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Address to the Society for Pediatric Research
THIRD
PLENARY
SESSION
Address to The Society for Pediatric Research Lfizaro Benavides, ~ President, Asoeifieion de Investigaeidn Pedifitriea de M~xieo
I T I S with great satisfaction that I am here to convey from the Asociaci6n de Investigaci6n Pedi~trica of Mfixico cordial greetings to the members of this American society and through Dr. Bauz~i to those of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay. While the Society for Pediatric Research holds now its thirty-third annual meeting, our group has just begun to work; we are scarcely eight years old and we have held only fifteen meetings, one every six months. I must admit, then, that Dr. Gardner's invitation is more deeply appreciated when I realize the high quality of your papers and the richness of your institutions; in other words, when I realize the unselfish, generous gesture of a mature organization toward the young one just beginning to walk and raise its head. Besides age and means of study there is another important difference between our two societies; the programs of research that each one does, as a result of the environments where we live and work. Whereas you are now looking for facts and explanations of many phenomena at the biochemical and cellular levels, our channels of study and research besides this approach from the laboratory must follow clinical, social, cultural, and even economical directions. Let me give
you at least one example: a malnourished child with diarrhea comes once, or twice, in an acute condition of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance; he may be saved the first time in the hospital but dies during his second bout of enteral infection. Many research problems spring from such frequent and common cases: What is the clinical picture of malnutrition; what are the electrolyte patterns of a malnourished child with diarrhea; in regard to therapeutics, shall we treat him as a normal child? And in his environment, by what mechanisms of transmission are the frequent enteral infections acquired? What are the responsible pathogens? The pathology department has shown that acute renal failure is a frequent cause of death in diarrhea. Finally if we accept the patient as an element within the family unit, to what extent are attitudes, habits, and beliefs of such family, specially the mother's, to be altered in order to prevent the accidents or change the infantile host? Such questions and situations in our hospitals gave birth to the Asoci~cion de Investigacidn Pedi~trica. I am not implying that research at more subtle levels is not being done now; we are fortunate enough to have full-time young investigators interested in physiopathology, immunochemistry, and endocrinology, for example; and also to have received help from people of New York, Boston, Chicago, Lan-
eAddress, Subdirector, Hospital In[antile de Mdxico, Calle Dr. Marquez e firnenez, Mdxico 7, D. F. M~xico.
751
752
Benavides
sing, and from institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Institutes of Health; Drs. Metcoff and Gitlin, to cite them only, have stayed with us for short periods on several occasions. Thus, research is widening for its own ends, and besides has firmly strengthened medical care and medical teaching. This year the Hospital Infantil of Mexico is celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a four-day meeting from November 17 to 20. The A.I.P., born from this Hospital and closely linked to its activities, will join in the celebration, holding its regular meeting two weeks ahead of schedule, on November 22 and 23. As you see, we have left an open day, the 21st of November; this was intentionally done. We want to reciprocate Dr. Gardner's invitation today by inviting you, whoever wants to go, to present and discuss in M~xico City, at the Hospital Infantil de M6xico, the papers you may have for that date; then you may discuss our own presentations the following two days. Prepare your Spanish and save your money. Please understand that this invitation to
October 1963
you from the A.I.P. is not done because we want you to: 1. See the bullfight we are preparing with the interns as toreadores. 2. Or see the Mexican Folklore Ballet. 3. Or visit the pyramids, the University City, or the new medical center of the Mexican Institute of Social Security. 4. Or drink 3 to 4 tequilas a day. No, we want you to be with us to interchange scientific ideas, stimulate us with new methods of study and new leads of research, to give us the knowledge of your new pediatric advances. After all, age, means of study, and programs may be different in our societies, but scientific methods in an honest search for truth are a common tie that binds pediatricians all over the world for the benefit of children all over the world. The meeting here in Atlantic City of three American societies proves once again such statement. Hasta luego, cuando nos veamos en M6xico de neuvo. So long, until we meet again in Mexico City.
