Escuela de Lenguas UNLP/About Argentina/Important Argentinean Characters/Science and Education

Ramón Carrillo

He was one of the greatest sanitarian doctors Argentina had. He was born on March 7th, 1906, in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. He became not only the first Minister of public health Argentina had but also he was recognized as the mentor and executor of the best Health Plan designed and implemented in this country. He joined the scientific tradition known as Argentine-German neurobiological school and also produced works of philosophical anthropology, where he outlined a "general theory of man." After attending primary and secondary school in his hometown and guided and encouraged by his vocation, he travelled to Buenos Aires to study Medicine. He obtained the gold medal for the best student in his class, in 1929. He specialized in Neurology and Neurosurgery collaborating with Dr. Manuel Balado, a well-known neurosurgeon of the time. Together they carried out a scientific work. He won a scholarship to study in Europe, where he worked with the most famous specialists in the world, including Cornelius Ariens Kappers, a prestigious Dutch neuroscientist. He returned to Buenos Aires and he joined the national thought of the time. He complemented his scientific education with political ideas and cultural training. He joined the representative men of culture and new ideas, and the Active Neurobiological Argentinean School. During those years he did some research and started teaching. In 1939 he was in charge of the Neurology and neurosurgery area of the Military Central Hospital. This position allowed him to know in greater depth the sanitary reality of his country. He read the medical histories of applicants to the military service coming from all Argentina, where he noticed the prevalence of diseases associated with poverty. He carried out statistical studies that determined that the country only had 45% of the necessary beds, distributed unequally, with regions which had 0% of beds for thousands of inhabitants. He devoted himself to the development of social medicine, where he could carry out his ideas about health. In 1942, when he was 36, he was the head of the department of Neurosurgery at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Buenos Aires. His career was successful in the scientific and academic world. However, historical events would radically change the fate of his life and passions. In 1943 he met Juan Domingo Perón in a Military Hospital. Perón asked Dr. Carrillo to collaborate in the planning of health policy and named Dr. Carrillo head of the of Public Health Ministry, which would later be transformed into the Public Health and Social Assistance Ministry of the Nation. He undertook the fight against tuberculosis, infant mortality, Chagas disease, leprosy, malaria, syphilis, brucellosis and typhoid. This health revolution, designed and carried out by Ramón Carrillo, increased the number of beds in the country, from 66.300 in 1946 to 132.000 in 1954, when he retired. He eradicated, in only two years, endemic diseases such as malaria, with extremely aggressive campaigns. The syphilis and venereal diseases almost disappeared. He reduced the mortality rate of tuberculosis from 130 per 100,000 to 36 per 100.000. He eradicated epidemics such as typhoid and brucellosis. He reduced drastically the rate of infant mortality from tuberculosis of 90 per thousand to 56 per thousand. He always gave priority and importance to the development of preventive medicine and the hospital organization. This is a brief summary of the most important facts about Ramón Castillo. However, his ideas and principles were the most important legacy left by him."The problems of medicine as a branch of the State, cannot be resolved if the health policy is not supported by a social policy. In the same way, social politics do not work without an economy organized to benefit the most.” He died in Belém do Pará, a city in the North of Brazil, on December 20th, 1956 at the age of fifty, poor, sick and exiled, receiving mail contributions from his friend Salomón Chichilnisky.

René Favaloro

Favaloro was born in La Plata on July 12, 1924. His father, Juan Manuel, was a carpenter and his mother, Ida Raffaelli, was a dressmaker. His brother, Juan Manuel, was a doctor too. He was an Argentine Cardiac surgeon and did his pioneering work on coronary artery and bypass surgery. At an early age he developed a love for the football club "Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata". He studied at Colegio Nacional de La Plata in 1936. After graduating he was admitted to the school of Medicine in La Plata. He graduated with a Medical degree in 1949. He moved to a small town "Jacinto Juarez" in La Pampa Province with his brother. Favaloro married Maria Antonia Delgado; the couple had no children. In 1962 Favaloro went to work in the Cleveland Clinic in U.S.A. As Favolaro improved the operation his popularity spread. In one year he made 171 bypasses. In 1971 he returned to Argentina and in 1980 he was able to establish a center for cardiovascular surgery. On July 29, 2000, Favaloro shot himself to death at his home in Buenos Aires. Argentina grieved at the loss of a national hero.

