thumb|[[Theodore Roosevelt at the Instituto Butantan in 1914]]
The Instituto Butantan () is a Brazilian biologic research center located in Butantã, in the western part of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Instituto Butantan is a public institution affiliated with the São Paulo State Secretariat of Health and considered one of the major scientific centers in the world. Butantan is the largest immunobiologicals and biopharmaceuticals producer in Latin America (and one of the largest in the world). It is known for its collection of venomous snakes, as well as those of venomous lizards, spiders, insects and scorpions. By extracting the reptiles' and insects' venoms, the Institute develops antivenoms and medicines against many diseases, which include tuberculosis, rabies, tetanus and diphtheria.
History
The Instituto Butantan was founded by the Brazilian physician and biomedical scientist Vital Brazil on 23 February 1901, according to the Pasteur Institute paradigm, i.e., by combining in the same institution medical research, the transfer of the results to society as health products, and self-financing through this latter activity. Its foundation was a reaction to the outbreak of bubonic plague in the city of Santos. a district in the west zone of São Paulo. "Butantã" itself is a Tupi word
</references>
Bibliography
- <!--
-->
- <!--
-->
External links
- Butantan Institute Home Page (in Portuguese and English)
- How to capture and donate animals to the Institute (in English)