Global - Medical Alumni Association of the University of Maryland

Ne w s Fl ash . . .
A Medical Labyrinth: the Plot Thickens
I suspect that not even Phil Mackowiak,
’70, creator of Maryland’s popular historical
clinicopathological conference could have
foreseen the consequences when he invited
me to present the history of Simon Bolivar,
the liberator of South America, at his 17th
conference on April 30.
Simon Bolivar was chosen as a subject
because there has been considerable controversy
not only as to the cause of his death
but also regarding the medical bona fide of
the doctor who treated him. Bolivar is the
national hero of venezuela, and President
Hugo Chávez had already set up a team
to investigate the cause of Bolivar’s death;
so when he became aware of Mackowiak’s
conference he sent his representatives to
Baltimore.
Based on my research into Bolivar’s
medical history, Paul g. Auwaerter, MD,
MBA, FACP, specialist in infectious
diseases at Johns Hopkins and clinical
discussant at the conference, came up with
the suggestion that at least some of Bolivar’s
terminal symptoms could have been
the result of arsenic given as part of the
medication for Bolivar’s repeated attacks of
malaria. This gave rise to great excitement
in certain quarters in venezuela because
this was thought to lend credence to the
idea that Bolivar might have been deliberately
poisoned.
I am now in close contact with members
of President Chávez’s investigation team
and was recently invited to Caracas to take
part in the celebrations in relation to venezuela’s
200th anniversary of independence
By John Dove, MBBS, LRCP, FRCS, Msc.
Background photo: The Pantheon in Caracas house Bolivar’s remains.
Medicine Bulletin Fall 2010 [8]
and the anniversary of Bolivar’s birthday
on July 24.
Under conditions of proper scientific
rigour Bolivar’s tomb has now been opened,
and the few scraps of bone and teeth are
at present being evaluated. The scientific
study of the few remains from the tomb
will take some months. The first point to
be established is as to whether or not there
will be sufficient material for DNA analysis
because it will need to be established as
to whether or not the remains are indeed
those of Simon Bolivar. The reason for
this is that prior to Bolivar’s body being
transferred to venezuela and while it was
still lying in Santa Marta, Colombia, there
was a major earthquake, and the burial urns
were all jumbled up. It was announced in
Caracas that the tomb of Bolivar’s sister,
Maria Antonia, will be opened so that
DNA comparisons can be carried out.
Through my liaison with the investigation
team in Caracas, I am working towards
setting up a major international
conference in
Caracas in 2011 at which
we should be able to come
to as definitive a decision
as possible regarding how
Bolivar died.
Note: The author was
the Historical Lecturer
during the 17th Historical
Clinicopathological Conference
at Maryland on April
30, 2010, focusing on the
illness and death of Simon
Bolivar.
John Dove, MBBS, LRCP,
FRCS, Msc.
She thinks she has to
learn to live with it.
* * *
What she doesn’t know is there’s no need to adjust her
lifestyle since involuntary loss of urine is very treatable.
She doesn’t know she’ll go to the University of Maryland
Medical Center where she’ll see nationally recognized
specialists in urinary incontinence. And she hasn’t learned
there are minimally invasive procedures to treat her
symptoms, or that she’ll be back to a normal, active life
in no time. But she’ll be very happy when she finds out.
we heal. we teach. we discover. we care.
* umm.edu/women | 866-608-4228 *