Juan Tomás Roig Mesa

Juan Tomás Roig Mesa (1877-1971). Cuban scientist who distinguished himself through his work in the natural sciences, both in research and teaching. One of the most eminent botanists of Cuba.

Juan Tomás Roig was born in Santiago de las Vegas, a town near Havana. He lost his father at an early age. Lacking economic resources, his mother was forced to work to meet the needs of her four children. From his own mother, Roig learned his first lessons, and later began primary studies in a public school in his native town.

At eleven years old he began working as an apprentice tobacco maker. In 1894 he went to Key West, United States, where he worked in that trade in a factory whose owners were also natives of Santiago de las Vegas. Along with other emigrated Cubans, he participated in the Patriotic Club "Comandante Juan Monzón", thus linking himself to the Cuban Revolutionary Party, founded and led by José Martí.

In 1898 he returned to Cuba, and his desire for knowledge led him to combine study and work by returning to tobacco making, though for a short time, as he began to prepare himself as a teacher. Thus, he obtained his certificate as a primary instruction teacher in 1901, and began to practice the profession immediately.

The following year he entered Harvard University, Boston (United States), where he obtained the degree of English teacher, and in that same year 1902 he held a position in that specialty in Havana.

He graduated as a Bachelor of Letters and Sciences from the Institute of Secondary Education of Havana in 1906, and immediately enrolled in the Faculty of Letters and Sciences of the University of Havana.

During his university studies he received recognition for his dedication. Among them, the Ordinary Prize in Botany (1907-1908), the Ordinary Prize in Pharmacology and the Special Sarrá Prize (1908-1909), and the Ordinary Prize in Phytography (1909-1910).

He graduated in 1919 as a Doctor in Pharmacy and Certified Agronomist. In this regard, he always stated that his interest in botany arose from when he attended classes taught by Dr. Manuel Gómez de la Meza, who would be for him, in addition to a teacher, a collaborator and friend.

He published in the student magazine El Estímulo, from the Institute of Secondary Education of Havana, his first work on botany: "Botanical Calendar", which appeared periodically between 1906 and 1912. In that latter year he obtained the degrees of Doctor in Natural Sciences—with his thesis "The cacti of the Cuban flora"—and Doctor in Physical-Chemical Sciences.

On two occasions—1909 and 1912—he won by competitive examination the technical assistant position of the Chair of Botany of the University of Havana. However, his greatest and principal work was the one he carried out at the Agronomic Experimental Station of Santiago de las Vegas, where he was appointed head of the Department of Botany in 1913.

Two years later he began explorations that took him throughout the Cuban archipelago to learn the peculiarities of the landscape, observe its flora and soil types, and distinguish the different species of plant formations. He shared his observations with collaborators and friends, and left them recorded in articles, lectures, and in his work in general.

His work produced, for more than half a century, magnificent scientific results of botanical-economic value, such as the purification for the reconstruction of Cuban varieties of havanensis tobacco (Circular No. 54, Agronomic Experimental Station of Santiago de las Vegas, 1916). He presented some of his research results to the Cuban Society of Natural History "Felipe Poey".

In 1917 he won by competitive examination the Chair of Cosmology, Biology and Natural History of the Institute of Secondary Education of Pinar del Río, where he worked for more than fifteen years.

In 1934 he returned to serve at the aforementioned Station of Santiago de las Vegas, where he remained until 1940, when he was appointed head of the Research Section of the Chemistry Department, a position he held together with teaching the Chair of Botany of the School of Forestry.

Roig researched and classified numerous specimens of timber-producing plants of Cuba, and fought to prevent the destruction of Cuban forests; in this regard, he was responsible for drafting a project of forestry legislation and national parks. Similarly, he carried out detailed studies on the species and varieties of malanga cultivated on the Island.

He was an tireless scholar, who left exceptional knowledge about useful flora, with particular attention to medicinal plants, of which he managed to assess and acclimatize more than five hundred species.

His work of exchange with other experimental stations, botanical gardens and universities enriched his research in this regard.

He made efforts to acclimatize many medicinal plants, and developed work aimed at the industrialization of their products, in order to create a true chemical-pharmaceutical industry in the country.

As president of the Commission of Medicinal Plants, he promoted the knowledge, characterization and in-depth study of such species, which placed him among the pioneers of that specialty.

He addressed different aspects of economic botany, photochemistry, the forestry field, ecology, systematics, the protection, conservation and propagation of species, and the need to create natural reserves, protected areas, botanical gardens and natural parks. Likewise, he compiled thousands of common names used by the population to identify plants in the different provinces of the country, which he published in his works.

He distinguished himself, moreover, as an educator and teacher, and left a prolific written body of work, in which stand out his Dictionary of Cuban Common Botanical Names (1928), Medicinal, Aromatic or Poisonous Plants of Cuba (1945), and Two Cuban Textile Mallows (1919).

Important scientific contributions by Juan Tomás Roig were also An Excursion to Cape San Antonio, Pinar del Río (1925), Cuban Timber Trees. Their Location by Provinces and Regions (1967), and Species and Varieties of Malanga Cultivated in Cuba (1973), among many others.

He participated in numerous national and international scientific meetings, such as the Eighth Scientific Congress of Washington (United States, 1940), the First Botanical Congress of South America (Brazil, 1940) and the International Congress of Botany (Sweden, 1950). In all of them, he participated in defense of Cuban botany and highlighting the valuable natural resources of the Island.

He was in 1914 a founder of the Cuban Society of Natural History "Felipe Poey", and a member of merit of the Cuban Society of Botany, since July 1946.

After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, on January 1, 1959, he was designated as a member of the National Commission of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba (1964).

His fruitful scientific work made him worthy of multiple titles and recognitions, such as the Gold Medal and Diploma granted by the Geographic Society of Cuba; the national orders "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes", as Knight and as Commander; the Order of Commander of Agricultural and Industrial Merit of Cuba and the title of Agronomic Engineer Honoris Causa, which the University of Havana granted him in 1962.

When Juan Tomás Roig died in Havana, on February 20, 1971, the Cuban scientific community, and all the people, paid him posthumous tribute at the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.

The Institute of Ecology and Systematics of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment today preserves the herbarium that resulted from his studies of economic botany and record of the botanical species evaluated and cited by him in his two major works, as well as his wood collection, evidence of his efforts in the field of forest research. In recognition of his contributions to botany, many authors have named, in his honor, new genera and species, which honor his memory.

Similarly, among the centers that today bear his name is the Experimental Station of Medicinal Plants "Juan Tomás Roig", in Güira de Melena (Havana), created in 1973. Also bearing his name is the National Association of Botany Enthusiasts "Juan Tomás Roig y Mesa", whose liaison organ is the Institute of Ecology and Systematics, and the National Center of Alternative Medicine "Juan Tomás Roig", made up of young scientists interested in that discipline.

Source: EnCaribe.org