Research Article Global Dermatology issn: 2056-7863

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Research Article

Global Dermatology

ISSN: 2056-7863

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

The history of dermatology, venereology and 

dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Francisco Kerdel-Vegas1 and Jaime Piquero-Martín2*

1

Member of the Academies of Medicine and Science of Venezuela, Venezuela

2

Emeritus Professor, Graduate Institute of Biomedicine Dermatology Jacinto Convit, Venezuela

About Venezuela

Venezuela is located to the north of the South American continent 

with almost one million square kilometers of land that comprises 

high mountains, plains, forests and deserts. Inhabited by American 

indigenous people since approximately fifteen hundred years before 

Christ, this land was discovered to the west by Christopher Columbus 

during his third trip in 1498, was conquered and colonized by Spain 

for three centuries, and Caracas, the capital city, was the seedbed for 

the movement of independence in the early Nineteenth Century. 

A complete generation of illustrious men including  Simón  Bolívar, 

Francisco de Miranda, José Antonio Páez and Antonio José de Sucre 

played an instrumental role in the consolidation of independence from 

Spain, waging a war that lasted for almost fifteen years, beginning 

in 1811 and ending with the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824 in Peruvian 

territory, thousands of kilometers away from Venezuela.   This epic 

accomplishment left the country in a precarious situation that was 

followed by a series of civil wars fought among the military caudillos.  

The discovery and exploitation of oil after the second decade of the 

Twentieth Century gave rise to an economic boom that attracted a 

massive immigration into the country following World War II, mostly 

Spaniards, Italians and Portuguese nationals. Their hard work was 

pivotal to the modernization of the country that is still struggling to 

find the right path for its future development and prosperity.

The Beginnings of Dermatology

The native people suffered from a number of skin conditions 

including syphilis, yaws, pinta, impetigo and other infections such 

as tungiasis, pediculosis, scabies, myasis, leishmaniasis, poisoning 

and insect and reptile bites. The indigenous people used roots, stalks, 

flowers, resins, extracts and powders from various plants, including the 

guaiacum wood that was later used as specific treatment for syphilis 

in Spain and in other countries around the world. They used different 

balms for wound healing, in addition to a range of herbs.

The practice of medicine during the colonial times had considerable 

religious influence, though it was intended to be charity. Furthermore, 

since Venezuela was a captaincy-general, it was removed from all the 

advances in European medicine that came first to the viceroyalties. 

It was only in the middle of the Eighteenth Century when the 

“Protomedicato” (College of King’s Physicians) was established under 

Royal License in Venezuela after 1777.

The study of medicine was initially introduced at the University of 

Caracas on October 10, 1763 at a time when the classical, Hippocratic-

Galenic medicine gave way to the illustrated, rationalistic medicine.

Academic Dermatology

Like in any other branch of medicine, general practitioners were the 

ones that initially treated skin diseases. The first specialized dermatologist 

arrived in Venezuela in 1882. His name was Nicanor Guardia (1860-

1898); he was trained at the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris. Although he 

did not accomplish great things in his area of specialization, he paved 

the way for the first group of Venezuelan doctors that went to the 

school of dermatology at the Saint Louis Hospital (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Saint Louis Hospital

The first general hospital with academic projection -Hospital 

Vargas de Caracas – was inaugurated on January 1st, 1891 where 

doctors began to practice under the concept of specialization. In 1903 

Manuel Perez-Diaz (specialized in France at the Saint Louis Hospital 

of Paris) created the first Service of Dermatology at the Hospital 

Vargas and then the Chair of Clinical Dermatology was established on 

Correspondence to: 

Jaime Piquero-Martin, Instituto de Biomedicina Jacinto Convit, 

Hospital Vargas, Caracas, Venezuela; E-mail: [e-mail]

Special Issue: Dermatology History in Different Countries

Nooshin Bagherani, M. D.

Dermatologist at Dr. Nooshin Bagheran’s office, Taha Physicians’ building, 

P.O.Box: 6414715878, Khoramshahr, Khuzestan Province, Iran; Email: 

[e-mail]

Bruce R. Smoller, M. D.

Chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Professor, Department of Dermatology

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, USA

E-mail:  [e-mail]

Published: December 20, 2015

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Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

December 30, 1908, at the School of Medicine of Caracas where he was 

appointed as the first professor. Two years later (1910), Dermatology 

became a mandatory subject for sixth year medical students. Manuel 

Pérez-Díaz’s successor was Miguel Jiménez-Rivero who was then 

followed by Pablo Guerra, Martin Vegas,  Leopoldo Briceño-Iragorry 

(for a short period of time), and in 1947 Carlos Julio Alarcón.  The 

remarkable influence of the French school of dermatology of the 

Hospital Saint Louis of Paris through its students was interrupted by 

the Second World War; this event changed the Venezuelan tradition 

of pursuing medical graduate studies in France and switched to the 

United States (particularly New York City) where a new generation 

of dermatologists was trained:  Jacinto  Convit,  Francisco  Scannone, 

Luis Alberto Velutini, Eva Koves de Amini , JJ Henríquez-Andueza, 

Francisco  Kerdel-Vegas, Mauricio  Goihman, José Manuel Soto, 

Dolores Alfonzo de Pérez,  Hugo Naranjo, and many others came to the 

US. Mention must be made of the influence that doctor José Sánchez-

Covisa had on the practice of dermatology in Venezuela. In 1938, 

Dr. Martín Vegas invited Professor Sánchez-Covisa who had been 

professor and head of dermatology at the University of Madrid, to join 

the practice of dermatology after he was forced to emigrate and exile as 

a result of the political events in his motherland. In Venezuela he 

continued his already internationally renowned work as teacher and 

researcher. He was then appointed Technical Advisor of the Division 

of Venereal Diseases of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and 

joined the Department of Dermatology of Hospital Vargas. As a tribute 

to his fruitful efforts in our country, he was unanimously elected to 

receive the honorary title “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the Central 

University of Venezuela.

The division of services and chairs

 

Figure 2. Central University of Venezuela.

In 1957 the School of Medicine of the Central University of 

Venezuela moved from the Hospital Vargas to the new University 

Hospital, Hospital de la Ciudad Universitaria. A new chair of 

dermatology was inaugurated on October 18, 1958 at the Luis Razetti 

Medical School and the Dermatology Service began to operate at 

the Caracas University Hospital with professors transferred from 

the Vargas Hospital, including Carlos Julio Alarcón (Professor and 

Chairman), Juan Di Prisco, Luís Alberto Velutini, Rafael Medina, 

Jacobo Obadía, Imelda Campo-Aasen, Oscar Reyes, César Lizardo, 

Dante Borelli and Luís Gómez-Carrasquero.   The successors in the 

Chair of Dermatology since 1958 to this date have been: Carlos Julio 

Alarcón, Juan Di Prisco, Oscar Reyes, José Rafael Sardi, Homagdy 

Rodríguez de Arévalo, Adriana Calebotta, Omaira Castellanos de 

Camejo, Zulhay Torres, Francisco González-Otero, Elda Giansante, 

Angela Ruiz and Mary Carmen Ferreiro.

In the meantime, a secessionist movement developed between 

a group of professors using the old hospital facilities and the annex 

buildings. Doctors Jacinto Convit and Francisco Kerdel-Vegas lead the 

group of dermatologists together with Armando Salas and José Manuel 

Soto, and they organized the Chair and the service of Dermatology at 

the José Maria Vargas School of Medicine. There, this group established 

the “Association for Dermatological Research” that secured funds to 

invite distinguished professors of dermatology from the United States 

and England to teach short courses on the  most important areas of 

the specialty. They also managed to get the support of Dr. Marion B. 

Sulzberger from New York University who was then about to retire. 

