Cardiology is a clinical specialty, branch of Internal Medicine, focused on the promotion of cardiovascular health and prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders of the circulatory system at all stages of life. Although the literature on Cardiology dates back more than 370 years (Harvey, 1628), Cardiology as a clinical specialty separate from internal medicine began to emerge in 1950. (1)

Various authors agree in establishing the birth of Argentine Cardiology with the description of “cardíacos negros” or black cardiac disease, a clinical presentation with cyanosis, bronchopulmonary signs and symptoms, and heart failure, made in 1909 by Professor Abel Ayerza. His disciple, Francisco Arrillaga, published in 1912 what could be considered the first Argentine book on cardiology: Secondary sclerosis of the pulmonary artery (black cardiac disease) [Esclerosis secundaria de la arteria pulmonar (cardíacos negros]).

The introduction of the first electrocardiographs in the country represented a significant impulse for the development of national Cardiology. The first electrocardiograph was imported in 1912 at the initiative of Professor Bernardo Houssay to be used in the Medical Physics Department of the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires. In 1915, Dr. Francisco Arrillaga published his book The clinical relevance of the electrocardiogram (La importancia clínica del electrocardiograma), which led to the regular use of the method. In 1924, Dr. Tiburcio Padilla published his book on electrocardiography and in 1933 Dr. Antonio Battro presented his book Arrythmias (Arritmias).

Experimental cardiology had a privileged place at the Institute of Physiology of the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires, under the head of Professor Bernardo Houssay, while clinical Cardiology was developed in the Internal Medicine wards of public and university hospitals nationwide. At Hospital de Clínicas de Buenos Aires, education on Cardiology took place in the chairs of Professors Castex, Merlo and Padilla. This department quickly stood out for its contributions in the field of semiology and cardiovascular pathophysiology. In 1932, Dr. Pedro Cossio and Dr. Isaac Berconsky performed the first catheterization in America and the third in the world.

In the City of Buenos Aires, the XII ward at Hospital José Ramos Mejía directed by Dr. Rafael Bullrich had an outstanding performance. In 1934, Dr. Bullrich created the so-called Dispensaries for the Care of Cardiac Diseases which depended on the Public Health Care of the city of Buenos Aires. These dispensaries gave rise to the current departments of cardiology of the public hospitals in the city. Two physicians who worked with Dr. Rafael Bullrich played a pivotal role in the development of the specialty: Dr. Eduardo Braun Menéndez and Dr. Blas Moia. When Dr. Braun Menéndez finally dedicated himself to research with Professor Bernardo Houssay, Dr. Blas Moia became the head of the Cardiology area and in 1932 he became the director of Archivos Médicos del Hospital Ramos Mejía, the seed of what would become the Argentine Journal of Cardiology founded in 1934 on the initiative of Moia and Braun Menéndez. The journal was the seventh cardiology journal in the world and the first to publish abstracts in English, French and German.

The Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC) was founded on April 9, 1937, at an assembly held at the Institute of Physiology of the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires, the SAC. (2)

The first Board of Directors was made up of:

The Argentine Journal of Cardiology became the official organ of the SAC.

The scientific activities consisted of presenting papers and clinical cases.

The first World Congress of Cardiology was held in Paris in 1950, under the chairmanship of Professor Charles Laubry. During this congress the statutes of the International Society of Cardiology were approved, and only two years later, in 1952, the II International Congress of Cardiology was held in Buenos Aires, with Dr. Pedro Cossio as president.

Dr. Alberto Demartini provided a particularly interesting description of the organization of the First Argentine Congress of Cardiology. (3) In 1954 the Board of Directors of the SAC accepted Dr. Rodolfo Romero's proposal to organize a national congress. However, "such a name was not allowed by the National Government at that time because, by a resolution of the National Executive Power, such a name could only be used by events promoted by the Government or by the official political party. Therefore, they had to be called "Conferences". The First Argentine Congress of Cardiology (called Conferences) was held in Mar del Plata in March 1955, under the chairmanship of Dr. Fernando Battle. It was attended by about 300 cardiologists, many of them from inland cities. In October 1957, the II Argentine Congress of Cardiology was held in the city of Mendoza.

In 1974, the VII World Congress of Cardiology was held in Buenos Aires, jointly organized by the SAC and the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC), which had been founded in 1965 as a Society of Societies.

