An institute, not just a hospital. The distinctive organization that Ignacio Chávez created with the purpose to treat heart diseases in Mexico

On the eightieth anniversary of the National Institute of Cardiology

Raúl Izaguirre-Ávila, Departamento de Hematología, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, México

In 1936, Ignacio Chávez submitted a proposal to the Mexican government for the creation of a cardiology institute. He had studied in Paris, Berlin, and other European cities in 1926. Upon his return to Mexico, he founded the Cardiology Service at the General Hospital in Mexico City, the first of its kind in the country. The National Institute of Cardiology of Mexico was inaugurated on April 18, 1944, becoming one of the first cardiology institutes in the world. Chávez explained the purpose of this new institute: “We were born with the purpose of studying, researching, and controlling heart diseases.” According to him, the institute should be a place where cardiovascular diseases could be addressed comprehensively, combining clinical practice with research and teaching to provide effective knowledge for patient care and scientific advancement. “A health center is for the patient, of course; but something more than that is necessary: a great school for doctors, a great laboratory for researchers, and a social instrument of human help,” he said. This vision was summarized in the words: love and science at the service of the heart. Chávez successfully institutionalized cardiology in Mexico. From its inception, the institute became an internationally recognized center, attracting students from various countries. Alfredo de Micheli noted that under Chávez’s influence and example, new institutions emerged in the national medical field and expanded onto the international stage. The institute founded by Chávez became a model for similar institutions on other continents and a driving force in the international cardiology movement. Chávez’s legacy was a work of love, intelligence, and culture, dedicated to the heart and the care of humanity.

Keywords: Hospital. Institute. Cardiology.