Biomedical subjects

A de Micheli-Serra

Publications and source records attributed to A de Micheli-Serra.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[By way of a synthesis of its conceptual evolution towards scientific medicine].

A historic outline of the evolution of medical thought toward scientific medicine is presented. Galen from Pergamon, one of science's first philosophers, wrote an Institutio logica, which can be considered as an introduction to the scientific method. Later, the Nominalists of the XIV century, precursors of modern science, thought that science's object was not the general, vague and indeterminate, but the particular, which is real and can be known directly. About the middle of the XVII Century the bases of the modern science became established thanks to a revolution formented essentially by Galileo, Bacon and Descartes. During the XVIII Century, parallel to the development of the great current of English Empiricism, a movement of scientific renewal also arose in continental Europe following the discipline of the Dutch Physicians and of Boerhaave. In the last century, Claude Bernard dominated scientific medicine, but his rigorous determinism impeded him from taking into account the immense and unforeseeable field of the random. Nowadays, we approach natural science and medicine from particular groups of facts, that is, from the responses of Nature to specific questions, but not from general laws. Furthermore, in recent epistemology, the concept that experimental data are not pure facts, but rather, facts interpreted within a hermeneutical context has been established. Finally, a general tendency to retrieve philosophical questions concerning the understanding of essence and existence can frequently be seen in scientific inquiry. In the light of the evolution of medical thought, it is possible to establish the position of scientific medicine within the movement of ideas dominating in our time.

History, 16th Century↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Remembering Luigi Galvani on the bicentennial of his death].

A short outline of the evolution of electrology throughout the XVIII century is presented. Emphasis is done on the topic of so-called animal electricity, whose study mainly developed due to the initial research of the Bolognese professor Luigi Galvani. In 1791, he made known his experimental results, submitting them to the criticism of contemporaneous scientists, Galvani and his pupils thought that the electrical phenomena observed in frogs were due to the electricity inherent to these animals (animal electricity), while their opponents, such as the physicist Alessandro Volta, attributed them to the action of the metallic conductors utilized (contact electricity). They were wrong to admit an unique type of electricity, because both types exist. Galvani's investigations encouraged Volta's research, which gave rise to the invention of the electric battery and its uses. Moreover Galvani's studies opened the immense and rich field of electrophysiology.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Humanism in medicine. A tribute to the memory of master Ignacio Chávez on the 20th anniversary of his death].

The expression "humanism" reflects essentially a fundamental interest for all aspects pertaining to human nature. In fact, humanistic education is not the isolation in to a world of dark shades nor to take pleasure in sterile diatribes or rhetoric redundancies. The problem of today does not consist in fighting or excluding one or the other element from contemporary life, a vain and retrograde attempt, but in introducing all elements--or rather incorporate them--in the core of an integral concept of man. Mankind's works are valued only by their contributions as testimonies of the truth, for what they do in the progress of individual perfection and in the improvement of society. Perhaps, integral humanism will lead to a communitarian society on earth, animated by the ideal of universal brotherhood. These were the sublime ideals of doctor Ignacio Chávez and constitute an enduring legacy for his pupils in all countries and all times.

Cardiology↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Contributions of the medical community to the Mexican revolution].

Mexican physicians, faithful to their tradition of honor and patriotism, were present in the military and political events of the great Revolution, the began in 1910 and ended triumphantly in 1917. In the first phase, a Madero supporter and opposed to presidential reelection was doctor Francisco Vázquez Gómez, a specialist in otorhinolaryngology, Professor at the National Medical School and past President of our Academy of Medicine. The second phase of this Revolution, characterized by the struggle against the Huerta dictatorship and then by combats among revolutionary factions, also saw the intervention of many physicians and surgeons, such as senator Belisario Domínguez of Chiapas, a victim of dictatorial oppression. Among them were distinguished academicians such as doctors Rafael Silva of Mexico and Francisco Castillo Nájera of Durango. Likewise devoted nurses were in Carranza's group, while medical students enlisted in Zapata's forces. The last phase of the Revolution was dominated by the activities of the Constituent Congress in Querétaro, which promulgated the New Mexican Constitution. Among 223 elected representatives, 20 were physicians and two pharmacists (10%), who had an excellent participation in the different sessions. The new Constitution, sworn and signed on February 5, 1917, added social guarantees to individual guarantees already established by the Constitution of 1857.

Government↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Marginal notes on tobacco in medicine and history].

Some characteristics of the tobacco plant and its use by native peoples of the Caribbean islands and New Spain are described. The importance of the tobacco habit in Newspanish and Europe regions, that became one of the main revenues of the respective governments, is emphasized. The incipient preoccupations concerning medical and social aid for the workers in tobacco factories are also exposed. The first aspect is reflected in an entire chapter of Ramazzini's treatise, which was the basis of the medicine of work, published in 1700. The second aspect is manifested in the creation, in 1796, of nursery schools for the children of working women in the tobacco factories of New Spain. Impressions of European travelers who visited New Spain and Independent Mexico are reported also. In opposition to the predictions of some visitors during the last century, with the passage of time, the tobacco habit instead of decreasing, became progressively more accentuated in all social classes. As a conditional aggravation, in the present day the noxious effects of tobacco smoke are combined with those of environmental contamination.

