There are few data about the history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in many countries of the world, especially in developing ones as those of South America. This article offers a translation of an article published in 1941 by Dr Pacheco e Silva describing how ECT came to Brazil and its first use. He tells of how he learned about ECT during the 97th American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting held in Richmond, Va, that same year, the lectures he attended, his visits to some American hospitals that were performing ECT at that time, the devices he bought, and his first experiences in using ECT in Brazil, first with dogs and, then, with patients. We also give a brief biography of Dr. Pacheco e Silva, who was a very important Brazilian psychiatrist.