NEW YORK 



BOTANICAL 



1LKKUEN 



THF 

 CUBA REVIEW 



"ALL ABOUT CUBA" 



Copyright 1923, by the Munson Steamship Line 



Volume XXT 



July, 1923 



Number 8 



Cuban Government Matters 



Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez Lee 



The Colombian Minister to Cuba 



Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez Lee has repre- 

 sented his government for many years as 

 Minister from the RepubHc of Colombia 

 to Cuba. 



He is the author of a treatise: "A Study 

 of the History of Medicine in the RepubHc 

 of Colombia," which excited great interest 

 at the Sixth Medical Congress, which took 

 place in the old Santa Clara Convent in 

 Havana in November, 1922. Not only is 

 it a masterly study of medicine, but it is 



also an account of the principal historical 

 events in Colombia during Spanish regime, 

 to July 2d, 1810, when independence was 

 declared. Medicine began to be studied 

 in Colombia when it was called Nuevo 

 Reinado de Granada and Santa Fe, as 

 early as 1600, and the first university was 

 established at that date. The Colombian 

 naturalist, Jose Celistino Mutis, who was 

 the physician of the Viceroy Don Pedro 

 Mesa de la Corda, was the first to analyze 

 and send to Europe tea from Bogota, and 

 bark of quinine. In 1817 the first academy 

 of medicine was founded. In 1924 new 

 chairs of learning were established and 

 the study of medicine made great strides. 

 The National University, founded in 1867, 

 had a medical school with fourteen pro- 

 fessors. At the present time the Republic 

 of Colombia has six universities. 



National Debt Commission 



One important act of the Cuban Congress 

 resulted in the decree signed by President 

 Zayas and Secretary of the Treasury 

 Hernandez Cartaya, ordering and regulating 

 the payment of the bills and accounts ap- 

 proved by the National Debt Commission. 

 Sixty per cent, of each account approved 

 belonging to the PubHc Works Department 

 will be Hquidated and 30 per cent, of the 

 other accounts. This will greatly improve 

 the financial situation of the country as a 

 whole and favor the commercial and indus- 

 trial elements greatly. 