However, Dr. Sulzberger served as a liaison with Professor Eugene 

M. Farber from Stanford University in California.  This most fruitful 

interaction gave origin to the new dermatology research laboratories 

and some time, later to the Institute of Dermatology built in the hospital 

surroundings. This process lasted for several years, with a considerable 

number of publications in international journals, invited American 

residents, scholarships at Stanford for Venezuelan postgraduate 

students, and submission of a request for approval of funds to the 

US National Institutes of Health; all of these actions lead to profound 

changes in an area of specialization that was perceived as stationary 

and basically morphological towards a new dynamic and functional 

paradigm, with considerable research efforts and the adoption of 

new knowledge.  To mention just a few examples of the exhaustive 

activity undertaken in an effort to gain international recognition of this 

novel situation,  in addition to the publication of several papers in 

renowned English journals, we can mention the publication of a book 

in English (Rhinoscleroma), the description of two new nosological 

entities (diffuse leishmaniasis and erythema dyschromicum perstans), 

and the discovery of the active principle (selenocystathionine) in the 

depilatory effect of the “coco de mono”  (Lecythis ollaria) fruit.  

The Service and Chair of Dermatology of the Vargas Hospital 

moved to a new building located next to the Vargas Hospital on 

November 29, 1971, under the name of Institute of Dermatology, than 

later became the “Institute of Biomedicine” (October 22nd, 1984) and 

in 2014 changed to the Institute of Biomedicine Dr. Jacinto Convit 

(Figure 3).

Figure 3. Institute of Biomedicine Dr. Jacinto Convit.

This institution was conceived and built as a result of the hard work 

and perseverance of doctors Jacinto Convit and Francisco Kerdel-

Vegas. In addition to several research laboratories, the institution 

provided general and specialized dermatology consultation (leprosy, 

mycology, pediatric dermatology, leishmaniasis, allergy, vulvar 

pathology, stomatology, lupus,  pathology  of the lower extremities, 

surgical pathology, laboratories of immunology, histochemistry, library, 

record offices, statistics and administration). The institution also runs 

three university graduate programs: dermatology, dermatopathology, 

microbiology and a master’s program in tropical epidemiology.  The 

Institute  of Biomedicine, following the philosophy of its founders, 

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Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

established as a daily routine a parallel aproach of research and clinical 

management of the patients.  This novelty atracted international 

interest and open the doors for the training of foreign dermatologists 

(from the USA).

Since its inauguration until Dr. Convit’s demise (2014) the Institute 

of Biomedicine was under his leadership. The Service of Dermatology 

of the Caracas Vargas Hospital and the Chair of Dermatology of 

the School of Medicine are affiliates of the Institute that has been 

managed by Jacinto  Convit, José Manuel Soto, Antonio  Rondón-

Lugo, Jaime  Piquero-Martín  and Margarita Oliver. Similarly, the 

Chair of Dermatology of the School of Medicine has been under the 

direction of Jacinto Convit, Eva Koves de Amini, Mauricio Goihman, 

Antonio Rondón-Lugo and Nacarid Aranzazu.

In 1964, both the Chair of Dermatology operating at the School 

of Medicine, Luis  Razetti,  and the Chair at the School of Medicine, 

José María Vargas, opened Dermatology Graduate Programs following 

standard syllabus. The directors of the Institute of Biomedicine 

have been Jacinto Convit, José Manuel Soto, Antonio Rondón-Lugo 

and Ricardo Pérez-Alfonzo.

The first two graduate programs in Caracas (Vargas Hospital and 

University Hospital) were later joined with similar programs by the 

Service of Dermatology of the Military Hospital of Caracas, founded 

by Dr. Francisco  Scannone  and thereafter lead by Dr. Luis 

Alberto Velutini and Dr. Hugo Naranjo A.

Other institutions have maintained healthcare and educational 

activity, including the Children’s Hospital, the Center of Dermatology and 

Allergies of the Social Security System, the “Luis Razetti” Cancer Hospital 

and the “Carlos J. Bello” Hospital of the Venezuelan Red Cross.

 Dermatology in other regions of Venezuela

Zulia (West)

Universidad  del  Zulia: Dr. Jorge  Hómez-Chacín  created the 

Dermatology Chapter of the Society of Dermatology in 1956. 

Dermatology services were then established at several  hospitals  in 

Zulia State and undergraduate classes were administered by 

Drs.  Hernán  Vargas-Montiel,  Nazario  Durango and Cesar  Barroso-

Tobila.  Leopoldo  Díaz-Landaeta  started a pediatric dermatology 

graduate program.

