Martín Corchado
Martín Corchado (25 April 1839 – 2 April 1898) was a nineteenth-century Puerto Rican physician who excelled in charitable medical services as well as in the field of medical research. He owned the first microscope brought to Puerto Rico, which he used to do research on tuberculosis.[1]
Dr. Martín Corchado | |
|---|---|
 "One of the most eminent Puerto Rican medical researchers of the nineteenth century." | |
| Born | 25 April 1839 |
| Died | 2 April 1898 |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Education | University of Barcelona, ca. 1878. Complutense University of Madrid, 1880. |
| Years active | 1880 - 1898 |
| Known for | Provided free medical care to the needy |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician, Medical researcher, Politician |
| Institutions | Hospital Tricoche |
| Sub-specialties | Ophthalmology |
| Research | Tuberculosis |
Early life
Martín R. Corchado y Juarbe[note 1][2] was born on 25 April 1839 in Isabela, Puerto Rico.[3] His parents were Juan Eugenio Corchado and Juana Eugenia Juarbe.[4][5] He was the elder brother to Manuel Corchado y Juarbe. He moved to Ponce around 1874.[6]
Schooling
Corchado y Juarbe studied medicine at the University of Barcelona, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in medicine. He then moved to Madrid where in 1880 received his doctoral degree in medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid. Subsequently, Corchado then lived in Paris, France, where he studied ophthalmology.[3] Corchado was one of the first Puerto Ricans to work under Louis Pasteur in his institute in Paris.[7]
Career
After this, he returned to Puerto Rico to practice medicine, settling in Ponce,[8][9] Covering the years 1885-1889, Corchado was the second medical director of Hospital Tricoche (after Rafael Pujals).[10] He stood out for providing free medical services to the residents of Ponce and nearby towns.[11] He provided medical services to the poor, those in prison, and acted as a forensic physician in courts of law.[3]
Research
Corchado owned the first microscope brought to Puerto Rico.[12][13] He researched and studied tuberculosis and published his results in the publications of the time,[14] including "El Vapor".[15] Corchado has been recorded as being "one of the most eminent Puerto Rican medical researchers of the nineteenth century."[16]
Political views
A believer in the political autonomy for Puerto Rico from Spain, Corchado was also president of the Puerto Rico Autonomist Party,[17] and one of the signers of the Plan de Ponce with Roman Baldorioty de Castro, Antonio E. Molina, Guillermo Oppenheimer, Pedro Salazar, Luis Gautier, Lazaro Martinez, Marcial Morales, Rafael Pujals, Ramon Marin, Enrique Cabrera and Jose Ramon Abad.[11]
Death
Corchado died in Ponce on 2 April 1898 from complications from a cold when, not wanting to take time off to attend to his own health, he continued providing medical care to the needy.[12] He was 59 years old.
Honors and recognitions
In Ponce, there is a street in the Mariani sector of barrio Segundo of the Ponce Historic Zone area named after him. He is also recognized at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[18]
References
- Ponce: A Historical Sketch Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Juan Braschi. In, "The Book of Porto Rico. XIX: Principal Cities." Page 1067. Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- Colección Jaime Bagué Ramírez. Archived 8 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine Page 130. Retrieved 2 December 2011
- Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Medicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. Page 33
- Biografía de Manuel Corchado y Juarbe. Pedro J. Pérez Zabala. isabelapr.org 13 March 1999. Accessed 28 May 2016.
- Manuel Corchado. Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine Legislature of Puerto Rico. Accessed 20 October 2011.
- Socorro Guiron. Ponce, El Teatro La Perla, y la Campana de la Almudaina. Ponce Municipal Government. 1992. Page 157. LOC Card Catalog Number: 85-90989
- Dr. Rafael del Valle y Rodríguez (1847-1917). Eduardo Rodríguez Vázquez, MD. "Boletín Asociación Médica de Puerto Rico". Vol 100. No. 3. Jul-Sept 2008. Page 64
- Mensaje del Presidente y Portada: Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances. In, "Boletin." Asociación Médica de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Vol. 100, No. 1. Jan-Mar 2008. Page 5. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- Socorro Guiron. Ponce, El Teatro La Perla, y la Campana de la Almudaina. Ponce Municipal Government. 1992. Page 157. LOC Card Catalog Number: 85-90989
- "Hospital Tricoche, 1878." Museo de la Historia de Ponce. March 2011
- Las fiestas populares de Ponce.Ramón Marín. Retrieved 2 December 2011
- Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Médicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. Page 34
- Gaceta del Hospital Tricoche. April 1935. Page 56.
- Ponce: A Historical Sketch Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Juan Braschi. In, "The Book of Porto Rico. XIX: Principal Cities." Page 1067. Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- El microbio de la tisis, su valor diagnóstico, investigación y fotografía. In, "Cabinet of Art and Medicine Journal, 2009." Ponce, Puerto Rico: "El Vapor", August, 1885. University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. (Index Medicus: 21807091070.) Retrieved 4 December 2011
- Bailey K. Ashford, Mas Alla de Sus Memorias. Jose G. Rigau Perez, MD, MPH. PRHSJ (Puerto Rico Health Science Journal) Vol. 19, No. 1. March 2000. Page 52. Retrieved 4 December 2011
- Luis Munoz Rivera: Los Vaivenes de un politico. Jaime Oliver Marqués. FOCUS. Volume III, No. 2, (2004) pp. 31-48) Retrieved 2 December 2011
- Medicine. TravelPonce. Retrieved 4 December 2012
Notes
See also
- Ponce, Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Médicos notables del Antaño Ponceño. Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, 1984. Pages: 67. (Nine biographies of Ponce doctors from the nineteenth century: Dr. Rafael Pujals, Dr. Gabriel Villaronga, Dr. Virgilio Biaggi, Dr. Eusebio Coronas y Fernández, Dr. Martín Corchado, Dr. José Julio Henna, Dr. Juan Iglesias Genebriera, Dr. Manuel Antonio Zavala Rodríguez y Dr. Manuel Pasarell Rius.)