The event was attended by 10 000 cardiologists from around the world and 2400 scientific papers were presented. In commemoration of this milestone and as a tribute to this congress which has been held annually to the present day, we will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of our congress.

Dr. Francisco J. Romano, president of the VII World Congress of Cardiology, stated that:

Regarding education on cardiology at Hospital de Clínicas, Alfredo Buzzi and Ricardo Gelpi (5) say:

The history of training cardiologists is parallel to the development of the specialty. The first institution with resident physicians was Ward IV of the former Hospital de Clínicas, headquarters of the Instituto de Semiología. In 1944, Dr. Tiburcio Padilla, who was its Associate Professor, created the positions of junior and senior resident physician for former hospital interns once they had graduated, following the suggestion of his disciple Pedro Cossio. What began as a trial period ultimately became a definitive program when the Board of Directors of the School of Medicine (UBA) enacted an ordinance in December 1952 that outlined the duties and responsibilities of the residents. This first residency program in Internal Medicine in Argentina was strongly associated with personalities linked to Cardiology.

Clinical training required the presence of the students in the hospitals, under the close supervision of their professors.

Dr. Houssay was very well informed about the international trends in medical education and the development of the profession. He noticed the emergence of a trend towards specialization: new professional profiles and new institutions (such as specialized centers), which had an impact on medical education. Training specialists within a hospital residency program after graduation was the model to follow.

In 1946, the Pabellón Luis H. Inchauspe was opened at Hospital Ramos Mejía in the city of Buenos Aires under the head of Dr Blas Moia and the first residency in cardiology was created. The model initially spread throughout the public hospitals of the large cities of the country and in centers associated with university headquarters.

Following the formalization of the medical residency system in 1960, with the approval of Resolution No. 1778 by the Secretary of State for Public Health, there was a significant increase in the number of training centers in public institutions across the different jurisdictions, in prestigious private institutions, community hospitals and Armed Forces.

Nowadays, there are approximately 200 residency programs in cardiology in our country.

In accordance with Article 40 of the Higher Education Law (LES) No. 24,521/95, “it is the exclusive responsibility of university institutions to grant bachelor degrees and equivalent professional degrees, as well as master and doctoral degrees”. Specialist degree - which is not mentioned in the LES -is included in the Standards for the Accreditation of Medical, Biochemical, Pharmaceutical and Dental Specializations (9) and can only be granted by the universities after the specialty has been accredited by the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation (CONEAU). Since the LES was enacted, the trend in training for medical specialists has been the integration of medical residency programs and university medical courses, which are periodically evaluated and accredited by the CONEAU. Only university specialist degrees are valid nationwide and are internationally recognized.

The Teaching Area of the SAC had an active participation in the elaboration of the standards for the accreditation of residency programs in cardiology by preparing a document that was submitted to the National Ministry of Health for the construction of the Frame of Reference. SAC's original position was published in the Argentine Journal of Cardiology. (10,11)

In August 1978, the SAC started the cycles of Update Courses and Conferences on Advances in Cardiology. The theoretical classes were given at the SAC Educational Area at 5 pm and hands-on training took place in cardiology centers in the city of Buenos Aires from 8 am to 4 pm.

In 1980, the Biannual Cardiology Course was launched with classes on Fridays from 5 to 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. All the classes were recorded on videotapes that were available for students who had missed a class or wished to review the material. From 1992 to 2005 this course was part of the Cardiology Specialist Course of the UBA (subjects Cardiology I and II). In 2005, the UBA decided that all specialty courses be held at a hospital facility with a department of cardiology.

The Biannual Cardiology Course has been offered since 1978 as a contribution to the theoretical training of residents. At present, more than 79 residency programs nationwide participate in the course, which means, on average, about 350 residents as students per year.

Briefly, as a timeline, these are some milestones in the development of cardiology in our country.

In 2022, the National Academy of Medicine published a book presenting 14 Argentine physicians who improved world medicine with their biography, scientific contributions and professional and teaching activity. (12) This group includes Bernardo Houssay, Eduardo Braun Menéndez, Mauricio Rosenbaum, René Favaloro, Juan Carlos Parodi and Julio César Palmaz, among others. Each of these doctors made significant contributions to the field of cardiology, resulting in numerous lives being saved.

What will young Argentine cardiologists contribute to the world today? They are probably developing something in a research center or cardiology department. They are working hard under difficult conditions.