Bolívar (South)

Universidad  de Oriente:  Dr. Francisco  Battistini,  founded in 

1949 the first outpatient dermatology service in the Bolívar State. 

The undergraduate program began in 1960 and then the graduate 

dermatology residency program in 1977.

Carabobo (Center)

Universidad de Carabobo: The Dermatology Service of the 

Valencia Central Hospital operated under the leadership of Dr. 

Fernando Aguilera and as of 1968 under Dr. Raúl Fachín-Viso. In 1986, 

this Service became the seat of the Dermatology Chair of the Carabobo 

University due to the efforts of Dr.  Fachín-Viso, Omar  Miret, and 

Marco  Tulio  Mérida, including an ongoing dermatology graduate 

program.

Lara (Central-Western Region)

Universidad Centro Occidental: 

In 1939 

Dr.  Humberto  Campins  founded the Service of Dermatology in 

Barquisimeto, Lara State, at the “Antonio  María  Pineda” Hospital. 

Doctors María Antonieta Mejías and Segundo Barroeta have been the 

leaders of Dermatology in the Central-Western region in Venezuela. 

The graduate education program opened in 1971 until 1987 when it 

became a university graduate program.

Mérida, Táchira, Barinas (South-West)

Los Andes Hospital: The Los Andes hospital, the anti-venereal 

dispensary, and the leprosy research program were founded in Merida 

in 1936 by Dr. Pedro Guerra-Fonseca. Later, the Chair of Dermatology 

took upon itself the task of imparting education in the region with the 

outstanding participation of Drs.  Isaura  Graterol  and Luis Sucre in 

Mérida; Adolfo Vivas-Arellano in Táchira and Rolando Hernández-

Pérez, in Barinas who is the leader of dermatology in the region.

Falcón (North-West)

The dermatology unit was inaugurated in Coro with the 

establishment of the “Alfredo Van Grieken University Hospital”. Drs. 

Elsa Medina (1973), Tulio Molina Barrada (1987) and Yosely Moreno 

(2007) together with  Dr. Maigualida Pérez have been in charge of in-

hospital teaching programs at the “Universidad Nacional Experimental 

Francisco de Miranda”.

The Most Relevant Personalities in Dermatology

Dr. Manuel Pérez-Díaz (1872–1931):  In 1903 he established the first 

Service of Dermatology at the Vargas Hospital. On December 30, 1908, 

Dr. Pérez-Díaz founded the Chair of Clinical Dermatology at the School 

of Medicine of Caracas. Two years later (1910), dermatology became a 

mandatory subject for sixth year medical students. Dr. Manuel Pérez-

Díaz was appointed professor. In January 1903 the school acquired 37 

wax dummies to illustrate the most relevant skin pathologies. These 

mannequins then populated the Wax Museum of Syphilography and 

Dermatology or the Vargas Museum  were  designed by the famous 

Jules Baretta, the same artist that created the splendid reproductions of 

the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris. In sum, Dr. Manuel Pérez-Díaz was 

the founder of Dermatology in Venezuela, a physician of the traditional 

school, an open-minded humanist beyond the pure stereotypes of a 

specialization that strongly influenced his students.

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Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

Dr. Pablo Guerra (1903-1944):  Dr. Guerra studied dermatology 

at the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris. He returned to Venezuela in 

1937 and introduced mycology, histopathology and  allergology  in 

the field of dermatology. After him dermatology was practiced 

based on diagnostic confirmation with direct microscopic 

examination, histopathological cultures and immune testing.

Dr.  Martín  Vegas (1897-1991): Dr. Vegas studied dermatology 

and syphilography at the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris and microbiology 

at the Pasteur Institute. He was the head of the Leprosy Hospital 

in Cabo Blanco.  Member of the National Academy of Medicine. His 

papers on tropical diseases, leprosy, and venereal diseases were 

pivotal. In 1944 became the successor of Dr. Pablo Guerra as the 

Chair of Dermatology of the Central University of Venezuela and 

the corresponding service at the Vargas Hospital. His medical efforts 

focused on hospital care and humanitarian activities. His salary as a 

professor and then as Dean of the School of Medicine served to finance 

the mycology and histopathology laboratories of the Dermatology 

Service of the Vargas Hospital in Caracas.   His memory still lives 

through the creation of the “Dr. Martín Vegas” Award and Lecture.

