Brazilian Academy of Neurology: first meeting: Curitiba, 1963

Academia Brasileira de Neurologia: a primeira reunião científica, Curitiba, 1963

HISTORICAL NOTES

Brazilian Academy of Neurology: first meeting: Curitiba, 1963

Academia Brasileira de Neurologia: a primeira reunião científica, Curitiba, 1963

Hélio A.G. Teive

Adjunt Professor of Neurology - Neurology Service, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital de Clínicas, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba PR, Brazil

ABSTRACT

The author presents a report of the first meeting of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology, which took place in Curitiba, Paraná, 45 years ago, between June 30 and July 05, 1963. A total of 103 papers were presented in the scientific sessions, predominantly in the following sub-areas: epilepsy, brain neoplasia, vascular diseases of the brain and infections of the nervous system. The São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro schools presented 85.43% of these scientific papers. Twenty-two Brazilian Congress of Neurology have been held in the 45 years since the first meeting of the BAN.

Key words: Brazilian Academy of Neurology, first meeting, Curitiba, Paraná.

RESUMO

O autor apresenta de forma resumida o relato da primeira reunião da Academia Brasileira de Neurologia, ocorrido há 45 anos atrás na cidade de Curitiba, estado do Paraná, no período de 30 de Junho a 05 de Julho de 1963. Um total de 103 trabalhos foram apresentados nas sessões científicas, predominantemente nas seguintes sub-áreas: epilepsia, neoplasia cerebral, doenças vasculares do encéfalo e infecções do sistema nervoso. As escola médicas de São Paulo e do Rio de Janeiro apresentaram 85,43% dos trabalhos científicos. Desde a primeira reunião da ABN, há 45 anos, vinte e dois Congressos Brasileiros de Neurologia já foram realizados.

Palavras-chave: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia, primeira reunião científica, Curitiba, Paraná.

Professor Antonio Austregésilo founded the first school of neurology in Brazil and was the first chair of neurology at the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro (now known as the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), in 1912¹. Enjolras Vampré, professor at the São Paulo Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, who was initially chosen to direct the Clinic of Neurology and Psychiatry in 1925 and subsequently passed the selection examination for the chair of neurology (1935), is considered the founder of the São Paulo school of neurology². It fell to the disciples of these two preeminent Brazilian schools of neurology, headed by Professors Deolindo Augusto de Nunes Couto, in Rio de Janeiro, and Adherbal P.M. Tolosa, in São Paulo, to found the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (BAN) on May 5^th, 1962, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The BAN was later registered at the first registry of titles and deeds in the city of São Paulo³. It should be stressed that the first two schools of neurology in Brazil were heavily influenced by the French school, as not only did Austregésilo train in Paris, France, with Dejeriné, Pierre Marie and Babinski, but Vampré also trained at the Salpêtrière hospital in 1923 and 1947 with Professor George Guillain and visited Professor Babinski's and Professor Dejeriné's services. In addition, Professor Deolindo Couto was also a disciple of Georges Guillain at the Salpêtrière hospital in 1935 and 1936^4-6.

After the BAN was founded the first directorate was chosen, for the two-year period from 1962 to 1964. This consisted of Professor Adherbal P.M. Tolosa, as president, and Professors Paulo Pinto Pupo (secretary) and Horácio Martins Canelas (treasurer). Professors Adherbal P.M. Tolosa, Paulo Pinto Pupo, Edistio Pondé and Octávio da Silveira were members of the admission committee, while Professors J.V. Colares Moreira and Paulino W. Longo were delegates at the World Federation of Neurology (WFN)^3,4,7. The first meeting of the BAN, which was in fact its first scientific congress, was held in 1963 in the city of Curitiba, a choice which was the consensus of the dominant schools of neurology at the time, the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro schools.

The aim of this article is to highlight this historical fact on the occasion of the 45^th anniversary year of the first Brazilian Congress of Neurology.

THE FIRST MEETING OF THE BAN

The First meeting of the BAN was held in Curitiba, Paraná, from June 30^th to July 5^th, 1963, in the Rectory of the Federal University of Paraná (FUPR) (Fig 1)⁷.

The president of honor at the event was Professor Octávio da Silveira, the then chair of clinical neurology at the University of Paraná (now known as the Federal University of Paraná). Professor Octávio da Silveira, a disciple of Professor Antonio Austregésilo, from Rio de Janeiro, was responsible for the chair of neuriatry (neurology and psychiatry) at the Faculty of Medicine of Paraná from its establishment in 1920. In 1923 he became the chair of neurology in the same institution and is thus considered to have been the first actual neurologist in the state of Paraná and the founder of clinical neurology in the state^7,8.

