Ramón M. Suárez Calderon
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderon (1895–1981) was a scientist, cardiologist, educator and hematologíst whose investigations led him to identify the proper and effective treatment of a specific anemia
known as tropical sprue
. He also refined the protocols for numerous diagnostic procedures, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, for the clinical identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism
.
in Puerto Rico
. His family moved to San Juan
, the capital of Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. He attended the Central High School of Santurce
and studied medicine at the Medical College of Virginia in the United States. In 1917 he earned his medical degree and moved to the Dominican Republic
, where he was hired as the medical physician of a sugar plantation.
He returned to Puerto Rico in 1920, and in 1928 he was named Medical Director of San Juan's Municipal Hospital and faculty member of the Tropical School of Medicine. Tragedy struck when his 5-year old daughter died of Leukemia
. Suárez Calderon, who at the time was the President of the Medical Association of Puerto Rico, named a hospital which he founded after his daughter.
School of Tropical Medicine
During his years at the School of Tropical Medicine, Suárez Calderon worked together with Dr. Bailey Ashford
. Dr. Ashford was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps
, and had accompanied the military expedition to Puerto Rico
during the Puerto Rico Campaign of the Spanish-American War
in 1898. Ashford assumed a full-time faculty position at the School of Tropical Medicine and continued his interest in tropical medicine. Together with the University of Puerto Rico
campus at Rio Piedras, Ashford helped to plan and build the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Ashford was the first to describe and successfully treat North America
n hookworm
in 1899. A tireless clinician, Ashford conducted an exhaustive study of the anemia
caused by hookworm infestation, which was responsible for as many as 12,000 deaths a year.
Upon the recommendation of Ashford, the American College of Physicians granted a fellowship to Suárez Calderon, which enabled Suárez Calderon to continue Ashford's work and investigations on anemia after the latter’s death. In 1938, Suárez Calderon published his scientific findings on the Tropical Espru.
Suárez Calderon, who was also a member of the Association of American Physicians, founded a center of clinical investigations at the Mimiya Hospital. He published 155 articles related to his investigations in the field of cardiology in various scientific journals.
and Luis Muñoz Marín
. He died in 1981 at his home in San Juan. In 1992, the City of San Juan inaugurated the Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderón Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It is the main medical and academic center in the region dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In 1999, the first heart transplant in Puerto Rico was made in said medical institution.
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
known as tropical sprue
Tropical sprue
Tropical sprue is a malabsorption disease commonly found in the tropical regions, marked with abnormal flattening of the villi and inflammation of the lining of the small intestine.It differs significantly from coeliac sprue.-Symptoms and signs:...
. He also refined the protocols for numerous diagnostic procedures, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, for the clinical identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
.
Early years
Suárez Calderon was born in the town of Loiza AldeaLoíza, Puerto Rico
Loíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
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...
. His family moved to San Juan
San 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...
, the capital of Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. He attended the Central High School of 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...
and studied medicine at the Medical College of Virginia in the United States. In 1917 he earned his medical degree and moved to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, where he was hired as the medical physician of a sugar plantation.
He returned to Puerto Rico in 1920, and in 1928 he was named Medical Director of San Juan's Municipal Hospital and faculty member of the Tropical School of Medicine. Tragedy struck when his 5-year old daughter died of Leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. Suárez Calderon, who at the time was the President of the Medical Association of Puerto Rico, named a hospital which he founded after his daughter.
School of Tropical MedicineSchool of Tropical Medicine (Puerto Rico)The School of Tropical Medicine , was an educational institution created in 1926 by an act of the Puerto Rican Legislature, to further the research initiated by the Anemia Commissions and the Institute of Tropical Medicine on anemia and its causes...
During his years at the School of Tropical Medicine, Suárez Calderon worked together with Dr. Bailey AshfordBailey Ashford
Colonel Bailey K. Ashford was born in Washington D.C. in 1873 and died in 1934. Himself a pioneering physician, Ashford grew up as one of five children in the family of a prominent physician. His general education was obtained at the public schools and at Columbian University in Washington D.C....
. Dr. Ashford was a member of the United States 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...
, and had accompanied the military expedition to 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...
during the Puerto Rico Campaign of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898. Ashford assumed a full-time faculty position at the School of Tropical Medicine and continued his interest in tropical medicine. Together with the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
campus at Rio Piedras, Ashford helped to plan and build the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Ashford was the first to describe and successfully treat North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n hookworm
Hookworm
The hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...
in 1899. A tireless clinician, Ashford conducted an exhaustive study of the anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
caused by hookworm infestation, which was responsible for as many as 12,000 deaths a year.
Upon the recommendation of Ashford, the American College of Physicians granted a fellowship to Suárez Calderon, which enabled Suárez Calderon to continue Ashford's work and investigations on anemia after the latter’s death. In 1938, Suárez Calderon published his scientific findings on the Tropical Espru.
Scientific investigations
In 1940, Suárez Calderon was named Director of Internal Medicine of the Tropical School of Medicine. During his directorship he conducted scientific investigations related to hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. He also conducted investigations related to rheumatic fever and its causes. In 1945, Suárez Calderon published his findings in the effective treatment of Tropical Espru (a type of anemia) with the application of complex methods, such as the use of folic acid, electrocardiography and radioisotope in the American Journal of Medicine. Suárez Calderon was also named to the Board of Directors of "Blood," a new medical magazine, thus becoming the first and only Puerto Rican member of said publication.Suárez Calderon, who was also a member of the Association of American Physicians, founded a center of clinical investigations at the Mimiya Hospital. He published 155 articles related to his investigations in the field of cardiology in various scientific journals.
Written works
Two of the pubished works by Suárez Calderon are:- Tratamiento moderno del asma bronquial; published by the Boletín Asociación Médica de Puerto Rico; 1925
- Glucose and the heart; published by Boletín Asociación Médica de Puerto Rico; 1974.
Legacy
Suárez Calderon continued to teach at the school of medicine in Puerto Rico. He was also the personal doctor of Pablo CasalsPablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
and Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
. He died in 1981 at his home in San Juan. In 1992, the City of San Juan inaugurated the Dr. Ramón M. Suárez Calderón Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It is the main medical and academic center in the region dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In 1999, the first heart transplant in Puerto Rico was made in said medical institution.
See also
- Dr. Isaac González MartínezIsaac González MartínezDr. Isaac González Martínez was the first Puerto Rican urologist, and a pioneer in the fight against cancer throughout the island. Dr. González Martínez conducted many investigations and experiments in parasitology, bilharzia, lepra and typhoid fever. Dr. González Martínez and Dr. Bailey K...
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican scientists and inventors