The arrival of the first generation of female researchers in the laboratories was one of the milestones of the second quarter of a century of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), from 1925 to 1950. During this period, the IOC He also pioneered electron microscopy and contributed decisively to the control of yaws, a neglected rural endemic disease. To accommodate the expansion of activities, new modernist-style pavilions were built, expanding the architectural heritage of the Manguinhos campus. Read the second report in the special series. Timeline: IOC 125 years.
Above, from left: Zenaide Block, Maria Isabel Mello, Maria Deane, Alina Perlowagora-Szumlewicz and Jane Lenzi. Below, from left: Rita Alves Cardoso, Bertha Lutz and Peggy Pereira. Photos: Casa de Oswaldo Cruz Collections (COC/Fiocruz) and Institute of Scientific and Technological Information in Health (ICICT/Fioc(cruz). Art: João Veras
Pioneering scientists opened the doors of the laboratories of IOC for women, who today make up about 60% of the Institute's workforce, occupying 55% of management positions. One of the first was Bertha Lutz, who agreed to be hired as a translator in 1918 to work on research alongside her father, Adolpho Lutz, before entering the National Museum through a competitive examination.
In the 1920s, the 'Application Course' welcomed its first women. Zenaide Block was the pioneer, in 1926. The first generation of female researchers entered the laboratories in the 1930s. Among them was pathologist Rita Alves Cardoso, who became head of the Museum of IOC, and pharmacist Maria Isabel Mello, who reached the position of head of the Endocrinology Section.
Other women born at the beginning of the 20th century have left their mark on the Institute's trajectory. Polish woman Alina Perlowagora-Szumlewicz arrived in Rio de Janeiro fleeing Nazism and worked at the Rockefeller Foundation laboratory and at the National Institute of Rural Endemic Diseases (INERU), which was integrated into the Fiocruz in 1970, concluding his career in IOC.
Leading women in science joined the Institute during the scientific revival of the 1980s: Maria Deane took over the Department of Protozoology; Marguerite (Peggy) Pereira worked in virology, especially in HIV studies, and Jane Lenzi was head of the Pathology Laboratory, contributing to the recovery of the Pathology Museum.
Below, a view of the campus between 1960 and 1970: the Arthur Neiva Pavilion in the foreground and, in the background, the Carlos Chagas Pavilion, in a modernist style, next to the Quinino and the Mourisco Pavilion, in an eclectic style. Above, you can see the tile mural and landscaping created by Burle Marx. Photos: COC/F Collectioniocruz. Art: João Veras
In the 1940s and 1950s, modernist buildings were erected on the Manguinhos campus to house the expansion of the university's activities. IOC. Designed by architect Jorge Ferreira, the Arthur Neiva Pavilion, also known as the Course Pavilion, features a tile mural and landscaping designed by Burle Marx. To this day, it houses an auditorium, teaching activities and laboratories.
The same architect was responsible for the design of the Central Refectory Pavilion, which received a tile panel by the artist Paulo Osir Rossi and was awarded a jury mention at the 1st São Paulo Architecture Biennial in 1951. Both buildings were listed by the Rio de Janeiro State Institute of Cultural Heritage (INEPAC).
Completing the modernist complex: the Carlos Chagas Pavilion, called the Pathology Pavilion, which was designed by architect Olenka Freire Greve and houses several of the IOC, and the Henrique Aragão Pavilion, identified as the Yellow Fever Pavilion, which was designed by the architect Roberto Nadalutti and currently forms part of the structure of the Institute of Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz).
Reproduction of an article published in 'Memórias' in 1955, and recent artificially colored electron microscopy images of the worm Diomedenema tavaresi (left) and the parasite trypanosoma janseni. Authors: Marcelo Knoff, Delir Corrêa Gomes, Jeannie Nascimento dos Santos, Elaine Guerreiro Giese and Angela Teresa Silva-Souza (D. tavaresi) and Rubem Menna-Barreto (T. Janseni). Art: João Veras
Installed in 1947, the first electron microscope in the IOC It was also one of the first in Brazil. With a resolution power far superior to that of optical microscopes, the device allowed for the observation of details of structures inside cells and contributed, for example, to studies on the leprosy bacillus. Although this equipment remained in operation for a short time, a cooperation agreement in the 1970s consolidated the work of the IOC in electron microscopy.
