Contexto, desarrollo y alcances del primer curso de dietistas en chile (1939)

The aim was to reconstruct the creation of the first course for dietitians created in Chile in 1939, which in the early 1940s became a school. Two models of training of dietitians in the period are presented, which indicate the reasons for the recruitment of the Hungarian, Esteban Kémeny. In addition, critical suggestions on hospital feeding and the need to train staff in the dietary technique were offered during the 1930s. The article shows the strong link between the urgency to reform the hospital kitchen and the academic offering of the course, which sought to train nurses and other female professionals, which were understood as auxiliaries of the physician, without professional autonomy.