The way we were (III). On the centenary of the Third Spanish Congress of Pediatrics (Zaragoza 1925)

The Third National Pediatrics Congress was held in Zaragoza in 1925. There were 208 registered delegates. Among those registered were fourteen French pediatricians and three Italian pediatricians. The president of the meeting was Dr Patricio Borobio Díaz. This paper presents an overview of the content of the conference presentations, which were divided into four sections: Pedagogy, Pediatric and Orthopedic Surgery, Hygiene, Nutrition and Child Protection, and Pediatric Medicine. In the latter section, the most common topics were infectious diseases (whooping cough, diphtheria, meningitis/encephalitis). Several papers attested to the effectiveness of ultraviolet light as a treatment for rickets and spasmophilia. Gregorio Vidal Jordana deduced that the increase in phosphatemia levels served as an exact test to verify the effectiveness of ultraviolet treatment and was superior to X-rays. Several pediatric surgeons debated the treatment of pyloric stenosis in infants. There is no record of any female pediatricians attending the Congress. Four women who were not doctors presented papers on legal and family changes in favor of children, abandoned and delinquent children, and education issues. Within the Child Protection Section, there were debates on the subject of illegitimate children and wet nursing. The conference was a harmonious international gathering where current pediatric issues were discussed alongside other topics related to child protection. Participation was diverse, with contributions from doctors, lawyers, teachers and people in other professions.