The creation of the Electron Microscopy Center (CME), in partnership with the Bernhard Nocht Institute in Germany, included the installation of equipment and training of professionals. The initiative is the origin of the Rudolf Barth Electron Microscopy Platform, which currently serves the Institute's laboratories and institutions throughout the country. The structure is part of the set of multi-user platforms of the IOC, which have high-performance equipment and specialized teams.
The first antibiotic to be discovered, penicillin revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. In 1943, three years after the therapy was first applied in England, researchers began producing the drug in IOC. The following year, they published the first article on the treatment of a neglected rural endemic disease: yaws. The highly contagious disease affects the skin, cartilage and bones and was fought by isolating patients in barracks.
From 1945 to 1955, the IOC carried out a treatment program in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, which managed to control the disease, protecting around 30 thousand people. The results impressed the author of the discovery of penicillin, Alexander Fleming, during the congress promoted by the fiftieth anniversary of the IOC, in Rio, in 1950, and were presented at an international WHO symposium in 1952, contributing to the construction of the program to eradicate the disease.
In Brazil, the campaign against yaws was coordinated by the researcher from IOC, Felipe Nery Guimarães. In the 1970s, the disease ceased to be recorded in the country. According to the WHO, the infection remains endemic in 15 countries. The current goal is to eradicate yaws by 2030.
In its third quarter century, from 1950 to 1975, the IOC played a fundamental role in the eradication of smallpox, but was severely affected by the military dictatorship, which expelled researchers from the institution. The creation of the Fiocruz began a new phase of the Institute. Learn more at next report from the special series 'Timeline: IOC 125 years'.
:: See the main ones bibliographical references consulted for the production of the reports.
Check out other articles about the 125th anniversary of IOC na special page of the Silver Secular Jubilee.
The arrival of the first generation of female researchers in the laboratories was one of the milestones of the second quarter of a century of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), from 1925 to 1950. During this period, the IOC He also pioneered electron microscopy and contributed decisively to the control of yaws, a neglected rural endemic disease. To accommodate the expansion of activities, new modernist-style pavilions were built, expanding the architectural heritage of the Manguinhos campus. Read the second report in the special series. Timeline: IOC 125 years.
Above, from left: Zenaide Block, Maria Isabel Mello, Maria Deane, Alina Perlowagora-Szumlewicz and Jane Lenzi. Below, from left: Rita Alves Cardoso, Bertha Lutz and Peggy Pereira. Photos: Casa de Oswaldo Cruz Collections (COC/Fiocruz) and Institute of Scientific and Technological Information in Health (ICICT/Fioc(cruz). Art: João Veras
Pioneering scientists opened the doors of the laboratories of IOC for women, who today make up about 60% of the Institute's workforce, occupying 55% of management positions. One of the first was Bertha Lutz, who agreed to be hired as a translator in 1918 to work on research alongside her father, Adolpho Lutz, before entering the National Museum through a competitive examination.
In the 1920s, the 'Application Course' welcomed its first women. Zenaide Block was the pioneer, in 1926. The first generation of female researchers entered the laboratories in the 1930s. Among them was pathologist Rita Alves Cardoso, who became head of the Museum of IOC, and pharmacist Maria Isabel Mello, who reached the position of head of the Endocrinology Section.
Other women born at the beginning of the 20th century have left their mark on the Institute's trajectory. Polish woman Alina Perlowagora-Szumlewicz arrived in Rio de Janeiro fleeing Nazism and worked at the Rockefeller Foundation laboratory and at the National Institute of Rural Endemic Diseases (INERU), which was integrated into the Fiocruz in 1970, concluding his career in IOC.
Leading women in science joined the Institute during the scientific revival of the 1980s: Maria Deane took over the Department of Protozoology; Marguerite (Peggy) Pereira worked in virology, especially in HIV studies, and Jane Lenzi was head of the Pathology Laboratory, contributing to the recovery of the Pathology Museum.
