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Parastrephia lepidophylla, family Asteraceae, has ancient use in traditional medicine in the region of Tarapacá, Chile. Bioguided fractionation of extracts of this plant was undertaken in the search for compounds with analgesic and antioxidant activity. Two benzofuran derivatives were isolated as the major components of this plant, identified as tremetone 1 and methoxytremetone 6. Remarkably, neither of these showed antioxidant activity, but tremetone 1 exhibited a morphine-like analgesic property. Reduction of this analgesic effect by naloxone suggests a direct effect on opiate receptors as a possible signaling pathway. However, both the low diffusion across lipid membranes (PAMPA assay) and the lipophilicity (Log P) shown by tremetone 1 make elusive the mechanism explaining its induced analgesia.

The Chilean President José Manuel Balmaceda (1886-1891) had a constitutional conflict with the parliament. This conflict lead to a revolution that ended with the President's suicide, when he was refuged at the Argentinian Embassy in September 1891. President Balmaceda conducted an authoritarian government during several months. A decree from February, 1897, disposed the reorganization of the Medical School, dismissed and imprisoned the Dean, Dr Barros-Borgoño and nominated new Professors. Dr Nicanor Rojas, Professor of Gynecology was assigned as Dean and Dr Carlos Sazié as secretary. During the During the war against Perú and Bolivia, Dr. Rojas worked gratuitously and became prominent, being named Chief Surgeon of the Chilean Army. After the triumph of the revolution against President Balmaceda, Dr Rojas was discharged, and died in 1892.

The conflict between the Chilean President Balmaceda and the parliament lead him to rule the country despotically during 8 months, until his suicide in 1891. During this lapse he persecuted and imprisoned his opponents, including several Medical School professors. Doctor David Benavente, professor of Anatomy and Balmaceda's opponent, wrote a chronicle at the Revista Médica de Chile (1897; 20:46) referring to the changes that occurred at the Medical School: "Flogged by dictatorship's winds, it barely gave sings of life during the eight months that Balmaceda dominated the country". Political passion almost annihilated for ever the first scientific teaching center of the University of Chile, posed a project at the Public Instruction Council "to create in all high schools a special class about the general principles of the Constitution". Once democratic normality was re-established, the development of Chilean Medicine was greatly impelled, sending young physicians to specialize at qualified european centers.

José Manuel Balmaceda was president of Chile between 1886 and 1891. Confronted with an institutional conflict, he was deposed by the Republic's parliament in January, 1891. Some distinguished physicians were members of that parliament; Dr Alfonso Valderrama, senator, chronicler of Revista Médica de Chile's first issues and General Secretary of the University of Chile; Dr José Joaquín Aguirre, deputy. Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1817-1889) and Rector of the University of Chile; Dr Federico Puga Borne, deputy and Minister of Public Instruction and Justice; Dr Augusto Orrego Luco, deputy and writer; Dr José Arce, deputy. President Balmaceda decreed the intervention of the Medical School in February 1891, named Dr Arce as intervenor and designed professors attached to his government. He also dismissed several physicians. Overwhelmed by the political conflict, Balmaceda took refuge in the Argentinian embasy and committed suicide in September, 1891.

The first medical strife in Chile occurred in the city of Valparaiso. The intendant protested to the examining board of physicians because 5 doctors refused to give emergency medical care to a patient late at night. "Is fair that both the authority and the public have the right to demand those services and it is not natural that their fulfillment depend on the good or bad will of the physicians". The intendant proclaimed a decree establishing a weekly obligatory nocturnal medical services of two physicians under police control and fine threaten. The 14 doctors of the city menaced to resing to their profession considering that the decree "violates constitution and laws." The medical corps of Santiago made common cause with their colleagues "profoundly irritated". The conflict was finally resolved.

The "Revista Medica de Chile" founded in 1872 is the second oldest medical journal in Latin America after the "Gaceta Medica de Mexico" (1864). Among medical journals in the world it is placed 24. It has been published monthly without interruption, except for the period January through December 1891, due to the revolution taking place at that time. The first Editor was German Schneider, a German physician from Bonn who came to Chile in 1850 with the immigrants that settled in the South.

