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, 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.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.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. He was interred at Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro in Ponce.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.Civism. TravelPonce. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

See also

Ponce, Puerto Rico List of Puerto Ricans

References

Notes