Dr. Jacinto  Convit  (1913-2014): Before completing his medical 

studies he began working at the Leprosy Hospital in Cabo Blanco where 

he initiated his apostleship in favor of those in need. He completed 

his graduate studies in dermatology at the “Skin and Cancer Hospital” 

(New York, USA) and then in epidemiology at the “Western Reserve 

University” (Cleveland, Ohio, USA). Together with some Spanish and 

Latin-American colleagues he founded the Iberian-Latin American 

College of Dermatology (CILAD) in 1948.

He worked as a Dermatologist at the Vargas Hospital since 

1948, and was then appointed head of the Service and Chair of 

Dermatology, founder of the National Institute of Dermatology (now 

called after him. the Institute of Biomedicine Dr. Jacinto  Convit), 

founder of the Association for Dermatological Research and of 

the Institute of Biomedicine as a biomedical research center. He 

promoted the clinical histopathological and immunological spectrum 

of dermatological diseases, particularly leprosy and leishmaniasis, in 

addition to management and prevention with immunoprophylaxis and 

immunotherapy. He practiced in private medicine for a very short term, 

and devoted his full time efforts to healthcare, education and research.

Francisco Kerdel-Vegas (1928-): Dr. Kerdel-Vegas completed his 

dermatology graduate studies at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 

Boston (Harvard Medical School) and the Skin & Cancer Unit of New 

York University. He has served as a Professor of dermatology at the 

Central University of Venezuela, and is a member of the Academies 

of Medicine, and Physics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences of 

Venezuela; he is an Honorary Member of the National  Medical 

Academies of Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay. He designed the 

dermatology exchange program with Stanford University. Dr. Kerdel-

Vegas was appointed Academic Vice Rector of the Simón Bolívar 

University and promoted the idea that established  the  scholarship 

project Gran  Mariscal  de Ayacucho of which he became a Board 

member. He was founder and editor of “Bitácora Médica”, a healthcare 

Webpage / blog in Spanish. Dr. Kerdel-Vegas served as President of the 

International Dermatological Society; Ambassador of Venezuela in the 

United Kingdom, UNESCO and France.  In May 1987 the International 

Foundation of Dermatology (IFD), affiliate of the International League 

of Dermatology Societies (ILDS), decided to implement a project 

for the development of human resources to understand and tackle 

the problem of skin pathologies in Africa. This exemplary project 

to train medical assistants at a Regional Dermatological Training 

Center in  Moshi, Tanzania was initiated by professors, Alfred W. 

Kopf, Terence J. Ryan, Stuart Maddin and Henning Grossmann. After 

25 years the center, at the foot of the Kilimanjaro, has trained 250 

community dermatologists from 15 Africa countries and 25 specialized 

dermato-venereologists, and an annual intake of six residents. The 

physical structureis comprised of three in-patient wards with 75 beds 

(25 for the Burns Unit), four operation theaters, a Mohs’ surgery unit, 

dermatopathology, teledermatology and mycology.

(The inclusion of Professor Francisco Kerdel-Vegas as one of the 

pillars of Dermatology in Venezuela was due to the insistency of Dr. 

Jaime Piquero-Martín)

 

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Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

Mauricio Goihman (1938- ): Dr. Goihman  completed his graduate 

studies in dermatology at Stanford and Miami Universities and received 

his PhD in Medical Microbiology from Stanford University; Professor 

of Dermatology and Syphilography, Vargas School of Medicine of the 

Central University of Venezuela. He is a Professor and the founder of 

immunology as part of the graduate program; Professor and Chair of 

Dermatology and Syphilography at the Vargas School of Medicine, a 

Distinguished professor of Iberian–Latin American Dermatology and 

of Venezuelan Dermatology, a  Regional Editor of the International 

Journal of Dermatology, Iberian–Latin American skin medicine, 

International Journal of Dermatology, Dermatology Online Journal, 

and Clinics in Dermatology.Member of the Editorial Committee of 

several scientific journals, member of 24 scientific societies, author 

of 175 papers, 46 abstracts and 28 chapters in books. Corresponding 

Member of the National Academy of Medicine of Venezuela.

