, reach the facial muscles through various branches, control facial muscles, and relay sensation , I had the opportunity, with my wife Marlene, to visit the former hospital San Juan de Dios Hospital San Juan de Dios is the name of several hospitals in the Republic of Colombia. The most important are located in Bogotá, Cúcuta and Pamplona. The one of Cúcuta nowadays is a library. , which opened its doors on March 9, 1565, and was in continuous operation until March 9, 1965 (figure 1). The hospital, now a museum, was opened just 73 years after Columbus discovered America and 2 years after Quito became a Royal Audencia of Spain. At that time the territory of Quito Audencia included all of present-day Ecuador, the north of Peru, the city of Call in the south of Colombia, and much of the Amazon River Basin east of Ecuador. My cohost co·host or co-host n. A joint host, as of a social event. tr.v. co·host·ed, co·host·ing, co·hosts To serve as a joint host of: , Marcelo Escheverria, MD, was taken as a young boy to the hospital by his aunt, a nun who for 50 years was the hospital's pharmacist, to have a tonsillectomy tonsillectomy /ton·sil·lec·to·my/ (ton?si-lek´tah-me) excision of a tonsil. ton·sil·lec·to·my n. Surgical removal of tonsils or a tonsil. . She arranged for him to spend his summer following and helping his ENT ENT ears, nose, and throat (otorhinolaryngology). ENT abbr. ear, nose, and throat ENT ear, nose and throat. ENT Ears, nose & throat; formally, otorhinolaryngology surgeon and other doctors in the hospital. This experience led him eventually to become an otolaryngologist. The president of the Academia Ecuatoriana tie Otorrinolaryngologia, the organization sponsoring the meeting, is Roberto Vasconez, MD. Almost 200 otolaryngologists attended the meeting, and the questions from the attendees were of the highest level, including the subjects of biofilm Biofilm An adhesive substance, the glycocalyx, and the bacterial community which it envelops at the interface of a liquid and a surface. When a liquid is in contact with an inert surface, any bacteria within the liquid are attracted to the surface and adhere and the treatment of recurrent facial palsy. Marlene and I have been to Ecuador many times during my professional career, including two research expeditions to Vilcabamba more than 20 years ago to study the hearing of people who live well over 100 years. Medicine has advanced significantly since our first trip there, and many other changes have occurred, as well. On our first visit, only a simple stone marker designated the position of the equator a few miles north of Quito. We found that the simple marker has now been replaced with a much larger one, in the form of a nine-story building, complete with an elevator, which houses a splendid representation of the varied native tribes that make up Ecuador. A bright yellow line is painted on the walkway to the entrance to the museum designating the equator (Figure 2). The historical significance of the Spanish influence on medicine in Quito is fascinating, not to mention the durability of a building that lasted for 400 years as a hospital. JACK L. PULEC, MD Editor-in-Chief EAR, NOSE & THROAT JOURNAL |
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