Julieta Lanteri

She was a scientist and a politician. She was born on 22nd March, 1873 in Cuneo, Italy. When she was six years old, she arrived in Buenos Aires with her parents. After that, she maved to La Plata. In 1896 she joined the University in the Faculty of Medicine and she graduated in 1907. She was the sixth woman to graduate in this country. She was a researcher. She was interested in women and childen's psychological illnesses. She was a fighter for the right to female vote. In 1911 she voted for the first time and in 1918 she was nominated as Congress Representative for the Partido Feminista Nacional together with Dr. Alfredo Palacio. Her ideas were very important for millions of women. Her death was in a car crash, on 23rd September 1932. Her life story was the big passion for Human Rights.

Dr. Julio Palmaz

In the area of Cardiovascular Medicine, there are very important contributions that make Argentina proud. Dear Rene Favaloro, who developed bypass surgery, Federico Benetti, who patented the less invasive heart surgery, and Julio Palmaz , inventor of the Stent Technique. We will talk about Julio Palmaz.He was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 13th 1945.Hi is a Doctor of Vascular Radiology. He studied at the National University of La Plata. He graduated in 1971.He then practiced in vascular radiology at the San Martín University Hospital. Then he went to the US.He is famous for the invention of the Balloon-Expandable Stent. In 1985 he patented his models of the removable stent.He has more than 16 patents, he wrote 26 books and he is going for more.In 2013 he received a special Konex award to Science and Technology.He started to work on the angioplasty with removable balloon. He thought of one device that could stay in the arteries.At present the Stent is used in more than 2.000.000 interventions per year, in arteries, the carotids, legs and brain. The combination of nanotechnology (new materials), medicine and molecular biology represent Palmaz´s new challenge.

Facundo Manes

Facundo Manes is a prominent neurologist. He specializes in human brain research and is a respected world reference in the neurosciences. Professor Manes was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 11, 1969. Currently Facundo Manes is Chancellor of the University Favaloro. The prestigious professional, member of several scientific societies, is the author of hundreds of papers published in the most important international scientific journals. Manes says that Education has an important role during the course of life. He thinks that education protects the brain, because learning provides tools for better living. “We are much more than hardware and software. We are our experience, emotions, passions, hopes and dreams”. (Facundo Manes).

Dr. Pedro D. Curutchet

He was born in 1901 in a small city called Las Flores in the Province of Buenos Aires. He studied medicine in University of La Plata and he became a surgeon in 1929. He was an inventor of the technique of surgery and the Instruments to cure "Quiste Hidatidico of lung". In 1948 he bought the little plot of land for building his home and office. He had a wife and two daughters. The Doctor communicated with de famous Architect Le Corbusier and in 1954 he settled with his family in the beautiful House "Curuchet". It was one lesson of avant garde designs where he developed his creative spirit. The Architect Le Corbusier was a great man that revolutionized the architecture. He was an excellent artist, a good painter, sculptor drawer, etc. His style is rationalist with austerity of lines without ornaments and the great prismatic volume. The Doctor and de Architect had in common the passion for the art, creation and design. One man for the house and another man for medical instruments. Le Corbusier called the house "The Machine for residence". The Curuchet’s home was declared National Historical Monument and also Heritage of Humanity.

Esteban Laureano Maradona

Esteban Laureano Maradona was a rural doctor, naturalist, writer and philanthropist, famous for his modesty and dedication. He spent 50 years of his life practicing medicine in Estalisnao del Campo, a remote town in the province of Formosa. His life was an example of altruism. He collaborated with indigenous communities in several aspects: economic, cultural, human and social ones. He got the government to award him public lands, where he founded the colony Juan Bautista Alberdi. Here he taught agricultural work, how to make bricks and build houses, and with his money he bought tools and seeds. He projected a path to the river and he explored sources of drinking water. He left a testimony of all their efforts and struggles in the book Through the jungle. He was also the author of scientific works about anthropology, flora and fauna. He waived all kinds of fees and material awards, and he lived humbly. He helped the neediest by giving his money and his time. He was born in Esperanza on July 4, 1895 and died in Rosario on January 14, 1995.
His birthday was declared Rural Medical Day by national law.

Juan Vucetich

Juan Vucetich was born in 1858 in Dalmatia, former Yugoslavia, but most of his life he lived in our country. He was a great inventor and he wrote several books on human identification. His most relevant work was “Dactiloscopía Comparada”, where he describes that each human being has a unique fingerprint that can be used for identification. This identification system, simple, perfect and effective, was adopted in almost all countries of Latin America, the Nations of Europe and the Middle East. He died on January 25 in 1925 in the City of Dolores, Province of Buenos Aires, sick and forgotten. Juan Vucetich was a man who left his mark on the world.-