title: [History of the Department of Neurology at the University of Buenos Aires (1887-2007)].
abstract: In 1887, only five years after Jean-Martin Charcot was awarded the Head of Neurology at "La Salpetrière" in Paris, José María Ramos Mejía became the first professor of Neurology in South America, at the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires. Ramos Mejía convoked three assistants, the neuropathologist Christofredo Jakob, the clinician José A. Esteves and José Ingenieros. Hence it followed that Neurology in Argentina took a stand based on a clinical neurology-neuropathology approach (1941-1987) followed by a clinical-semiological attitude, finally inserting itself within the modern times (1987-present) by creating subspecialties. Throughout its history, Argentina has made remarkable contributions to Neurology, such as the diagnosis and pathogenesis of the nervous system involvement occurring in some regional endemic disorders -for instance, Chagas' disease-, the clinical approach to the diagnosis of dementias, and the pathogenesis of extrapyramidal illnesses and other primary degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, mainly amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. On the other hand, in recent years globalization allowed neurologists to participate in international cooperative projects, favoring a swifter development in the practice of this discipline.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología Cognitiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Neurológicas "Raúl Carrea" (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Universidad de la Costa (CUC), Barranquilla, Colombia. rallegri@fleni.org.ar.
authors.forename: Ricardo F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Allegri
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bartoloni
authors.forename: Roberto E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sica
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history*; D014495:Universities / Q000266:history*