Eugenio Torroella Mata

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Eminent professor and great surgeon. He was the one who performed the first lobectomy in Cuba, that is, the removal of a lung lobe due to a pulmonary abscess, in 1931.

He was born in the city of La Habana, Crespo Street number 2, son of Gustavo Torroella Romaguera, native of La Habana, merchant, and María Ana Mata Trujillo, native of Cienfuegos, housewife.

He completed primary education at the "Mimó" School of La Habana, founded and directed by the prestigious pedagogue doctor Claudio Mimó Cava.

He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Letters and Sciences from the Institute of Secondary Education of that same city, where he received his diploma on July 18, 1913.

He graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1918 from the University of La Habana with the best record of his class, 28 honors in 32 subjects and 20 ordinary prizes, but he could not aspire to the extraordinary prize Travel Grant, as the pressing need to help his family forced him to immediately begin practicing his profession.

He held the position, by competitive examination, of assistant faculty member of the chair of Analytical Microscopy and Clinical Chemistry Work (1918-1920) of the Faculty of Medicine and for three years he served as medical officer of the National Army and began surgical practice.

In the 1930s he made numerous study trips to the United States: "Baylor" Hospital, Houston; Mayo Brothers Clinic, Rochester; "Lahey" Clinic, Boston; "John Hopkins" Hospital, Baltimore and the hospitals of New York: "Bellevue", "Mont Sinaí", "Presbyterian" and "Metropolitan". He was surgeon for the association of Ladies of the "Purísima Concepción" and of the Health House of the Centro Castellano.

He belonged to the Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana, to the Society of Clinical Studies of La Habana, the Society of Urology, vice president of the National Society of Surgery, President of Honor of the Cuban Society of History of Medicine and member of numerous national and foreign scientific societies. He presided over the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Public Health and received, among others, the National Order "Carlos J. Finlay", the highest current Cuban scientific decoration.

As one of the former professors of the chairs of Surgical Clinic No. 9 and No. 9 A, he was elected Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine on September 18, 1959 and took office the following day. The Superior Board of Government of the University granted him retirement on September 29, 1960 and he ceased as full professor on November 30 of that year.

Professor Eugenio Torroella Mata, in 1926, in his book "Lessons in Surgical Clinic". Ed. Moderna Poesía, La Habana, compiled 18 of his lectures given at "Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes" Hospital.

He died in La Habana on November 23, 1984, one of the highest personalities of Cuban surgery.