The Faculty of Medicine, 200 years after its foundation, how has it changed over time?

The August 9, 1822 began to function what is currently the School of Medicine from Buenos Aires’ University (UBA) and, since then, during the following 200 years, the educational institution underwent great changes, not only in terms of its operation, but also in its location.

The August 12, 1821 officially opened the Buenos Aires’ University and, almost a year later, the department of Medicine (which did not yet have faculty status) began its activities, with the Doctor Montufar as its first prefect. At that time, there were a total of three chairs: Medical Institutions, by Juan Antonio Fernández; Surgical Institutions, led by Francisco Cosme Argerich; Y Medical and Surgical Clinic, under the wing of Francisco de Paula Rivero.

“The teaching material and the texts used in the early years were almost exclusively of French and Italian origin, due to the influence of two renowned researchers of those nationalities: Aimé Bonpland and Pedro Carta Molino. Two years following the start of the degree, there was a dissection room, and the Government decreed a budget to finance in Europe the improvement of students without resources. The student might get a doctorate in medicine or surgery”, they recalled, some time ago, from the Faculty of Medicine in a post they made on Twitter in which, in addition, they highlighted the first crop of doctors, who graduated in 1827.

Faculty of Medicine studentsUBA

with the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1828-1852), the institution experienced one of the worst moments in its history. At that time, free education was eliminated in Buenos Aires, but despite this, the UBA remained open and taught classes for a few students.

After a time in which it depended on the government of the Province, the School of Medicine returned to form part of the University towards the end of 1852 and received the hierarchy of Faculty.

The first headquarters of School of Medicine It was located in the neighborhood of San Telmoon 343 Humberto 1st Street. There, the institution worked until 1895when he moved to Córdoba Street in order to be as close as possible to the Hospital of Buenos Aires (today called “Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín”). The building was created by Francisco Tamburini and, in 1908, it had an extension by Gino Aloisi.

Decades later, and given the need to build a larger space, part of the Tamburini building was demolished and another part became part of what is now the Faculty of Economic Sciences.

The project in question culminated in the construction of its current headquarters, located at Paraguay 2155, opposite the Plaza Houssayin the neighborhood Recoleta. The main campus was inaugurated in 1944 and, over the years, reforms were made, new careers were added and the number of students grew, to the point that today it is one of the busiest faculties. In fact, this 2022, the Medicine it was the race that had the most registrations for the Common Basic Cycle (CBC), with a total of 10,082 students; and with the School of Medicine the same thing happens: with 20,004 entrants, it was the most chosen among all the institutions of the UBA.

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