Plutarco Naranjo Vargas

{{Short description|Ecuadorian doctor, teacher, journalist, historian, scientific researcher and ambassador}}

{{family name hatnote|Naranjo|Vargas|lang=Spanish}}

{{refimprove|date=April 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Plutarco Naranjo Vargas

|image = Dr. Plutarco Naranjo.jpg

|office = Minister of Health

|president = Rodrigo Borja Cevallos

|term_start = August 10, 1988

|term_end = August 10, 1992

|predecessor =

|successor =

|birth_name =

|birth_date = {{birth date|1921|06|18}}

|birth_place = Ambato, Tungurahua Province, Ecuador

|death_date = {{death date and age|2012|04|27|1921|06|18|mf=y}}

|death_place = Quito, Ecuador

|party = Party of the Democratic Left (Izquierda Democrática)

|spouse = Enriqueta Banda Flores

|children = Alexis
Ana
Plutarco

|alma_mater = Central University of Ecuador

}}

Plutarco Naranjo Vargas (Ambato, June 18, 1921 – April 27, 2012) was a doctor, teacher, journalist, historian, and scientific researcher.[http://www.telegrafo.com.ec/opinion/columnistas/item/plutarco-naranjo-vargas-ecuatoriano-ejemplar.html Plutarco Naranjo Vargas, ecuatoriano ejemplar] He served as the Ecuadorian ambassador to the Soviet Union, Poland, and the German Democratic Republic (concurrently) from 1977 to 1978. In 1988, he accepted a four-year appointment to the cabinet of newly elected president Rodrigo Borja Cevallos as Minister of Health.{{Cite web |url=http://academianacionaldehistoria.org.ec/images/descargas/jorgenunez/librohomenajeaplutarconaranjo.pdf |title=Homenaje de la Academia Nacional de Historia al Dr. Plutarco Naranjo Vargas |access-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203142543/http://academianacionaldehistoria.org.ec/images/descargas/jorgenunez/librohomenajeaplutarconaranjo.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2016 |url-status=dead }}

In the Academy, Naranjo was one of the trainers through generations of doctors in Ecuador, he participated as organizer of Pharmacology Chair and advised to the Physiology Department of Valey University (Cali-Colombia), besides, he founded the Pharmacology Chair at Central University of Ecuador.

Since his youth, he was strong involved in botany, that allowed him to open the possibility of knowledge interchange between the Western knowledge of botany and traditional medicine, the sacred uses of plants and myths and cultures, creating big contributions to Ethnomedicine.

His research was very important in pharmacology, which contributed to improve the life quality, from the field of health to a wide population of patients with various pathologies, in the same way, he made several researches about immunological mechanisms, hypersensitivity to drugs and foods, allergies to antibiotics, and more.

He was a founder of the Ecuadorian Academy of Medicine and became its president. He was also president of the SILAE - Italo Latin American Association of Ethnomedicine[http://www.silae.it/eng/consigliodirettivo SILAE - Italo Latin American Association of Ethnomedicine] from 1995 to 1997. He was also the academic director in the field of health at the Simón Bolívar Andean University.

He was married to Dr. Enriqueta Banda Flores. They had three children: Alexis, Ana and Plutarco.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/fallecio-en-quito-el-doctor-plutarco-naranjo-vargas-544665.html |title=Falleció en Quito el doctor Plutarco Naranjo Vargas |access-date=27 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194426/http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/fallecio-en-quito-el-doctor-plutarco-naranjo-vargas-544665.html |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}

He received the Eugenio Espejo National Award in 1986 in the field of science.[http://www.cncultura.gob.ec/index.php/premio-eugenio-espejo/ganadores-biografias Ganadores (Biografias)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193137/http://www.cncultura.gob.ec/index.php/premio-eugenio-espejo/ganadores-biografias |date=29 October 2013 }}{{cite web |url=http://cncultura.gob.ec/index.php/premio-eugenio-espejo/ganadores-biografias |title=Ganadores (Biografías) |website=cncultura.gob.ec |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619234839/http://cncultura.gob.ec/index.php/premio-eugenio-espejo/ganadores-biografias |archive-date=19 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}

He died in Quito on April 27, 2012.