Agustín Stahl (January 21, 1842 – July 12, 1917) was a Puerto Rican medical doctor and

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

with diverse interests in the fields of

ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, and

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

. He advocated Puerto Rico's independence from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Early years

Stahl was born in

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a Aguadilla barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of ...

and given the name Antón Adolf August, by his parents Johann Heinrich Christian Stahl and María Helene Stamm. Born into a Protestant family, he was baptized into the Catholic faith in Aguadilla at about three years of age, town where he also received his primary and secondary education. He studied at the

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

in Germany and at the

Charles University in Prague Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...

, graduating from the latter with the title of

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

in 1864. After graduation, Stahl returned to Puerto Rico where he established his medical practice in the city of Bayamón.

Ethnologist, botanist and zoologist

Outside work, Stahl's love of nature lead him to conduct investigations and experiments in the fields of

and

. He also had a love of

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and historical investigation. Stahl wrote "Estudios sobre la flora de Puerto Rico" (A study of the Puerto Rican Flora), published in 6 fascicles from 1883 to 1888. Copies of Stahl's plant collection with approximately 1,330 plants can be found in various botanical gardens around the world. His collections were the basis for numerous studies by specialists, some of them resulting in new taxa to science.Botanical Legacy of Dr. Agustín Stahl
, Retrieved October 17, 2008 Stahl has a genus, ''

Stahlia ''Libidibia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes seven species of trees and shrubs native to the tropical Americas, ranging from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropic ...

'', and five valid species, ''Argythamnia stahlii'', ''Senna pendula var. stahlii '', ''Eugenia stahlii'', ''Lyonia stahlii'', and ''Ternstroemia stahlii'', named in his honor. The genus Stahlia is represented by a single species, S. monosperma (Tul.) Urb., known to occur only in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic. Known in Puerto Rico as Cóbana Negra, this species is currently listed as threatened in the USFW Federal Register, April 5, 1990. He was quoted as saying:

Written works

Notes on Puerto Rico's Flora (Part 6), by Agustín Stahl Stahl's written works include: * ''Notes on Puerto Rico's Flora'' * ''Report on the Disease of the Sugar Cane'' * ''Puerto Rican Flora'' * ''The Puerto Rican Indians ( Tainos)'' * ''The Founding of

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

'' * ''The Founding of Bayamón''

Later years

The custom of adorning

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

s in Puerto Rico began in the city of Bayamón in 1866 when Stahl adorned a tree in his back yard. The people of Bayamón baptized his tree "El árbol de Navidad del Doctor Stahl" (Dr. Stahl's Christmas tree).El Primer Arbol de Navidad de Puerto Rico
/ref> Stahl was a firm believer that Puerto Rico should obtain independence from

, and was a member of the "Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño", or Puerto Rican Autonomist Party. This group sought to create a separate political and legal identity for Puerto Rico while emulating Spain in all political matters. However, due to Stahl's political views, he was expelled from his position in the Civil Institute of Natural Sciences in Spain and was deported from Spain in 1898.Chardon, C. E. 1924. 12(11): 65-84. Stahl died in the city of Bayamón and his remains are buried in Bayamón's Cementerio Municipal Braulio Dueño Colón. The city of Bayamón turned his former house into a museum to be enjoyed by all those who wish to learn more about him and his work. The Puerto Rican

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Tomás Batista Tomás Batista (born December 7, 1935) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most notable monuments. Early years Batista (birth name: Tomás Batista Encarnación) was born and raised in Luquillo, ...

created a bust to honor Stahl which can be found at the University of

Cayey Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north east of Salinas and north of Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east o ...

References

External links

watercolor botanical art by Agustín Stahl on the Smithsonian website

"Agustin Stahl, The Virtual Museum of Natural History of Puerto Rico", Website

P. Acevedo-Rodrguez, "The Botanical Legacy of Agustín Stahl", National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (English)
als
Spanish
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stahl, Agustin 1842 births 1917 deaths 19th-century Puerto Rican physicians People from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of German descent Puerto Rican botanists Botanists with author abbreviations Puerto Rican nationalists 19th-century zoologists Botanists active in the Caribbean Puerto Rican independence activists 20th-century American zoologists Charles University alumni