School of Tropical Medicine (Puerto Rico)
Encyclopedia
The School of Tropical Medicine , was an educational institution created in 1926 by an act of the Puerto Rican Legislature, to further the research initiated by the Anemia Commissions and the Institute of Tropical Medicine on anemia and its causes. The institution existed as an independent entity until 1949, when it was integrated into the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico
.
, a medical doctor, was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps
which accompanied the United States Army
when Puerto Rico was invaded during the Spanish-American War
in 1898. As the medical officer in the general military hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico
, he was the first to describe and successfully treat North America
n hookworm
in 1899. Because of his clinical investigations into the anemia
caused by hookworm infestation, he was inspired to organize and conduct a parasite treatment campaign, which cured approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population) and reduced the death rate from this anemia by 90 percent.
Ashford and Dr. Isaac González Martínez were the founding members of the Puerto Rico Anemia Commission, established by the Insular Government in 1904. This came about as a result of the discovery made by Ashford that hookworm infestation was the principal cause of the anemia present in the island. Ashford served on the Commission from 1904–1906. Medical research in Puerto Rico, thus had its beginning with the "First Anemia Commission". In 1911, Ashford together with doctors Isaac Gonzalez Martinez, Pedro Gutiérrez Igaravides and Walter King, proposed that the local government create an Institute of Tropical Medicine to further the research initiated by the Anemia Commissions. In 1912, the local legislature approved the proposal and the Institute of Tropical Medicine was created.
, was attending a conference in New York City
when he was approached by professors Jose Antonio Lopez Antongiorgi and Abraham L. Goodman from the Medical School of Columbia University. They spoke about the need for establishing a medical school in Puerto Rico where scientific investigations could be conducted into tropical diseases. Senator Barceló became interested in the idea and on June 23, 1924, he presented the legislation which provided Governor Horace Towner with the economic resources, which were necessary to create the school.
The School of Tropical Medicine was formally dedicated in 1925. It was the first school in the United States and its territories founded for the purpose of researching and training physicians in the cause and prevention of tropical diseases. The school was situated in Puerta de Tierra, San Juan, and its building is one of the few examples of the Neo-Plateresque
architectural style in the Island. In 1926, new legislation expanded the Institute of Tropical Medicine into the School of Tropical Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico which was operated under the sponsorship of Columbia University. An agreement was made between the University of Puerto Rico and Columbia University in regard to the finances of the institution.
Ashford assumed a full time faculty position at the school and continued his interest in tropical medicine. Together with doctors Isaac González Martínez
and Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
, he continued to carry out his experiments in regard to anemia.
González Martínez conducted many investigations and experiments in parasitology
, bilharzia, lepra
and typhoid fever
. During his years at the institution González Martínez founded Anales de Medicina de Puerto Rico, a scientific journal. He was elected president of the Medical Academy of Puerto Rico in 1917. In 1919, he published a chapter on his findings of the Intestinal Bilharzias in the book La Práctica de la Medicina en el Trópico.
Suárez Calderon identified the proper and effective treatment of a type of anemia
known as tropical sprue
, the application of complex methods, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, to be used in clinics and the identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism
. Suárez Calderon continued Ashford's work and investigations on anemia after the latter’s death. In 1938, he published his scientific findings on tropical sprue.
In 1927, the institution offered courses in tropical medicine and nutrition. Most of the students continued their graduate work at Columbia University. In May 1930, the University of Puerto Rico offered two degrees of Master of Arts for the students who continued their education and work at the School of Tropical Medicine.
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
.
Puerto Rico Anemia Commission
Captain Bailey K. AshfordBailey Ashford
Colonel Bailey K. Ashford was born in Washington D.C. in 1873 and died in 1934. Himself a pioneering physician, Ashford grew up as one of five children in the family of a prominent physician. His general education was obtained at the public schools and at Columbian University in Washington D.C....
, a medical doctor, was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps
Army Medical Department (United States)
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army – known as the AMEDD – comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches of officers and medical enlisted soldiers. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the...
which accompanied the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
when Puerto Rico was invaded during the Spanish-American War
Puerto Rican Campaign
The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
in 1898. As the medical officer in the general military hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, he was the first to describe and successfully treat North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n hookworm
Hookworm
The hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...
in 1899. Because of his clinical investigations into the anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
caused by hookworm infestation, he was inspired to organize and conduct a parasite treatment campaign, which cured approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population) and reduced the death rate from this anemia by 90 percent.
