DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
PROPOSED: That the Department of Health considers that the
Treatment of neurosyphilis with the insulin shock therapy is
Deserving of comprehensive scientific investigation.
The Senior Official of the Secretary of National Defense
Calle de le Moneda
C I U D A D.
The General Official of the Anti-Venereal Disease Campaign through memorandum No. 36-11-1198 dated the 11th of this month, has sent to the General Secretary copies of the memorandum No. 36-11-1101 dated August 20th of last year, and through these communications has made known in that office the contents of you official notice No. 05844, Exp. F/512, 5/11 dated August 3rd, in relation to which it is my pleasure to inform you of the following:
“The Department of Public Health is aware of a number of experiments performed by Dr. Donato P. Garcia both in this country and in Boston, Washington and Austin, Texas in the USA concerning the treatment of syphilis – in particular neurosyphilis – using a modality called insulin shock therapy.”
“As demonstrated in the above experiments, and as corroborated by the opinions of medical specialists both in the
“The reactions observed as a consequence of the insulin shock were at first alarming, however to the degree that the technique of application for the procedure became more perfected, these reactions have become diminished – showing the actual innocuousness of the procedure, while the question remains whether the curing of syphilis by same is radically effective or not, and it will be necessary to have more complete documentation on a larger series of cases and over a longer period of time to permit arriving at any definite conclusions about this illness with its natural evolution particularly after long term treatment.”
“We think that this treatment has produced good results, particularly in cases of early syphilis while older more advanced forms of the disease with scarred lesions have not responded as well.”
“Because of this and other reasons, this Department considers that the treatment of neurosyphilis by insulin shock therapy deserves intensive scientific investigation by virtue of its propositions being of such great theoretical and practical interest.”
“We consider that it would be well worth our effort to undertake this interesting study on account of its future possibilities, and on account of this Mexican doctor who has created this initiative, whose treatment is economical, and which work is already supported by a certain force of scientific investigation.”
I offer you my sincerest regards and most distinguished consideration.
The Secretary General
(signed)
Dr. Alberto P. Leon