Horacio Julián Escobar López

===BODY===
He was born in San Antonio de Cabezas, province of Matanzas. He completed his primary education in the public school of his hometown and subsequently moved to Matanzas to continue his studies at the "Arturo Echemendía" Academy. In 1936 he entered the Institute of Secondary Education in that city. To advance his studies, he completed his high school diploma in just 3 years.

He enrolled in 1939 at the School of Medicine. In December 1943, he began working as an intern at the "Freyre de Andrade" Hospital and soon became involved in the otolaryngology service under doctor Sánchez Quirós, and upon completing his degree he decided to remain at that hospital as an Honorary Physician.

The training acquired in the specialty of otolaryngology and without economic income, allowed him to work as an otolaryngologist from 1948 to 1951 in a clinic in Artemisa and another in Marianao, "Santa Emilia".

When Batista's coup d'état occurred on March 10, 1952, he took his position from the outset against the regime, together with doctors Maceo, Portela and Cambó.

As the abuses and crimes of the tyranny increased, he participated increasingly against it, and joined the July 26 Movement, in the cell directed by Lauro Pérez. He distributed insurrectional propaganda and on occasions transported weapons. He treated tortured and clandestine patients at the hospital, among them Juan Manuel Márquez. From mid-1957 he was assigned the functions of collecting and supplying medicines and surgical instruments, which he transported to San Rafael street and the corner of Aramburu, in Centro Habana where they were stored, to be taken to Oriente.

When the Revolution triumphed, he joined the medical militias from their founding, to later join the National Militias, where he obtained the rank of first lieutenant.

In June 1960 he was assigned to the otolaryngology service of the "Joaquín Albarrán" Clinical-Surgical Hospital.

He was subsequently director of the "América Arias" Maternity Hospital. In 1961 he became director of the "Joaquín Albarrán" Clinical-Surgical Hospital until 1964. That same year he was appointed Chief of the Otolaryngology Service of the "Calixto García" Hospital and Chief of the National Otolaryngology Group and principal professor of the subject.

In 1965 he was assigned by the Minister of Public Health to receive a specific course in ear surgery and remained 6 months in Prague with professor Ervin Cerny and subsequently became affiliated with professor Samuel Rosen, surgeon at Mount Sinai in New York and father of this type of surgery (stapedectomy).

After receiving these fruitful teachings in ear surgery, he felt the need to expand his small ward, filled with scientific enthusiasm and supported by his youth and tenacity he was able to carry out the construction, by incorporating to the "Emilio Martínez" ward, the "Margarita Núñez" ward and created rooms, operating theaters, classrooms, consultation offices, etc., until achieving what it is today.

He participated in world otolaryngology congresses in Mexico (1969) and in Hungary (1981), where he presented works on otosclerosis surgery. He made study trips to Spain, England, France, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Mexico and Switzerland.

He participated in research on the "Efficacy of acupuncture in children", in coordination with professor Rosen's group at Mount Sinai, in New York, as well as on the "Efficacy of leukocyte interferon in the treatment of laryngeal papillomatosis" and many other research works.

He published several articles on deafness in national and foreign journals (as well as in book chapters). He taught courses, lectures and workshops to specialist physicians since 1967.

Since he initiated otosclerosis surgery in 1966 until mid-1994, his service had a case load of more than 2,500 operated cases with good results.

His scientific merits accumulated in his specialty, fundamentally in ear diseases, earned him the direct conferment in February 1981 of the degree of Doctor in Medical Sciences.

He received the medals "September 28" and "Piti Fajardo", the order "José Tey", the 2nd Grade "Frank País", and medals for X, XV, XX, XXV and XXX years of service by the security organs of MININT.

His scientific trajectory led him to receive on January 15, 1992 the Order "Carlos J. Finlay", the highest decoration granted by the Council of State.

Despite his illness he attended dutifully the otolaryngology service of "Calixto García", as well as the meetings arising from the subject or from the National Group of that specialty.

On October 1st of the year 1994 he attended the meeting convened by the Minister of Public Health at "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Hospital and was among the national group chiefs the first to speak to defend his specialty. Two days later he was admitted to the hospital, and died on the 7th of that same month.

Upon his death he left his example as a professor, as a surgeon, but above all, of devoted dedication to work in the fulfillment of his obligations despite his great physical limitations.