[Burden of disease in the aged, Mexico, 1994].

Objective: To estimate the disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs) in population over 60 years of age in Mexico during 1994.

Material And Methods: Years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) were estimated for 108 diseases, both sexes, and 32 states of the Mexican Republic divided in rural and urban areas in the population over 60 years of age, using the methodology originally proposed by Murray and López adapted to specific local characteristics. The inputs used were: mortality statistics for 1994 (after corrections of under-registration and misclassification), statistics on incidence and prevalence from local epidemiological studies, national health surveys and estimates by the authors.

[The supply of physicians in Mexico: excess and shortage].

The purpose of this paper is to find out whether a decrease in the number of medical undergraduates doing their social service has any influence on the quantity of medical services provided by health care institutions in Mexico. Spearman's Rank Test was used to correlate the number of medical undergraduates and the number of services. Data for analysis were taken from the statistical information bulletins of the Ministry of Health for the decade of the 1980's.

[The use of the basic drug chart at the first level of care].

This study presents the analysis of the prescriptions given 2,782 clinical encounters. These clinical encounters were directly observed and recorded by trained observers in 164 health centers of the Federal District and nine states of the Mexican Republic. It was found that 70.

[Policies for training and employment of physicians in Mexico 1917-1988].

In this article we analyze education and employment policies for medical doctors in Mexico, which have led to a situation characterized by unemployment, under-employment and multiple-employment in urban areas, as well as lack of services in several rural zones. The analysis is divided into four defined periods according to the modes of State participation in health care: 1917-1958 (creation and slow growth of health care institutions); 1959-1967 (growth of scientific medicine); 1968-1979 (crisis period); and 1980-1988 (reform). In each one of these periods the evolution of medical manpower is analysed through the actions of three main actors: the State, the universities and the medical profession.

[The quality of prescriptive behavior in primary care].

Quality of care was analyzed in 2,782 clinical appointments, focusing on the evaluation of the six basic steps of medical consultation: a) questionnaire, b) physical examination, c) diagnosis, d) prescription, e) information, and f) appointment management. Serious deficiencies were found, with variations depending on the motive of the visit, the type of unit in which the service was given, etc. In order to improve the quality of care a structural change is suggested, both in the health care services and in medical education.

[Advances in public health investigation. 5 years' work of the Center for Research in Public Health, 1984-1989].

Five years after the creation of the Center for Public Health Research (SPHR), this essay reviews its origins and evolution and points to the challenges it will face in the future. The seven basic organizational principles underlying the academic development of the Center are described. In the quantitative aspect, the institution's growth is reflected in the rapidly increasing trend in the number of researchers, projects and scientific publications, as well as in the volume of the external financial resources received.