Because of Professor Octávio da Silveira's great friendship with Professor Flávio Suplicy de Lacerda, dean of the University of Paraná, as well as the support he received from State Governor Ney Aminthas de Barros Braga, the first meeting of the BAN had extensive backing from these two important figures from Paraná, who were chosen as patrons of the event⁷.

The executive commission of the first meeting of the BAN was made up by Drs. Levy Miró Carneiro, Renato de Muggiati and José Faria Ratton⁷.

A poet from Paraná state, Mr. Serafim França, used the occasion to write a beautiful poem glorifying the emerging specialty of neurology in Brazil (Fig 2)⁷.

Those taking part in the congress were welcomed on June 30^th, 1963, in an inaugural session in the rectory of the FUPR, in which homage was paid to the pioneers of Brazilian neurology. Those who received encomia were Professors Antonio Austregésilo and Aloysio de Castro, both from Rio de Janeiro, and Enjolras Vampré, from São Paulo, as well as Ulysses Pernambuco and Alfredo Monteiro. It fell to Professors Antonio R. de Mello (Austregésilo), Bernardo Couto (Castro), Paulino W. Longo (Vampré), Manoel Caetano de Barros (Pernambuco) and J. Ribe Portugal (Monteiro) to deliver the respective homages⁷.

The scientific sessions took place over four days and consisted of a total of seven meetings, all of which started at 9 am and 3 pm. The presidents of the various meetings were Professors José Ribe Portugal, Ary Borges-Fortes, Celso Aquino, Manoel Caetano de Barros, Bernardo Couto, José Geraldo Albernaz and Pedro Rosado. Present as secretaries of the meetings were Drs. F.J. Monteiro Salles, Ehrenfried O. Wittig, Augusto Gentil Baptista, Newton Carvalhal, Antonio Rodrigues de Mello, Milton B. Moreira, Fernando Pompeu, Octávio Augusto da Silveira, Plínio Garcez de Sena, José Faria Ratton, Almir Almeida Magalhães, Arnaldo Gilberti, Mussa Hazin and Rubens de Lacerda Manna⁷.

In parallel with the scientific sessions, an extensive social program was held, which included visits to museums and tourist attractions, an outing to a choral concert and to the Guaíra theater (to see the play "Huis Clos" by Sartre), as well as receptions, cocktail parties and dinners⁷.

A total of 103 works were presented in the scientific sessions, most of which were case reports, predominantly in the following sub-areas: epilepsy, brain neoplasia, vascular diseases of the brain and infections of the nervous system. The São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro schools presented 85.43% of these scientific papers, of which the neurology services of the University of São Paulo (USP), Federal University of São Paulo (Escola Paulista de Medicina), and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro contributed 27.18%, 20.3% and 11.6%, respectively. The other Brazilian neurology services that presented scientific papers were those from the Federal University of Paraná, the Federal University of Bahia, the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, the State University of Campinas and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, as well as various neurologists from the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo⁷.

A commemorative gift was handed out to all those who took part in the first meeting of the BAN (Fig 3).

Twenty-two Brazilian Congresses of Neurology have been held in the 45 years since the first meeting of the BAN, and the tremendous efficiency with which the association has been fulfilling its role is reflected in the specialty's great vigor in Brazil and the increasing number of scientific publications in this area.

In 2006 Nitrini assessed the scientific production of Brazilian neurologists in the period between 1995 and 2004 and found that there had been an exponential growth in their number, particularly in the latter part of this period, and that most of the articles had been published in the journal "Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria", the official journal of the BAN⁹, created by Oswaldo Lange in 1943.

In conclusion, the first meeting of the BAN, whose members include the majority of Brazilian neurologists, was held in Curitiba, Paraná, from June 30^th to July 5^th, 1963, in the auditorium of the Rectory of the Federal University of Paraná. Forty-five years after this first meeting, with the XXIII Brazilian Congress of Neurology due to take place shortly, the importance of the founding of this body, which was the initiative of a pleiad of distinguished neurologists from the most important universities in the country, cannot be underestimated.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS – To my illustrious friend Professor Octávio Augusto da Silveira, the doyen of neurology in Paraná, and to Professor Ehrenfried. Ottmar Wittig, for supplying information and references in connection with the first meeting of the BAN.

Received 20 December 2007, received in final form 23 January 2008. Accepted 29 February 2008.

Dr. Hélio A.G. Teive – Rua General Carneiro 1103/102 - 80060-150 Curitiba PR - Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  02 June 2008
• Date of issue
  June 2008

History

• Accepted
  29 Feb 2008
• Reviewed
  23 Jan 2008
• Received
  20 Dec 2007