Rafael Pujals
{{short description|Puerto Rican physician and civic leader in Ponce, PR}}
{{family name hatnote|Pujals|Cárdenas|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox medical person
|name = Dr. Rafael Pujals
|image = Dr. Rafael Pujals from Ponce, Puerto Rico, circa 1870 (DSC01869A).jpg
|image_size = 200px
|alt =
|caption = Dr. Rafael Pujals around 1870
|birth_date = ca. 1830
|birth_place = Humacao, Puerto RicoMuseo de la Historia de Ponce. Politics Hall. March 2011.
|death_date = 23 April 1889Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Medicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. Page 14.
|death_place = Ponce, Puerto Rico
|nationality = Puerto Rican
|profession = Physician
|specialism =
|research_field =
|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
|years_active = ca. 1860(?) - 1889
|education = University of Barcelona (MD)
|work_institutions = Hospital Damas
Hospital Tricoche
|prizes =
|relations =
|signature =
}}
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,{{efn|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.)}} 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."Rafael Pujals." Museo Parque de Bombas. Ponce, Puerto Rico. March 2011.
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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=rzyA0BhHHCIC&pg=PA24 Las fiestas populares de Ponce]. Page 24. Ramón Marín. 1994. University of Puerto Rico Press. Accessed 19 February 2011.
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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=rzyA0BhHHCIC&pg=PA24 Las fiestas populares de Ponce.] Ramón Marín. 1994. University of Puerto Rico Press. Page 26. Accessed 19 February 2011. He was also an active participant at the Grito de Lares."Rafael Pujals." Museo Parque de Bombas. Ponce, Puerto Rico. March 2011.
Death
Pujals died in Ponce on 23 April 1889, victim of an asystole.Lorenzo A. Balasquide. Medicos Notables del Antaño Ponceño. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1984. p.14.
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.[http://www.travelponce.com/Civism.html Civism.] TravelPonce. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
See also
{{Portal|Puerto Rico}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
{{Ponce, Puerto Rico|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pujals, Rafael}}
Category:People from Humacao, Puerto Rico
Category:Physicians from Ponce
Category:University of Barcelona alumni