Evening star., 1940-12-08
Bv Thomas X. Henry.

The past week has been devoted
to the memory of a score of unsung
heroes-the doctor martyrs of Latin
America and their colleagues, who,
for the past two centuries, have
made some of the most notable con-
tributionS to the conquest OF dis
ease.
Last Tuesday was the first annual
Pan-American health day. Names
of men which are almost household
words in their native landS-ESpeJO
Unanue, Vargas. Finlay, CruZ-were
placed before the world as some of
its leading benefactors. Had 1t not
been for them the average length
of human life the earth over would
be a little less than it is today.
Especially notable is the debt owed
them by the United States. To
them it owes the conquest OF some
of its greatest menaces.
In the history of the Latin
American republics the doctor has
played a dual role. He has been
first a scientist and healer. Second,
and perhaps Of equal significance,
he has been the keeper of the liberal
tradition in all walks of life. 1t
was the physician, inoculated with
the free spirit of modern science,
who first caught the inspiration of
the liberalism which swept the
western world after the French
revolution, AS a result, some of
Latin Americas leading healers
were also the leading figures in the
revolutions which threw off the
yoke of Spain.
They came early, with the conquis-
tadores. The eXpeditionary physi-
clans were often men, the records
show, with lively scientific interest
in rather striking contrast to some
of the Colonial doctors of North
America. They came not only to
care for the sick, but to learn.
There was plenty to be learned.
The American Indians, especially
the AztecS and the Incas, had
medicine hardly inferior to that of
the Europe of the day. 1t abounded
with remedies unknown to the Span
iards and Portuguese.
Compendium Issued.
One of the most significant medi-
cal publications of the year has been
a compendium of native healing
practices written by Aztec students
at the first medical school eStab-
lished in the New World. The Curl
osity of the Spanish doctors and
doctor priests resulted very soon in
one of the greatest medical discov-
cries in history-that of quinine.
The Spaniards established medi-
cal schools. They studied the
biology of the new country and
prepared exhaustive lists of its
plants. They did not hesitate to
forsake their dignity and sit at the
feet of red medicine men. Once
their colleges were established, they
were among the first to inaugurate
such practices as vaccination. They
anticipated the germ hypothesis.
They performed the first Caesarian
operation. They are credited with
having founded the science of tropi-
cal medicine. This is becoming
more and more significant field as
it develops that there are few
diseases actually confined to the
tropics With the advent of fast
transportation they now threaten
the cities of the United States.
In the early days the greatest
credit belongs to the Jesuits. It
was they who found quinine. 1t was
they who wrote the first botanical
works. Even before the 10Th CEN
tury their medical successors were
limiting at the germ origin of disease.
They were associating maladies, at
least. with certain places, and postu-
lating that they must be due to
something in the environment.
They can hardly be blamed for not
finding the true answers. The doc
tors of North America and Europe
were even less advanced.
The names of the medical martyrs
are much better known in Europe
than in the United States, due