Treehouse Ecolodges – La Barra eco-hotel
Your treehouse perched in a pine-forest 2 minutes from the beach. The most unique La Barra hotel experience ever.
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In 2014, Alejandro Zaffaroni, one of the inventors of the birth control pill, died. Born in Montevideo in 1923, he graduated from the University of Montevideo. As both his parents were dead, he decided to take a cargo ship to New York after receiving a Fulbright scholarship to study in the USA.
Zaffaroni was part of a Mexican team which created the Pill. He also played a similarly significant role in the development of the nicotine patch, the DNA chip and corticosteroids. According to his New York Times obituary he was one of the most influential biotech entrepreneurs ever. The Scientist called him a “biotech superstar“.
This doesn’t surprise me. Though Uruguayans complain about their education system today (show me a country where people don’t lament falling standards), free primary school education has been compulsory since 1876 (link in Spanish to the Uruguayan Education Reform of 1876).
Even today the public university (the Universidad de la República) is free.
And Uruguay is the first country in the world to completely roll out the One Laptop Per Child initiative since 2006. Every child in state-run education in both primary and secondary school has a XO laptop.
I actually attend the Montevideo clinic where mammograms were first invented. It’s in the city centre about 5 minutes drive from my house.
The clinic’s founder Raul Leborgne, a radiologist from Montevideo, devised an apparatus in 1949 that would squeeze a patient’s breast to hold it flat while an x-ray was taken. He reported his findings in a landmark publication in 1951. His insight and discovery has been used to save over 1.6 million lives.
Medical Discovery News says that “Given that almost ten percent of all women get breast cancer, you could argue the mammogram is among the most important techniques of the last century in advancing women’s health.”
More reasons to love Uruguay… especially if you are a woman.
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Treehouse Ecolodges – La Barra eco-hotel
Your treehouse perched in a pine-forest 2 minutes from the beach. The most unique La Barra hotel experience ever.
Cabo Polonio – Lost island in a sea of dunes
Deserted beaches, rocky islands heaving with baying seals & tiny colourful shacks. Cabo Polonio, Uruguay is unforgettable.
Pisano Wines Uruguay – Kings of Tannat
Pisano Wines, an award-winning Uruguay winery, exports to 48 countries but they don’t do tours. They’re too busy ‘cooking’ wine.
Posada del Minero – Explore north Uruguay & the gold rush
Unique things to do in Uruguay: hike ‘flat top hills’, taste very rare wines and pan for gold in north Uruguay.
Fly Uruguay – Plane tours & flights
Treat yourself to a scenic flight or helicopter over the Uruguay coast or fly inland to a winery or estancia. Private flights between Uruguay & Argentina.
Tax free Uruguay: Benefits for non-residents
Automatic tax reductions on car hire, restaurants and hotels when you use your international credit card in Uruguay. Big savings.
Wine Explorers – Private Uruguay wine tours
Private Uruguay wine tours & tastings. The unique wineries will be the highlight of your travels. Plus monthly group excursions for expats.
Bizarre Uruguay celebrations: Nostalgia Night
Could Uruguay be the only country in the world with a state-sanctioned celebration of “golden oldies”? Bring on the Bee Gees!
Living in Uruguay – Moving to Carrasco, Montevideo
Hallie moved from the US to Carrasco, Montevideo’s high-end neighbourhood. She works full time and has just had a baby. What are the costs?
What is the best way to travel from Buenos Aires to Montevideo?
Guru’Guay looks at the fastest, cheapest & most relaxing ways of going Uruguay to Argentina and back by ferry, plane and bus.
Harvard University Business School opens Latin American research centre, praising Uruguay living standard and freedom of expression.
Afro-Uruguayans play a huge part in Uruguay’s cultural identity. Are they really just 8% of the population? The new census may correct the stats.
Latin America is associated with Catholicism. As ever Uruguay is the outlier—with complete separation of church and state for over 100 years.
Beaches, classic car races and a bargain therapy session. We were delighted to get this email from one reader after his vacations in Uruguay.
The 1917 Constitution granted women the right to vote. Another Uruguay first. Though the story is of course more complicated.
Montevideo is often overshadowed by Buenos Aires. Three well-travelled bloggers tell what made them fall in love with South America’s off-the-radar capital.
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3 Responses
Here is another bit of info you might like to add. The pioneers in perinatology Roberto Caldeyro Barcia and Hermógenes Alvarez. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montevideo_units
Hi Eva. You can find all the unformation in the Roentgens Museum in Germany.
Hello. Greetings from Washington DC and Toronto, Canada. I am a radiologist nearing retirement. My speciality is in breast imaging. I am writing a research article about mammography and want to credit Dr Raul Leborgne with his insights to reduce X-ray energy and flatten the breast gently. He was the first to emphasize the importance of radiographic technique to demonstrate detail of microcalcifications. When was Dr Leborgne born? When did he die? Is there any biographical material you could share that is published in English?
I am a member of American Roentgen Ray Society but am unable to obtain archived issues of the journal AJR with Dr Leborgne’s articles. Thank you. Eva Chapin MD 202-80-2062