Juan Vilaró Díaz

Zoologist, botanist, and physician. Bachelor of Sciences (1862) and in the Arts (1863). He developed extensive work at the Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country of La Habana. Author of refined literary style, he made known numerous scientific contributions.

He was born in La Habana. He served as Auxiliary Professor of Geography at the University of La Habana, from 1865, where he obtained the degrees of Licentiate in Natural Sciences (1867) and in Medicine and Surgery (1868), with grades of distinction.

In June 1869 he was appointed Medical Inspector of the San Antonio Chiquito Cemetery (now Colón). From 1878 onwards he served as a professor in various Havana institutions. He obtained the degree of Dr. in Natural Sciences in 1880, an act in which he was presented and praised by his teacher, the learned Cuban naturalist Felipe Poey. That same year he was appointed Auxiliary Professor of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of La Habana, and in 1882 he obtained by competitive examination the position of Full Professor.

He died in La Habana on October 4, 1904.

Posts
In 1882 he was appointed Naturalist Member of the Fishing Board of La Habana, as well as Member of the permanent Commission of the Central Fishing Board, in which he made valuable contributions, such as the motion presented to the latter under the title of Lobster Fishing Ban, the result of a study he conducted in Batabanó.

He was a Member of the Anthropological Society of the Island of Cuba, Faculty Member of the Science Section of the Lyceum of La Habana, Member of Merit of the Hunting Society of La Habana, Faculty Member of the Science Section of the Lyceum of Matanzas, and as correspondent of its newspaper he obtained the status of Member of Merit of said institution, with his work entitled State of Education of Girls in Cuba. He joined as Corresponding Member various foreign institutions, such as: the American Ornithologists Union of New York, the Entomological Society of France, the Spanish Society of Natural History of Madrid, the Society of Friends of the Country of Zaragoza and the Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Barcelona, which awarded his Memoir on Typhoid Fever in Cuba.

Works
Moreover, he was the author of valuable works among which the following could be mentioned: Notes on the Fauna of Cuba (1884); Zoological Notes (1885); Notes on Plant Physiology for the Botany Course (1890); Zoography of Vertebrates. Birds (1892) and Something About the Fish of Cuba with Certain Extension to Those of Puerto Rico and the United States (1893).

Possessor of vast culture, polyglot and lover of Natural Sciences, he is considered one of the most prolific Cuban authors of his time.

Active Bibliography
"Note about an insect that destroys banana plantations". In: Annals of the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana. V. 16. La Habana, 1879, pp. 143, 146, and 264-266
"Rectification of the list of ciguatera fish of the Island of Cuba (Discussion with Drs. Cowley, Mestre, Machado, Montalvo and Finlay)". In: Ibid. V. 17. La Habana, 1880, pp. 61-63, 70-99, 111 and 113-121
Thesis for the doctorate in Natural Sciences. August 1880. "La Antilla" Press, La Habana, 1880
"Oyster breeding by means of artificial fertilization". In: Annals of the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana. V. 20. La Habana, 1883, pp. 375-378 and 398-399
"Classification of Birds and Distribution of these in Tables". In: Ibid. V. 20. La Habana, 1883, pp. 423-432 and 466-467
Running and Arrivals of Some Cuban Fish. El Adelanto Press, La Habana, 1884
Notes on the Fauna of Cuba. 2nd edition. La Antilla Press by Cacho Negrete, La Habana, 1884
"Instructions for the establishment of Oyster Industries on our coast". In: Annals of the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana. V. 21. La Habana, 1884, pp. 167-168, 433-457 and 531-538, V. 22. La Habana, 1885, pp. 30-38, 161-178, 250-265, 333-341 and 349-361
"Felipe Poey. Notes for his Biography". In: Revista Cubana. V. 2. *Typographic Establishment of Soler, Álvarez and Company, La Habana, 1885, pp. 481-480
Instructions for the establishment of Oyster Industries on our coast. "La Antilla" Press, La Habana, 1886
Biography of Doctor Juan Cristóbal Gundlach. La Propaganda Literaria, La Habana, 1887
Notes on Plant Physiology for the Botany Course taught at the University of La Habana. Printing and Paper shop of Ruiz and Brothers, La Habana, 1890
Zoography of Vertebrates. Birds. First part. La Poesía, La Habana, 1892
Elements of Botany. First Part. Typographic Establishment of A. Álvarez and Company, La Habana, 1892
Something About the Fish of Cuba, with Certain Extension to Those of Puerto Rico and the United States. Printing shop of A. Álvarez and Company, La Habana, 1893
Elements of Botany. Second Part. Plant Physiology. Typographic establishment, Monte 87 and 89, La Habana, 1901; Zoology. s/e, s/l, s/a.
Passive Bibliography
García Cañizares, Felipe: "Eulogy of Dr. Juan Vilaró y Daíz". In: Annals of the Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana. V. 43. La Habana, 1907, pp. 374-390

García González, Armando. "Juan Vilaró". In: Juventud Técnica. No 234. La Habana, June 1987, p. 66

González Curquejo, Antonio. Biographical Notes of Juan Vilaró y Daíz. La Propaganda Literaria, La Habana, 1890

"Obituary Note of Juan Vilaró". In: Annals of the Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Habana. V. 41. La Habana, 1904, pp. 169-170.