Rafael Pujals

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pujals and the second or maternal family name is Cárdenas.

Dr. Rafael Pujals
Dr. Rafael Pujals around 1870
Born	ca. 1830 Humacao, Puerto Rico[1]
Died	23 April 1889[2] Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Education	University of Barcelona (MD)
Years active	ca. 1860(?) - 1889
Known for	First physician with a medical degree title in Ponce First M.D. on the staff at Hospital de Damas First medical director, Hospital Tricoche Civic leader Physician for Ponce Municipal Fire Corps
Medical career
Profession	Physician
Institutions	Hospital Damas Hospital Tricoche

Rafael Pujals Cárdenas (ca. 1830 – 23 April 1889) was a late 19th-century Puerto Rican physician practicing in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that excelled as a civic leader.

Physician

Pujals Cárdenas was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico,[a] and graduated from the University of Barcelona, Spain. He was the first physician with a medical degree title in Ponce, becoming the first medical doctor on the staff at Hospital de Damas, where he worked without pay. He later became the first medical director of Hospital Tricoche.[3]

In addition to his private medical practice, Dr. Pujals was also the physician for the famed Ponce Municipal Fire Corps in the last quarter of the 19th century.[4]

Civic leader

Pujals also excelled as a civic leader and on 30 June 1877, he became the first director of the reorganized Gabinete Ponceño de Lectura (Ponce Reading Cabinet), an early version of today's Ponce Public Library. In 1886, he was also one of the nine cosigners of El Plan de Ponce that Roman Baldorioty de Castro had championed seeking greater political autonomy for Puerto Rico.[5] He was also an active participant at the Grito de Lares.[6]

Death

Pujals died in Ponce on 23 April 1889, victim of an asystole.[7]

Legacy

The government of Puerto Rico honored Dr. Pujals naming a school in Ponce after him. He is also recognized for his contributions in civic duty at the Ponce Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[8]

See also

• Ponce, Puerto Rico
• List of Puerto Ricans

References

1. Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Politics Hall. March 2011.
2. Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Medicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. Page 14.
3. "Rafael Pujals." Museo Parque de Bombas. Ponce, Puerto Rico. March 2011.
4. Las fiestas populares de Ponce. Page 24. Ramón Marín. 1994. University of Puerto Rico Press. Accessed 19 February 2011.
5. Las fiestas populares de Ponce. Ramón Marín. 1994. University of Puerto Rico Press. Page 26. Accessed 19 February 2011.
6. "Rafael Pujals." Museo Parque de Bombas. Ponce, Puerto Rico. March 2011.
7. Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Medicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. p.14.
8. Civism. TravelPonce. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

Notes

1. There is disagreement as to where Pujals was born. Whereas Salvador Arana Soto states Pujals was born in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. (See Arana Sotos's Catalogo de medicos de Puerto Rico, p.344) Eduardo Neumann Gandia states he was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico (See Neumann Gandia's Benefactores y Hombres Notables de Puerto Rico, pp.215-220.)