Arturo Vivado Orsini y la renovación de los tratamientos psiquiátricos

Abstract

During the first half of the twentieth century, new psychiatric treatments were discovered, such as malario therapy, insulin therapy, electroshock, penicillin therapy, and the anti-alcoholic aversive therapy. These treatments gave a new hope to mental patients, even in our country. It was precisely while Dr. Arturo Vivado, Full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Chile, worked and taught, that these treatments were progressively applied in Chile. After an effortful career, Dr. Vivado was appointed Director of the Psychiatric Asylum in Santiago, in 1945. He was a skillful clinician and pragmatic with his psychological belief, equanimus and affectionate with people. His most important contributions to the specialty are described in this review.