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Chile was started in 1843. Founding professors included Tomas Armstrong, Guillermo C. Blest, Nataniel Cox, Francisco Javier Tocomal, Juan Blest, Julio Lafargue, Manuel Cortés, Luis Ballester. Further nominations, up to a number of 30, took place from 1843 to 1865, and are listed in this paper.

Andrés Bello, a Venezuelan intellectual arrived in Chile in 1829. He had a decisive influence on the development of natural sciences and medical sciences in this country. The first formal teaching program in Medicine appeared in 1833, with few students due to the low social prestige of Medicine at that time. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile was created in 1842, when Andrés Bello was its first Rector.

When syphilis first appeared in Europe a debate emerged about the american or european origin of the disease. Some of the papers related to this issue are reviewed by the author, along with notes recovered by Andrés Bello at the British Museum (1810-1829). Bello later became the first Rector of the University of Chile (1842).

Andrés Bello, an intellectual and humanist and the first Rector of the University of Chile, published several articles about cholera in the Araucano, a newspaper of Santiago. Basically, they were translations and comments of articles about the epidemics affecting Europe and the British Isles between 1830 and 1846. Cholera affected Chile in 1886.

Articles found in Revista Médica de Chile in 1891 criticize legal disposition favoring the wine industry to obtain tax money, in the face of a growing concern for alcoholism. Further articles in 1892 and presentations to the 1901 Latin American Medical Congress deal with the subject of alcoholism and propose public health action to fight against it, including the education of young school students.

This French physician was hired by the Chilean government in 1867. He was a brilliant surgeon who made significant contributions to Chilean medicine. He returned to France in 1873, where he had a successful career as a professor of obstetrics.

Dr. Thévenot, a French surgeon was hired by the School of Medicine to replace Dr. Lorenzo Sazié, the first Dean of the University of Chile's School of Medicine. He was supported by French professors Chaissaignac, Monneret, Jarjavay, Maissomeuve and Trousseau. He remained in Chile from 1867 to 1873.

Shortage of hospital beds was critical in Santiago around 1871. Infant mortality and smallpox were serious problems. A public collection of funds was allowed by the Government to help solve the problem. Returns were so generous that 2 hospitals, Salvador and San Vicente de Paul, were built with the funds.

The percutaneous drainage of a giant ovarian cyst using a thick needle is described. The author, Dr Juan N Casanova sustained a controversy with medical authorities of the so called Protomedicato.

Manuel Barros Borgoño MD, Professor of Surgery who graduated in France (1879) was President of the Santiago Medical Society (1885), Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1889-95) and Rector of the University of Chile (1901). He was a contributor of the Journal. As a prominent surgeon, he introduced different forms of anesthesia, like morphine and atropine, cocaine and methylchloride. He was an organizer of the first Chilean and the first Latin American Medical Congress. In the University he encouraged medical research and helped establish the basic role of the University as a leading institution in the nation. He died in 1903.

The september 1888 issue of the Journal contains an article by Luis Asta-Buruaga MD, "Ambulances in New York: a system to be instituted in Santiago. In addition to encouraging this project, the idea of establishing small hospitals in peripheral quarters of the city is discussed. Dr Asta-Buruaga was a graduate from Columbia University, NY. He was awarded de Harsen prize and worked as an intern at Roosevelt Hospital. He revalidated his medical licence in Chile in 1888.

The news section of the Journal informed about the completion of the School of Medicine, consisting of large classrooms, auditoriums and laboratories. The new curriculum and rules of the School had become available in 1986.

Included in that issue was an article by David Benavente MD, dealing with the last cholera epidemics. This disease reached Chile in 1886, from Argentina. An estimated 40,000 people died from it. Another article on the same subject by Wenceslao Díaz MD is also included.

An article on the treatment of tuberculosis encouraging the possibilities of successful outcome; comments upon private and public hygiene, upon the development of microbiology in Germany, are included. The creation of the Pasteur Institute in Paris for the treatment of rabies is reported.

This issue contains a report on the completion of construction of the School of Medicine building to be inaugurated in September 1889. The creation of the Council of Public Hygiene is reported. An article on color blindness and case reports of diaphragmatic hernia and giant ovary cysts are included.