Below, a view of the campus between 1960 and 1970: the Arthur Neiva Pavilion in the foreground and, in the background, the Carlos Chagas Pavilion, in a modernist style, next to the Quinino and the Mourisco Pavilion, in an eclectic style. Above, you can see the tile mural and landscaping created by Burle Marx. Photos: COC/F Collectioniocruz. Art: João Veras
In the 1940s and 1950s, modernist buildings were erected on the Manguinhos campus to house the expansion of the university's activities. IOC. Designed by architect Jorge Ferreira, the Arthur Neiva Pavilion, also known as the Course Pavilion, features a tile mural and landscaping designed by Burle Marx. To this day, it houses an auditorium, teaching activities and laboratories.
The same architect was responsible for the design of the Central Refectory Pavilion, which received a tile panel by the artist Paulo Osir Rossi and was awarded a jury mention at the 1st São Paulo Architecture Biennial in 1951. Both buildings were listed by the Rio de Janeiro State Institute of Cultural Heritage (INEPAC).
Completing the modernist complex: the Carlos Chagas Pavilion, called the Pathology Pavilion, which was designed by architect Olenka Freire Greve and houses several of the IOC, and the Henrique Aragão Pavilion, identified as the Yellow Fever Pavilion, which was designed by the architect Roberto Nadalutti and currently forms part of the structure of the Institute of Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz).
Reproduction of an article published in 'Memórias' in 1955, and recent artificially colored electron microscopy images of the worm Diomedenema tavaresi (left) and the parasite trypanosoma janseni. Authors: Marcelo Knoff, Delir Corrêa Gomes, Jeannie Nascimento dos Santos, Elaine Guerreiro Giese and Angela Teresa Silva-Souza (D. tavaresi) and Rubem Menna-Barreto (T. Janseni). Art: João Veras
Installed in 1947, the first electron microscope in the IOC It was also one of the first in Brazil. With a resolution power far superior to that of optical microscopes, the device allowed for the observation of details of structures inside cells and contributed, for example, to studies on the leprosy bacillus. Although this equipment remained in operation for a short time, a cooperation agreement in the 1970s consolidated the work of the IOC in electron microscopy.
The creation of the Electron Microscopy Center (CME), in partnership with the Bernhard Nocht Institute in Germany, included the installation of equipment and training of professionals. The initiative is the origin of the Rudolf Barth Electron Microscopy Platform, which currently serves the Institute's laboratories and institutions throughout the country. The structure is part of the set of multi-user platforms of the IOC, which have high-performance equipment and specialized teams.
The first antibiotic to be discovered, penicillin revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. In 1943, three years after the therapy was first applied in England, researchers began producing the drug in IOC. The following year, they published the first article on the treatment of a neglected rural endemic disease: yaws. The highly contagious disease affects the skin, cartilage and bones and was fought by isolating patients in barracks.
From 1945 to 1955, the IOC carried out a treatment program in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, which managed to control the disease, protecting around 30 thousand people. The results impressed the author of the discovery of penicillin, Alexander Fleming, during the congress promoted by the fiftieth anniversary of the IOC, in Rio, in 1950, and were presented at an international WHO symposium in 1952, contributing to the construction of the program to eradicate the disease.
In Brazil, the campaign against yaws was coordinated by the researcher from IOC, Felipe Nery Guimarães. In the 1970s, the disease ceased to be recorded in the country. According to the WHO, the infection remains endemic in 15 countries. The current goal is to eradicate yaws by 2030.
In its third quarter century, from 1950 to 1975, the IOC played a fundamental role in the eradication of smallpox, but was severely affected by the military dictatorship, which expelled researchers from the institution. The creation of the Fiocruz began a new phase of the Institute. Learn more at next report from the special series 'Timeline: IOC 125 years'.
:: See the main ones bibliographical references consulted for the production of the reports.
Check out other articles about the 125th anniversary of IOC na special page of the Silver Secular Jubilee.
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