PLENARY
SESSION
Address to The Society for Pediatric Research Lfizaro Benavides, ~ President, Asoeifieion de Investigaeidn Pedifitriea de M~xieo
I T I S with great satisfaction that I am here to convey from the Asociaci6n de Investigaci6n Pedi~trica of Mfixico cordial greetings to the members of this American society and through Dr. Bauz~i to those of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay. While the Society for Pediatric Research holds now its thirty-third annual meeting, our group has just begun to work; we are scarcely eight years old and we have held only fifteen meetings, one every six months. I must admit, then, that Dr. Gardner's invitation is more deeply appreciated when I realize the high quality of your papers and the richness of your institutions; in other words, when I realize the unselfish, generous gesture of a mature organization toward the young one just beginning to walk and raise its head. Besides age and means of study there is another important difference between our two societies; the programs of research that each one does, as a result of the environments where we live and work. Whereas you are now looking for facts and explanations of many phenomena at the biochemical and cellular levels, our channels of study and research besides this approach from the laboratory must follow clinical, social, cultural, and even economical directions. Let me give
you at least one example: a malnourished child with diarrhea comes once, or twice, in an acute condition of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance; he may be saved the first time in the hospital but dies during his second bout of enteral infection. Many research problems spring from such frequent and common cases: What is the clinical picture of malnutrition; what are the electrolyte patterns of a malnourished child with diarrhea; in regard to therapeutics, shall we treat him as a normal child? And in his environment, by what mechanisms of transmission are the frequent enteral infections acquired? What are the responsible pathogens? The pathology department has shown that acute renal failure is a frequent cause of death in diarrhea. Finally if we accept the patient as an element within the family unit, to what extent are attitudes, habits, and beliefs of such family, specially the mother's, to be altered in order to prevent the accidents or change the infantile host? Such questions and situations in our hospitals gave birth to the Asoci~cion de Investigacidn Pedi~trica. I am not implying that research at more subtle levels is not being done now; we are fortunate enough to have full-time young investigators interested in physiopathology, immunochemistry, and endocrinology, for example; and also to have received help from people of New York, Boston, Chicago, Lan-
eAddress, Subdirector, Hospital In[antile de Mdxico, Calle Dr. Marquez e firnenez, Mdxico 7, D. F. M~xico.
751
752
Benavides
sing, and from institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Institutes of Health; Drs. Metcoff and Gitlin, to cite them only, have stayed with us for short periods on several occasions. Thus, research is widening for its own ends, and besides has firmly strengthened medical care and medical teaching. This year the Hospital Infantil of Mexico is celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a four-day meeting from November 17 to 20. The A.I.P., born from this Hospital and closely linked to its activities, will join in the celebration, holding its regular meeting two weeks ahead of schedule, on November 22 and 23. As you see, we have left an open day, the 21st of November; this was intentionally done. We want to reciprocate Dr. Gardner's invitation today by inviting you, whoever wants to go, to present and discuss in M~xico City, at the Hospital Infantil de M6xico, the papers you may have for that date; then you may discuss our own presentations the following two days. Prepare your Spanish and save your money. Please understand that this invitation to
October 1963
you from the A.I.P. is not done because we want you to: 1. See the bullfight we are preparing with the interns as toreadores. 2. Or see the Mexican Folklore Ballet. 3. Or visit the pyramids, the University City, or the new medical center of the Mexican Institute of Social Security. 4. Or drink 3 to 4 tequilas a day. No, we want you to be with us to interchange scientific ideas, stimulate us with new methods of study and new leads of research, to give us the knowledge of your new pediatric advances. After all, age, means of study, and programs may be different in our societies, but scientific methods in an honest search for truth are a common tie that binds pediatricians all over the world for the benefit of children all over the world. The meeting here in Atlantic City of three American societies proves once again such statement. Hasta luego, cuando nos veamos en M6xico de neuvo. So long, until we meet again in Mexico City.