Juan Garcia Ramos
Juan Garcia Ramos, MD was born on June 26 1915 and died July 18, 2000 in Querétaro, Mexico.
Ramos graduated in 1936 as a military doctor, after which he was appointed as the assistant of the Physiology Laboratory at the Military School of Medicine in Mexico City, Mexico. Inspired by a course based on the bookExperimental Analysis of the Physiological Phenomenon (Analysis Experimental de los Fenómenos Fisiológicos) by Jose Joaquin Izquierdo, MD, he discovered his calling and began studying physiology.
Ramos began working for Dr. Zozaya, who studied pharmacology at Harvard University. Ramos solved the first problem presented to him with characteristic skill, by measuring the sulfamid concentration in blood and in the parotid conduct and finding that they were in concordance. Dr. Zozaya, very excited with Ramos’ success, gave him a second task, which led to Ramos’ first publication in 1944, “Contribution to the aloxan pharmacology knowledge (Contribución al conocimiento de la farmacología de la aloxana)” in the journal Revista Mexicana de Historia Natural.1
Ramos demonstrated for the first time before the scientific community the existence of an oscillatory activity of the bronquial musculature and proposed the use of noninvasive methodology to explore pathologies of the autonomous nervous system in humans. This finding began a new line of research.
Ramos received several distinctions throughout his career including the Carnot Prize of the Mexican Academy of Medicine in 1952, the National Prize of Science “Elias Sourasky” in 1971, the Prize of Military Merit, for his scientific activity in 1951 and 1986, the Queretaro Science Prize in 1987, the Council of Science & Technology Prize of the state of Querétaro in 1990, and the “Lázaro Cárdenas” golden medal, given from the University of Colima in 1993.
The Center for Biomedical Investigations of the University of Colima named one of their buildings after Ramos, and also published his book of memories Paisajes en la senda de mi vida: Memorias in 1994. Ramos was also one of the founders of The Mexican Physiological Science Society in 1952. On July 25, 2002 he was honored by the government of the state of Queretaro in a postmortem homage to distinguished Queretans.
A beloved father and a great scientist, his children, Martha, Olga, Susana, Héctor, Virginia & Mitla from his first marriage and Sonia Patricia, Juan Arturo, Marco Antonio & Maricela from his second marriage, are deeply saddened by their loss.
1. From Avance y Perspectiva magazine Vol. 20, 2002 by Julio Muñóz M.D. Head of Physiology, Biophysics & Neurosciences Department of CINVESTAV (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N.