Dr. Antonio  Rondón-Lugo  (1939-):  Emeritus Professor of the 

Institute of Biomedicine “Dr. Jacinto Convit” of the Central University 

of Venezuela; former president of the Venezuelan Society for which he 

served three terms; former head of the Chair of Dermatology; director 

of the graduate program of dermatology, in addition to an extensive 

list of scientific and literary publications, including books, chapters in 

textbooks, and articles published in national and international journals. 

Dr.  Rondón-Lugo has actively participated in academic activities 

throughout Latin America as speaker at numerous conferences; he is 

the contemporary dermatologist with the strongest influence on the 

modernization of dermatology in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan Society of Dermatology

The Minister of Public Education created the Free Chair of 

Dermatological and Syphilographic Clinic pursuant to a decree of the 

Ministry of Public Education in 1908; this gave rise to the an area of 

specialization governed by the academia.

The Venezuelan Society of Dermatology 

and  Syphilography  was  founded on November 14, 1936. The first 

president of the Society was Dr.  Martín  Vegas. Due  to changes in 

the practice of the profession and to avoid interferences from other 

dermatology specialties, the Society has adopted different names 

at various points in time. On July 7th, 1945, the Venezuelan Society 

of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases; on January 7th, 1970, the 

Venezuelan Society of Dermatology; then in 2000, the Venezuelan 

Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery; and finally, on 

December 19, 2012, adopted its current name: Venezuelan Society of 

Medical, Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology.

Presently, the organization has 387 members out of a total 

of approximately 600 dermatologists that practice in Venezuela. 

The Society plays a very active role, organizing monthly meetings 

throughout the country, itinerant meetings, courses and congresses, 

in addition to various screening campaigns (Melanoma, Psoriasis 

and Acne).

Presidents  of  Venezuelan Society of Medical, Surgical and 

Cosmetic Dermatology from its foundation 

1936 Martin Vegas

1945 Rafael Campo Moreno

1946 Leopoldo Briceño-Iragory

1947 Martin Vegas

1949 Jacinto Convit

1951 Carlos Julio Alarcón

1952 Martin Vegas

1954 Rafael Medina

1955 Juan Di Prisco

1956 Francisco Scannone

1957 Luis Alberto Velutini

1058 Martin Vegas

1959 Oscar Reyes F.

1960 Porfirio Irazabal

1960 Luis Alberto Velutini

1962 Porfirio Irazabal

1964 Mariano Medina -Febres

1966 Juan Di Prisco

1968 Eduardo Estrada

1970 Francisco Kerdel-Vegas

1972 Jacobo Obadia-Serfaty

1974 Mauricio Goihman 

1976 Jose Manuel Soto

1978 Cruz Graterol- Roque

1980 Jorge Homez- Chacin

1982 Eva Koves de Amini

1984 Antonio Rondon- Lugo

1986 Antonio Rondon -Lugo

1988 Maria Antonieta Mejias

1990 Jaime Piquero- Martin

1992 Cornelio Arevalo- Morles

1994 Antonio Rondon- Lugo

1996 Ricardo Perez -Alfonzo

1998 Hernan Vargas -Montiel

2000 Francisco Gonzalez- Otero

2002 Alfredo Lander

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Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

2004 Benjamin Trujillo

2006 Rolando Hernandez- Perez

2008 Elda Giansante

2010 Elda Giansante

2012 Nahir Loyo

2014 Maria Esther Chirinos

The dermatological specialty has maintained an active academic 

participation with dermatology meetings organized not only by 

the Society of Dermatology, but also by independent groups under 

the sponsorship of the Society. Such is the case of the meeting of 

the “Group of Dermatologic Therapy Update” organized by Drs. 

Antonio  Rondón-Lugo, Jaime  Piquero-Martín  and Ricardo  Pérez-

Alfonzo and the meetings on “Pediatric Dermatology” organized by 

Dr. Francisco González.

