Rinaldo Victor De Lamare

Rinaldo Victor De Lamare was born to Victor de Lamare and Conceição Menezes de Lamare on January 2, 1910, in the city of Santos in the State of São Paulo.

He studied medicine at the University of Brazil’s (currently, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ) National College of School, where he graduated in 1932. 

Deemed one of the best physicians in all of Brazil by his peers, in the 1930s Dr. De Lamare was a pioneer in introducing the use of a homemade oral rehydration solution to treat dehydration, consequently helping to cause a sharp downfall in the leading cause of infant mortality for decades to come in Brazil.  

An Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the College of Medicine of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), he climbed to the position of Full Professor of Pediatrics and Childcare, and later went on to become an Emeritus Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), where he was elected Chair of the Center for Biology and Medical Sciences. 

Dr. De Lamare partook in numerous medical societies outside of Brazil and traveled to several countries to attend scientific conferences and give talks. A relentless worker, he served as Head of the Ministry of Health-led Departamento Nacional da Criança (National Childcare Department) and was a Member of the Technical Health Council of the Office of the former State of Guanabara (now, Rio de Janeiro). He additionally took on the roles of Managing Director and Vice-President of the Brazilian Legion of Assistance (LBA) and was sent to represent the country as its Delegate at United Nations’ UNICEF meetings. 

In 1947, he spent three months in the United States, where he attended the Fifth World Pediatric Conference, which set new pathways for the medical specialty after introducing penicillin, the Rh factor, and continuous, drip drop hydration. 

From 1948 to 1949, Dr. De Lamare presided over the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, which is now the country’s main pediatrics society. He was the first to summon efforts aimed at standardizing and bringing together state organizations from around the country, as well as bridging the gap with international institutions such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, of which he was an honorary member. He additionally served as President of the Brazilian Section of the American Pediatric Society and attended a wide host of Pediatrics-focused Brazilian and international conferences. 

Among his publications, one that particularly stood out was the book “A Vida do Bebê” (“The Life of a Baby”, freely translated), the first-ever work of such type published in Brazil to address basic concepts in Pediatrics, and which is currently in its 43^rd edition. With six million copies sold in the country, Brazilian mothers consider the book a true Bible on the subject. 

The physician guided millions of mothers and fathers on family planning, breastfeeding, vaccination, first-aid assistance, childhood diseases, and pediatric emergencies. He achieved this through dozens of articles published in newspapers, as well as talks given on radio and TV stations. 

In 1946, Dr. De Lamare released a book called “A Vida de Nossos Filhos” (“The Life of Our Children,” freely translated), providing guidelines on the growth and health of children and adolescents ranging from two to sixteen years old. The 2017 edition of the book was reviewed and updated under the supervision of Dr. Edimilson Migowski, an Adjunct Professor at UFRJ and Head of the Department of Pediatrics in the same institution. 

Rinaldo Victor De Lamare was awarded several honors and deemed “the most famous pediatrician in Brazil.” He was acknowledged by the Brazilian Army with the Ordem do Pacificador (Peacemaker Medal) and appointed as both a Commander and Grand Officer of the Order of Medical Merit, in addition to receiving the Legionary Merit from the Brazilian Legion of Assistance (LBA). Furthermore, he was given the Clementino Fraga Order of Merit for Professors, the badge of Distinguished Benefactor granted by the Domingos Sávio Institute, and the Medal of the State of Guanabara (now, the State of Rio de Janeiro). At 90 years old, Dr. de Lamare was honored with the title of “Physician of the Year” by the Rio de Janeiro Medical and Surgical Society.

In July 2000, he accepted an invitation from the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP) and was on-site to help lay the foundation stone of the Memorial of Brazilian Pediatrics in Rio de Janeiro. At the time, he stated that “since the release of his book, pediatrics and medicine as a whole have undergone three major revolutions: the discovery of antibiotics, the introduction of important vaccines, and major campaigns to spread awareness on the subject of breastfeeding.”

The City of Rio de Janeiro paid tribute to him in 2004 by naming a municipal school and a center for civic consciousness on his behalf, which is located at the former São Conrado Hotel. In 2010, the Rinaldo De Lamare Family Clinic was inaugurated. 

The Academician and physician treated grandsons of Brazilian Presidents, including those of Epitácio Pessoa, Arthur Bernardes, Castello Branco and Garrastazu Médici, to name a few. He only shut down his medical practice in 1985, at the age of 75, after undergoing one of four saphenous vein graft surgeries. 

During his tenure as President of the Academia Nacional de Medicina (National Academy of Medicine – ANM), Albert Sabin addressed Dr. De Lamare’s “Scientific Testament” in a Memorable Solemn Session at ANM.

Dr. De Lamare was elected an Honorary ANM Member in 1974 and became a Full Member of its Medicine Division on November 25, 1982, after submitting a dissertation on the subject of meningitis. He served as the Academy’s President during the 1991-1993 term.

Dr. De Lamare passed away on April 28, 2002.