Dolores Piñero
Encyclopedia
Dr. Dolores Piñero, was one of the first four Puerto Rican
women to earn a medical degree. She was also one of the first civilian doctors, and the first Puerto Rican female doctor to serve under contract in the U.S. Army during World War I
. During World War I, Piñero helped establish a hospital in Puerto Rico
to attend soldiers who had contracted the Swine Flu
.
at a time when the island was still a Spanish colony
. There she received her primary and secondary education. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States in accordance with the agreement reached in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Spanish-American War. Piñero was sent to Boston, Massachusetts where she became fluent in English
and continued her college education. In 1913, she earned her medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Boston. Piñero was one of the first four women from Puerto Rico to earn a medical degree. The other three were María Elisa Rivera Díaz and Ana Janer in 1909, and Palmira Gatell in 1910.
In 1917, with the advent of World War I, the United States approved the Jones-Shafroth Act
which conferred U.S. citizenship
on Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans, with the exception of the women, were eligible for the draft.
When the United States entered World War I, the U.S. Army Medical Corps
believed that they had enough male physicians to cover their needs. Piñero applied for a position as a contract surgeon only to be turned down. After writing a letter to the Army Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.
explaining her intentions, she received a telegram ordering her to report to Camp Las Casas
at Santurce
, Puerto Rico where she was assigned to the Medical Service Corps of the Army Medical Department.
By 1918, the Army realized that there was a shortage of physicians specializing in anesthesia
, a low-salary specialty required in the military operating rooms. Therefore, the Army reluctantly began hiring women physicians as civilian contract employees. On October 1918, she signed her contract with the Army. In this manner, and at her own insistence, Piñero contributed her professional skills to the war effort.
Piñero was re-assigned to the Army General Hospital of Fort Brooke, located in the former Ballajá Barracks
(in the grounds of the Fort San Felipe del Morro
) in Old San Juan. There she worked as an anesthesiologist during the mornings, and in the laboratory during the afternoons. Piñero and four male colleagues received orders to open a 400-bed hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico
, to care for the patients who had been infected with influenza
, known also as "the Swine Flu." Among the nurses who served in Ponce with Piñero was Rosa González
, a noted registered nurse
who authored "The Nurses Medical Dictionary". The Swine Flu had swept through Army camps and training posts around the world, infecting one quarter of all soldiers and killing more than 55,000 American troops. After the flu epidemic ended, Piñero was ordered back to the Army base hospital at San Juan.
Little is known of Piñero's later years, with the exception that she was one of the leaders of the local Women's Civic Club and that she worked for the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Piñero was also the first Puerto Rican female to be named to the Puerto Rican Medical Examiners Board.
Puerto Rican citizenship
Puerto Rican citizenship was first legislated by the U.S. Congress in Article 7 of the Foraker Act of 1900 and later recognized by the Puerto Rican constitution...
women to earn a medical degree. She was also one of the first civilian doctors, and the first Puerto Rican female doctor to serve under contract in the U.S. Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During World War I, Piñero helped establish a hospital in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
to attend soldiers who had contracted the Swine Flu
Swine flu
Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus or S-OIV is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs...
.
Early years
Piñero was born in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
at a time when the island was still a Spanish colony
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
. There she received her primary and secondary education. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States in accordance with the agreement reached in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Spanish-American War. Piñero was sent to Boston, Massachusetts where she became fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and continued her college education. In 1913, she earned her medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Boston. Piñero was one of the first four women from Puerto Rico to earn a medical degree. The other three were María Elisa Rivera Díaz and Ana Janer in 1909, and Palmira Gatell in 1910.
Return to Puerto Rico
After earning her degree, Piñero returned to Puerto Rico and set up her medical and anesthesia practice in what was then the town of Río Piedras (it is now a section of San Juan).In 1917, with the advent of World War I, the United States approved the Jones-Shafroth Act
Jones-Shafroth Act
The Jones–Shafroth Act was a 1917 Act of the United States Congress by which Puerto Ricans were collectively made U.S. citizens, the people of Puerto Rico were empowered to have a popularly-elected Senate, established a bill of rights, and authorized the election of a Resident Commissioner to a...
which conferred U.S. citizenship
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
on Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans, with the exception of the women, were eligible for the draft.
When the United States entered World War I, the U.S. Army Medical Corps
Army Medical Department (United States)
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army – known as the AMEDD – comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches of officers and medical enlisted soldiers. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the...
believed that they had enough male physicians to cover their needs. Piñero applied for a position as a contract surgeon only to be turned down. After writing a letter to the Army Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
explaining her intentions, she received a telegram ordering her to report to Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas was a United States military instalation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico a segregated U.S...
at Santurce
Santurce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
, Puerto Rico where she was assigned to the Medical Service Corps of the Army Medical Department.
By 1918, the Army realized that there was a shortage of physicians specializing in anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
, a low-salary specialty required in the military operating rooms. Therefore, the Army reluctantly began hiring women physicians as civilian contract employees. On October 1918, she signed her contract with the Army. In this manner, and at her own insistence, Piñero contributed her professional skills to the war effort.
Piñero was re-assigned to the Army General Hospital of Fort Brooke, located in the former Ballajá Barracks
Ballajá Barracks
Ballajá Barracks is a military barracks located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was built from 1854 to 1864 for the Spanish troops established in the island and their families.- Construction :...
(in the grounds of the Fort San Felipe del Morro
Fort San Felipe del Morro
Also known as Fort San Felipe del Morro or Morro Castle, is a 16th-century citadel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.- Rundown :Lies on the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico...
) in Old San Juan. There she worked as an anesthesiologist during the mornings, and in the laboratory during the afternoons. Piñero and four male colleagues received orders to open a 400-bed hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, to care for the patients who had been infected with influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
, known also as "the Swine Flu." Among the nurses who served in Ponce with Piñero was Rosa González
Rosa González
Rosa González, RN, was a nurse, author, feminist and activist. She established various health clinics throughout Puerto Rico and was the founder of The Association of Registered Nurses of Puerto Rico. Gonzalez authored two books related to her field, in which she denounced the discrimination...
, a noted registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
who authored "The Nurses Medical Dictionary". The Swine Flu had swept through Army camps and training posts around the world, infecting one quarter of all soldiers and killing more than 55,000 American troops. After the flu epidemic ended, Piñero was ordered back to the Army base hospital at San Juan.
Post World War I
When her contract ended at the close of World War I, Piñero returned to her private practice in Río Piedras. She married Celestino Lopez and had a daughter on March 17, 1922, named Dolores "Lolin" Piñero-Lopez.Little is known of Piñero's later years, with the exception that she was one of the leaders of the local Women's Civic Club and that she worked for the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Piñero was also the first Puerto Rican female to be named to the Puerto Rican Medical Examiners Board.
Further reading
- "Women Doctors in War (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)"; by: Judith Bellafaire and Mercedes Herrera Graf; Publisher: TAMU Press; ISBN-10: 1603441468; ISBN-13: 978-1603441469. The contributions of Dr. Dolores Piñero are found om pages 43, 46 and 56.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican women in the militaryPuerto Rican women in the militaryOne of the least known roles played by Puerto Rican women has been that of revolutionists and soldiers. This is a brief account of some the Puerto Rican women who have participated in military actions either as members of a political revolutionary movement or the Armed Forces of the United...
- Puerto Ricans in World War IPuerto Ricans in World War IPuerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...
- Puerto Rican scientists and inventors