Ashford and Dr. Isaac González Martínez were the founding members of the Puerto Rico Anemia Commission, established by the Insular Government in 1904. This came about as a result of the discovery made by Ashford that hookworm infestation was the principal cause of the anemia present in the island. Ashford served on the Commission from 1904–1906. Medical research in Puerto Rico, thus had its beginning with the "First Anemia Commission". In 1911, Ashford together with doctors Isaac Gonzalez Martinez, Pedro Gutiérrez Igaravides and Walter King, proposed that the local government create an Institute of Tropical Medicine to further the research initiated by the Anemia Commissions. In 1912, the local legislature approved the proposal and the Institute of Tropical Medicine was created.
School of Tropical Medicine
The President of the Puerto Rican Senate, Antonio R. BarcelóAntonio R. Barceló
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martinez was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families...
, was attending a conference in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when he was approached by professors Jose Antonio Lopez Antongiorgi and Abraham L. Goodman from the Medical School of Columbia University. They spoke about the need for establishing a medical school in Puerto Rico where scientific investigations could be conducted into tropical diseases. Senator Barceló became interested in the idea and on June 23, 1924, he presented the legislation which provided Governor Horace Towner with the economic resources, which were necessary to create the school.
The School of Tropical Medicine was formally dedicated in 1925. It was the first school in the United States and its territories founded for the purpose of researching and training physicians in the cause and prevention of tropical diseases. The school was situated in Puerta de Tierra, San Juan, and its building is one of the few examples of the Neo-Plateresque
Plateresque
Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
architectural style in the Island. In 1926, new legislation expanded the Institute of Tropical Medicine into the School of Tropical Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico which was operated under the sponsorship of Columbia University. An agreement was made between the University of Puerto Rico and Columbia University in regard to the finances of the institution.
Ashford assumed a full time faculty position at the school and continued his interest in tropical medicine. Together with doctors Isaac González Martínez
Isaac González Martínez
Dr. Isaac González Martínez was the first Puerto Rican urologist, and a pioneer in the fight against cancer throughout the island. Dr. González Martínez conducted many investigations and experiments in parasitology, bilharzia, lepra and typhoid fever. Dr. González Martínez and Dr. Bailey K...
and Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderon was a scientist, cardiologist, educator and hematologíst whose investigations led him to identify the proper and effective treatment of a specific anemia known as tropical sprue...
, he continued to carry out his experiments in regard to anemia.
González Martínez conducted many investigations and experiments in parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
, bilharzia, lepra
LEPRA
LEPRA Health in Action is a health and medical development charity fighting diseases of poverty and working towards a world without leprosy...
and typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. During his years at the institution González Martínez founded Anales de Medicina de Puerto Rico, a scientific journal. He was elected president of the Medical Academy of Puerto Rico in 1917. In 1919, he published a chapter on his findings of the Intestinal Bilharzias in the book La Práctica de la Medicina en el Trópico.
Suárez Calderon identified the proper and effective treatment of a type of anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
known as tropical sprue
Tropical sprue
Tropical sprue is a malabsorption disease commonly found in the tropical regions, marked with abnormal flattening of the villi and inflammation of the lining of the small intestine.It differs significantly from coeliac sprue.-Symptoms and signs:...
, the application of complex methods, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, to be used in clinics and the identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
. Suárez Calderon continued Ashford's work and investigations on anemia after the latter’s death. In 1938, he published his scientific findings on tropical sprue.
In 1927, the institution offered courses in tropical medicine and nutrition. Most of the students continued their graduate work at Columbia University. In May 1930, the University of Puerto Rico offered two degrees of Master of Arts for the students who continued their education and work at the School of Tropical Medicine.
The School of Medicine, UPR
The agreement between the University of Puerto Rico and Columbia University in regard to the School of Tropical Medicine was terminated by mutual consent in 1948. In May of 1949, the Puerto Rican Legislature approved an act which authorized the creation of the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico. The School of Tropical Medicine was merged into the new school which admitted its first class in August 195O. On September 29, 1983, the building in which the School of Tropical Medicine was located was listed in the National Register of Historic Places Record Number: 392543.See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico
- University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Puerto RicoThe University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
- University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences CampusUniversity of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences CampusThe University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus —or Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas in Spanish— is a state university located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the eleven campuses of the University of Puerto Rico...