Regular publications

The Journal of Venezuelan Dermatology was founded, under Dr. 

Luis Alberto Velutini’s initiative (the first Editor), in December 1957. 

This is the official publication of the Venezuelan Society of Dermatology 

that has undertaken a steady and continuous effort to promote the 

specialty and is currently available through Internet.

In 1998 Drs. Jaime  Piquero-Martín, Rolando  Hernández-

Pérez  and    Félix  J. Tapia founded the digital Journal 

“Piel Latinoamericana”, posted every weeks at  www.Piel-l.org with over 

12,000 subscribers in Spain and Latin America. Similarly, Dr. Francisco 

González-Otero,  edits  the  blog “Dermatología Pediátrica” www.

Dermatologiapediatica.net, and  professor  Francisco  Kerdel-Vegas, 

publishes the medical blog “BitácoraMédica” www.bitacoramedica.

com.

Sub-specialties

Leprosy: The Cabo Blanco Leprosy Clinic was inaugurated in 1906, 

located by the coast, in the  Vargas  State. Dr. Aaron  Benchetrit  was 

appointed Inspector General of the Leprosy Clinics of the Republic in 

1909, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He held that position for 

many years, in charge the leprosy clinics at Cabo Blanco and later a 

second facility located at the Providencia Isle on the Maracaibo Lake. 

These specialized clinics are no longer operational so any patient affected 

by the disease that may require care is admitted to a general hospital. 

The most relevant physicians in this area have been  Martín  Vegas, 

Jacinto Convit, Nacarid Aranzazu, Pedro La Penta  and Enrico Rassi.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: The first healthcare institution for 

sexually transmitted disease was established in 1926, and in 1939 became 

the Division of Venereal Diseases of the Ministry of Health, under 

the leadership of Dr. Martín Vegas.  Training programs for venereal 

specialists were initially offered. At a later date, Drs. Martin Vegas and 

Rafael Medina founded the National Institute of Venereal Diseases. 

Other relevant physicians in the area included Drs. Ildemaro Lovera, 

Cornelio Arévalo, José R. Sardi and Mary Carmen Ferreiro.

Dermatopathology:  Following the foundation of the Service 

of Dermatology of the Caracas University Hospital in 1957, 

dermatology became a sub-specialty under the leadership of Dr. 

Oscar Reyes-Flores. In addition to Professor Reyes, other outstanding 

personalities in Venezuela include Drs. Hugo Naranjo, César Barroso, 

Marco  Tulio  Mérida and Gustavo    Rodríguez-Garcilazo, and the 

present head of dermato-pathology at the Caracas University Hospital, 

Dr. Elizabeth Ball.  At the Institute of Biomedicine Dr. Margarita Oliver 

is the Director of the graduate program of dermato-pathology.

Mycology: Dr. Pablo Guerra founded the first mycology laboratory 

in 1940. This area of specialization was initially organized by professors 

Dante  BoreIli,  Humberto  Campins,  María  Cecilia  Albornoz, 

Jorge Hómez-Chacín, Carmen Marcano and Hernán Vargas-Montiel. 

The group of mycologists has been very active, organizing working 

groups to study mycoses in Venezuela and publishing the newsletter 

“Las Micosis en Venezuela” (Mycoses in Venezuela).

Pediatrics: Dr. Eva  Koves  de  Amini  at the Institute of 

Biomedicine initially promoted this subspecialty; later on, Dr. Luis 

A.  González  A. established a clinic for pediatric dermatology at 

the  Pérez-Carreño  Hospital and then Dr. Esther  Wackzol  opened 

the pediatric dermatology clinic at the “J. M. de los Ríos” Children’s 

Hospital in Caracas. Dr. Francisco González was the founder of the 

Pediatric Dermatology Clinic at the Department of Dermatology of 

the University Hospital of Caracas. A Graduate Pediatric Dermatology 

Program is currently available at the Zulia University, under the 

leadership of Dr. Leopoldo Díaz-Landaeta.