Europe↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Digitalic therapy. Historical outline].

The action of medical drugs obtained from many vegetables aroused a great interest of naturalists and physicians in all time. Moreover, it was always required that those persons destined to medical practice have a good knowledge of botany. Among the medicinal plants utilized by ancient peoples of the Anahuac, yoloxochitl or heart flower (Talauma mexicana) is mentioned, which seems to have a digitalis-like action. Research in our century demonstrated a positive inotropic and bradycardic effect of the leavels of Magnolia grandiflora or Talauma mexicana extract. Since the end of the XVIII century, digitalis was employed. It was considered initially as a diuretic and later as a cardiotonic agent. The action of digitalic glycosides upon the cardiac tissues was studied experimentally in Mexico. At the present-time there are positive inotropic agents derived from pyridine, as is the case of Milrinone, which have a beneficial action on the failing human myocardium. However, following the opinion of distinguished pharmacologists, "in the case of heart failure associated to atrial fibrillation, digitalis cannot be substituted".

Cardiotonic Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Physicians and surgeons in the Constituent Congress (1856-1857) and the Reform War (1858-1860)].

A small but selected group of physicians and surgeons took part in the Constituent Congress elaborating the Mexican Constitution of 1857. Among them was doctor Valentín Gómez Farías, leader of the liberal party. He presided at the oath of the constitution. Another prominent number of the said Congress was doctor José María Mata, who, in the session of August 5th. 1856, defended vehemently the article 15 of the project of constitution in favor of the freedom of worship. Doctor Isidoro Olvera is also worthy of remembrance, because on August 7th. of the same year presented an extensive outline of organic law concerning the right of "ownership". When the conservative revolt started on December 17th. 1857, doctor Olvera at the time president of the Chamber of Deputies was imprisoned with Benito Juárez, president of the Supreme Court of Justice, and three more representatives. During the civil war between conservative and liberal partisans, which began on January 19th. 1858, several distinguished physicians and surgeons, as well as medical students, were victims of the sectarian hatred. The example of these pupils of Aesculapius, who were victims of their vocation and of their mission, should always be kept in mind.

General Surgery↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Physicians and medicine in 16th century New Spain].

The more prominent physicians and surgeons, European, native and creole, who practiced their art in New Spain during the XVI century, are remembered. There were improvised surgeons among the Spanish soldiers, who faced the American natives in the name of universal empire and church. There were also native physicians, organized around an important cultural center: the Franciscan college of Holy Cross in Tlatelolco. They perpetuated the ancestral medical traditions. In the dawning of New Spain, arrived here some physicians and surgeons prepared in important medical centers, such Sevilla, Salamanca, and Alcalá de Henares. Soon after a noteworthy exchange of medicinal plants and, generally, of therapeutic products between the old and new world took place. Likewise arrived here medical books printed in Europe and, in the second half of such century, appeared Newspanish medical books. When the first chair of medicine was established in the Royal University of México (1578), the number of medical publications increased until, in 1598, appeared the first medical thesis printed in America.

Barber Surgeons↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The Einthoven's electrocardiograph after 100 years].

The initial studies about the "irritability" of animal tissues by iatrophysic and iatromechanic scientists are reviewed. These studies led to discover the so called animal electricity envisaged by Luigi Galvani in the XVIII century and demonstrated by Carlo Matteucci and his followers in the XIX. Beginning with the Galvani's "reoscopic" frog, which allowed to assess the electrical current in a qualitative sense, it was possible to arrive, at the beginnings of the XX century, to the string electrocardiograph presented by Willem Einthoven in 1901. This opened the way that led to fabrication of ever more sophisticated instruments until the present systems of endocardial mapping by magnetic technology or by multipolar catheters, which permit to quickly identify the site of origin or the spreading ways of a tachycardia for their ablation with radio-frequency. Intracardiac echocardiography is also employed to define the anatomy of right atrium, during intracardiac cartography, in order to establish the most adequate sites for ablation. On the other hand, a logic i.e. rational, method for the interpretation of results from the electrical exploration of the heart has been developed. This one was introduced by Frank N. Wilson in Ann Arbor and has been fittingly applied by Demetrio Sodi Pallares in Mexico. Important diagnostic advances and notable therapeutic inferences have been derived from these latter developments.

Electrocardiography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Insurgent physicians and surgeons].

The long way toward the Mexican Independence developed in various stages, each one characterized by the temperament of the leaders, the theater of war actions and the social instances. At the beginning of the movement, of popular and radical types, we find few physicians perhaps due to the small number of them in the cities and to their absence in the villages. The middle period shows a larger number of national and foreign physicians. They are present in a more important number during the last stage, of bourgeois and reformist characteristics. The comportment of these worthy members of the medical class, during the different stages of the national independence movement, is a clear example of the patriotism and honesty of the Mexican physicians.

General Surgery↗