Life trajectories of two Spanish physicians in the first third of the 19th century in Mexico

Abstract

The first thirty years of the 19th century meant for Mexico years of independence, of an armed struggle, and a strong political instability as well. In those days Mexican society faced personal concerns, and collective problems, and the Spanish Peninsular had to make decisions in the presence of the independence movement. Those who did not accept this movement and fought against it, decided, in some cases, to voluntarily leave their second homeland. Others expressed themselves in favor of one or another political stance and faced the banishment. That is the case of two Spanish physicians: one of them, after expressing himself openly in his writings against the insurrection, accepted that the movement was irreversible and that the only solution to his stance was abandoning Mexico voluntarily. The other was forced into exile due to his ideology. In this article we studied their parallel paths, and we were aware that their life trajectories, by definition, never intersected. They never run into each other during their Mexican stay, but they agreed in the support of their ideologies and in their contributions to medicine. The reader will find information on their personal and professional lives, in their Spain before they moved to Mexico, during their stay in this country, and then in their return to their homeland.