Immunology:  Drs. Juan  DiPrisco  and Mauricio  Goihman-

Yahr  introduced the specialty of immunology to Dermatology and 

completed valuable research projects at the Caracas University 

Hospital and at the Institute of Biomedicine. Drs. J. F. Tapia, Marian 

Ulrich, María Cristina di Prisco and Nieves González continued with 

this line of work.

Dermatological surgery: This area of specialization began to 

develop late in the 70’s with Dr.  VíctorSuprani  and then Drs. José 

Rafael  Sardi  and Marina  Chopite  were instrumental in promoting 

its important growth. Gilberto Castro-Ron is recognized around the 

world for his work in cryosurgery.

Epilogue 

History is valuable  in as much as it helps us to understand the 

past and fit together possible hypothesis about the immediate future. 

Hence, what we have written about the history of dermatology 

in  Venezuela  makes sense, as an example or role model for other 

countries under similar conditions. How a small group of people were 

able to drastically change the future of a medical specialty (dermatology), 

disrupting a model of apparent stability and complacency, and change 

for a new paradigm of progress and advancement; thus, in just a few 

years, reaching out for national and international support, designing an 

action plan that was meticulously implemented in successive and well-

thought stages (in consultation with some qualified and internationally 

acknowledged friends),  it was possible to provide a solid scientific 

research-based foundation to the practice of dermatology. This is no 

extraordinary deed, except for the fact that these changes took place in 

a small Latin American country, where ground-breaking successes are 

the exception and not the rule. 

Hence the moral of the story for the new generations of physicians: 

never give up on a noble goal. Use what one of us has called 

the “battering ram strategy”: keep hammering on the same spot until 

you overcome resistance.  

When we were asked to write this chapter on the History of 

Dermatology, we did not hesitate to accept the challenge  since we 

thought that we could unassumingly convey interesting information 

and share with numerous colleagues throughout the developing 

---

Kerdel-Vegas F (2015) The history of dermatology, venereology and dermatopathology in different countries - Venezuela

Glob Dermatol, 2015             doi: 10.15761/GOD.1000S016

 Volume 2(7): S82-S88

world, who are struggling to contain  skin diseases and are eagerly 

searching for ways and means to succeed in their quest. We do not 

claim to have all the answers, just a modest success story that may be 

used as a lesson and an incentive to those who share the same ideals.

References

1.  Archila R (1961) Historia de la Medicina en Venezuela, Tipografía Vargas, Caracas.

2.  Scannone F (1990) Historia de la Dermatología en Venezuela, Editorial Cromotip, 

Caracas.

3.  Briceño Maaz T (1978) Datos para la historia de la Dermatología en 

Venezuela.  Derm Ven 16: 29-40.

4.  Briceño Maaz T (1991) Esbozo histórico de la Dermatología en el Hospital Vargas de 

Caracas”.  Derm Ven 29: 23-24.

5.  Rondón Lugo AJ, Sáenz Astort JA (2001) Aproximación histórica a la dermatología 

Venezolana, Producción Excelsior, Caracas.

6.  Lander A, Piquero Martin J, Rondón Lugo A, Reyes Flores O, Trujillo B, et al. 

(2007) Historia de la Dermatología en Venezuela. Historia de la Dermatología 

Latinoamericana. Editions Privat: 427-444.

7.  Kerdel Vegas F (2014) The path to modernity: A personal testimony to the restructuring 

of the Department of Dermatology, Vargas Hospital, Caracas, Venezuela Clinics in 

Dermatology 32: 320-323.

Copyright:  ©2015 Kerdel-Vegas F. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits 

unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Document Outline

• Title
• Correspondence
• About Venezuela 
• The Beginnings of Dermatology 
• Academic Dermatology 
• The division of services and chairs 
•  Dermatology in other regions of Venezuela 
  • Zulia (West) 
  • Bolívar (South) 
  • Carabobo (Center) 
  • Lara (Central-Western Region) 
  • Mérida, Táchira, Barinas (South-West) 
  • Falcón (North-West) 
• The Most Relevant Personalities in Dermatology 
• The Venezuelan Society of Dermatology 
  • Presidents of Venezuelan Society of Medical, Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology from its foundation  
• Regular publications 
• Sub-specialties 
• Epilogue
• References