Dr. Roberto Caldeyro-Barcia (September 26, 1921 – November 2, 1996) was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. Dr. Caldeyro-Barcia was the father of Perinatology and was nominated for the Nobel Prize. He obtained his MD (1947) from the University of the Republic in Uruguay specializing in obstetrical physiology. He and his professor developed the Montevideo Units, which are used to measure uterine activity by measuring the frequency and intensity of contractions.
After graduating, he started as Instructor in the Institute of Physiology in Montevideo, where he developed the basis for fetal monitoring during labor as a means of preventing neurological damage due to oxygen deprivation. He then used this to develop the first continuous cardiotocogram. In 1959, he served as Chairman of the Department of Obstetrical Physiology.
In 1970, the Pan American Health Organization appointed him as Director of the newly formed Latin American Center of Perinatology. He became a Founding editor for the Journal of Perinatal Medicine from its inception in 1973 until his death. Eventually he served as President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics from 1976 to 1979.
In 1984, he left his position as Chair of Gynaecology at the University of the Republic, and the government of Uruguay subsequently developed the Program for the Development of Basic Sciences, appointing Dr. Caldeyro-Barcia as its acting Director until he died in 1996. In 1991, he chaired the first-ever assembly of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine.
REFERENCES:
- https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/roberto-caldeyro-barcia-1921-1996
- https://www.paho.org/en/news/28-9-2021-tribute-caldeyro-barcia-father-perinatology
- https://tidsskriftet.no/en/2025/06/bygone-days/roberto-caldeyro-barcia-pioneer-obstetrics
- https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jpme.1997.25.1.9/html
IMAGE Source:
- Creative Common Attribution-Share Alike License version 3.0
- Robert Caldeyro-Barcia and His Machine
- December 25, 2007
