Occupational medicine in Mexico. Brief history of its origin and development

Introduction
Occupational medicine is a medical specialty unprecedented in Mexico not until the beginning of the twentieth century, before the Mexican Revolution (1910) and, most after the armed period (1910-1920) and the institutionalized revolution (1921-1950), then Mexico began to industrialize, to join the economies of emerging nations and developing health in the workplace: legal normativity of labor, academy, medical education and health care.

Methods
Heuristically a bibliographical review of texts on medicine in Mexico, selected in accordance with seriousness and reputation of authors and books on occupational medicine. Hermeneutically, became a reflective-interpretive analysis that produced this paper.

Results
The first medical-industrial incursions were established in mining regions of northwestern and central Mexico. In 1906-1907 there were labor movements and strikes and, after the Mexican Revolution, the first laws were enacted to protect workers the Constitution of 1917 established labor rights and had trade unionism strengthened. Establishing regulations in 1934-1943 to promote occupational health and created the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Institute. During the 2nd half of the twentieth century came economic development and integration into GATT, OECD, WTO and NAFTA, multiplying sources of employment (notwithstanding the economic crisis), invigorating the standards of occupational health and establishing the specialty of occupational medicine.

Discussion
Because the period of civil and foreign wars, revolutions and economic gloom (1810-1867), only in the late nineteenth century there was social-political tranquility and order that led to Mexico's economic development and opening of industries, neglecting the protection of rural and urban workers. Despite a few rudimentary rules of labor protection, it was not until the Mexican Revolution that laws were enacted to prevent occupational hazards, circumstances strengthened in the last two thirds of the twentieth century and first decade of the century, extending as Mexico had joined the global economic patterns and become free and democratic country.