[Various aspects on the teaching of veterinary physiology in Latin America]

The results are presented from a PAHO/WHO survey conducted in 1974 with a view to ascertaining the characteristics of the teaching of veterinary physiology in Latin America. A total of 35 schools of veterinary medicine (out of the 69 existing at the time of the survey) replied to the questionnaire sent. In addition, the authors of this article visited 17 schools in seven countries. They examined the following aspects of the teaching of veterinary physiology in the schools surveyed: placement of the program (inside or outside the veterinary school), number of students enrolled in the courses, teaching personnel, student-instructor ratio; academic organization; course content; use of laboratory animals, text and reference books, and laboratory facilities and equipment. The problems faced in the teaching of this subject in Latin America include: lack of suitable instructors and the imbalance in the student-instructor ratio, study programs not geared to the needs of the country, wide variation in the number of hours devoted to teaching, and lack of coordination between this course and other subjects. A number of recommendations for solving those problems are put forward.