- Manuel de la Pila Iglesias
-
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is de la Pila and the second or maternal family name is Iglesias.
Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias Born 1882
Cádiz, SpainDied October 5, 1950
Ponce, Puerto RicoNationality Puerto Rican Occupation Physician Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias (1882 – October 5, 1950) was a Puerto Rican physician practicing in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was a physician who specialized in a half-dozen medical specialities. He founded a medical clinic in Ponce that grew into a large medical center. Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias is considered "one of the giants of Puerto Rican medicine".[1] He was one of the leaders behind the development of the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico.
Contents
Early years
Main entrance to the old Dr. Pila Clinic/Hospital (now and apartment building) looking Northwest in Barrio Primero, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1925.
Manuel de la Pila Iglesias was born in Cádiz, Spain, in 1882. After the death of his father and brother, he moved to Ponce with his mother. He was brought up in the home of his uncle on his mother's side, Dr. Iglesias, whom he came to admire and on whose footsteps he later follow. He studied at the Colegio Central Ponceño (Ponce Central High School) and upon graduation traveled to Spain to study medicine at the University of Barcelona.[1]
Medical studies
After receiving his medical degree, Dr. de la Pila started his journey through specialization into many areas of medicine. He went to the San Antoine Hospital in Paris, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Laboratory for Technical Surgery in Chicago, the Philadelphia Hospital in Pennsylvania, and the Hamburg Hospital in Germany. Afterwards, he studied electrocardiography in Berlin, otorhinolaryngology in Vienna, and allergy in Venezuela and Cuba.[1]
Medical practice
In 1917, Dr. de la Pila Iglesias returned to Ponce to start his prolific professional career. He first worked as a municipal government physician at Ponce's Tricoche Municipal Hospital, which had been built in 1875. He also practiced at the San Lucas Hospital and the Ponce Santo Asilo de Damas Hospital, where he became medical director. An X-ray machine Dr. de la Pila purchased in the United States in 1913 was the first such machine in Ponce. He also later acquired an EKG machine in Germany. It is believed this was the first EKG in Puerto Rico.[1]
Foundations
In 1925, Dr. de la Pila founded the Dr. Pila Surgical Clinic in Ponce. A few years later he founded the Mercedes Hospital and the Central Clinic to provide medical care to low income families. In 1929 he founded the Children's Catholic Dispensatory. He also worked for the Federal Public Health at the barrio Playa de Ponce. Dr. de la Pila implemented various novel and experimental treatments in Puerto Rico earning him a reputation as the physician of physicians.[1]
Medical insurance legislation
The new Dr. Pila Hospital (now, Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila) on Avenida Las Americas (PR-163) looking NE in Barrio Canas Urbano, Ponce, Puerto RicoDr. de la Pila's efforts at the Puerto Rico Legislature resulted in the first medical insurance plan in the island: Cruz Azul de Puerto Rico. The plan provided help to working people and middle class individuals in the payment of medical expenses.[1]
Civic and social activities
He was also involved in the civic and social environment in Ponce. In 1919 he was amongst the founders of the Ponce Rotary Club, the second such club on the Island. He also founded the Ponce Country Club.[1]
Representative in the medical community
Dr. de la Pila was heavily involved in the Puerto Rico Medical Association, becoming its president during a two-year term. He was also a delegate from Puerto Rico in the American Medical Association. The highly regarded Dr. de la Pila was chosen many times to attend national and international medical congresses as a delegate from Puerto Rico. He was even honored into the Order of the Knights of Saint Gregory by Pope Pius XI as evidenced in the photograph displayed to this day at the Museo de la Historia de Ponce.[1]
University of Puerto Rico Medical School
Among the many contributions of Dr. de la Pila was his involvement on the establishment and development of the medical school at the University of Puerto Rico. Appointed by UPR Rector Jaime Benitez, Dr. de la Pila Iglesias was one of the major leaders in the study that later made possible de creation of the medical school that for many decades was the only school graduating physicians in Puerto Rico. The maginitude of his work was felt for many years after his death.[1]
Death
Main entrance to the Dr. Pila High School in Barrio Canas Urbano, Ponce, Puerto RicoDr. de la Pila died on Octobre 5, 1950, in a tragic automobile accident in Cayey, Puerto Rico, as he returned from a meeting of the Puerto Rico Medical Association.[1]
Legacy
The clinic he founded in Ponce, now a major medical center in that city, still carries its name.[2] There is also a high school in Ponce named after Dr. Pila. In addition, also in Ponce, there is a public housing development named to his memory. He is also recognized for his contributions to medicine at the Ponce Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j GALENUS: Revista para los Medicos de Puerto Rico
- ^ Completada la venta: Inyección vital para el Hospital Dr. Pila. By Glorimar Muñoz Berly. Periodico La Perla del Sur.
See also
- Ponce, Puerto Rico
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
Categories:- 1882 births
- 1950 deaths
- People from Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican physicians
- University of Puerto Rico faculty
- Road accident deaths in Puerto Rico
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
