Social medicine in Latin America: productivity and dangers facing the major national groups

There is little knowledge about Latin American social medicine in the Engli sh-speaking world. Social medicine groups exist in Argentina, Brazil, Chile , Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Mexico. Dictatorships have created political and economic conditions which are more adverse in some countries than othe rs; in certain instances, practitioners of social medicine have faced unemp loyment, arrest, torture, exile, and death. Social medicine groups have foc used on the social determinants of illness and early death, the effects of social policies such as privatisation and public sector cutbacks, occupatio nal and environmental causes of illness, critical epidemiology, mental heal th effects of political trauma, the impact of gender, and collaborations wi th local communities, labour organisations, and indigenous people. The grou ps' achievements and financial survival have varied, depending partly on th e national context. Active professional associations have developed, both n ationally and internationally. Several groups have achieved publication in journals and books, despite financial and technical difficulties that might be lessened through a new initiative sponsored by the US National Library of Medicine. The conceptual orientation and research efforts of these group s have tended to challenge current relations of economic and political powe r. Despite its dangers, Latin American social medicine has emerged as a pro ductive field of work, whose findings have become pertinent throughout the world.