Cayetano Heredia (August 5, 1797 – June 11, 1861) was a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

, born in

Catacaos Catacaos is a town in the Piura Province, Piura Region, Peru. It is known for its gastronomy and crafts (or souvenirs). The town was severely damaged by flash floods in March 2017 when the Piura River The Piura River is a river in northern Per ...

Piura Piura is a city in northwestern Peru, located north of the Sechura Desert along the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017 and it is the 7th most populous city in Peru. ...

, northwestern Peru. He studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the Royal College of Medicine and Surgery of the

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public university, public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established (Privilege (legal ethics), privilege by Charles V, ...

. Together with

Hipólito Unanue José Hipólito Unanue y Pavón (August 13, 1755–July 15, 1833) was a physician, naturalist, meteorologist, cosmographer, the first Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Protomédico (equivalent to Minister of health com ...

, he was one of the two greatest Peruvian physicians of the 19th century. He happened to live through the tense period of the struggle for

independence of Peru The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

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 ...

, and his participation in political life was as intense as the time and effort he devoted to

. He was the fist dean of the

Faculty of Medicine San Fernando The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public university, public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established (Privilege (legal ethics), privilege by Charles V, ...

(ex College of the Independence). He died in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

on 1861.

Cayetano Heredia University Cayetano Heredia University (, UPCH; or simply ''Cayetano Heredia'') is a private nonprofit university located in Lima, Peru. It was named in honor of Cayetano Heredia, one of the eminent Peruvian physicians of the 19th century. The universit ...

, a Peruvian medical school founded in 1961, was named after him.

References

1797 births 1861 deaths 19th-century Peruvian physicians National University of San Marcos alumni Viceroyalty of Peru people {{Peru-med-bio-stub