Ramón Allende Padín
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Ramón Allende Padín (19 March 1845 – 14 October 1884), nicknamed ''El Rojo'' ("The Red"), was a Chilean physician and political figure. The author of several important scientific publications, he also headed the Chilean Army's medical services during the War of the Pacific. Allende was of Basque descent.


Biography

The son of José Gregorio Allende Garcés and Salomé Padín Ruiz, Allende was born in Valparaíso. He studied at the Liceo de Valparaíso and the Instituto Nacional before graduating, on 20 June 1865, from the Universidad de Chile as a physician specializing in obstetrics and surgery. He was an assistant professor of the School of Medicine, becoming a full professor in November 1865. In 1870 he became the Chief Doctor of Valparaíso's emergency public hospital, the Hospital de Sanidad. He also worked with Professor Wenceslao Díaz and at the San Borja and San Vicente de Paul hospitals. In 1875 President Federico Errázuriz Zañartu appointed him to the Public Welfare Committee, charged with a reforming brief. Allende joined the Radical Party and was in 1876 elected as deputy for Santiago. He was reelected in 1879, this time for Copiapó and Caldera. He also served from 8 December 1879 to 1 November 1880 as chairman of the Council on Public Hygiene. On 28 September 1880, during the War of the Pacific (1879–1884), Dr Allende was appointed Superintendent of the Army Medical Services. During this time he attended the troops as chief medical officer in charge of the Ambulance Service (an "ambulance" at the time was a mobile hospital of about 20 beds, equipped for the performance of emergency field surgery). As such he is considered to be the founder of the Chilean Army Medical Corps. Allende headed the "Justice and Liberty" Masonic Lodge and was a notorious enemy of the Catholic Church, which excommunicated him. He was also editor of the newspapers ''Guía para el Pueblo'' ("The People's guide") and ''El Deber'' ('"Duty'"). He was nominated as a member of the Public Instruction Committee and in this role he founded several schools, among them the Blas Cuevas School in Valparaíso, the first masonically controlled school. He was also a director of the Corps of Firemen. Allende was elected to the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in 1882, and in 1884 he became
Masonic Grand Master A Grand Master is a title of honour as well as an office in Freemasonry, given to a freemason elected to oversee a Masonic jurisdiction, derived from the office of Grand Masters in chivalric orders. He presides over a Grand Lodge and has c ...
, but died a few months later, aged 39, from complications of diabetes. Allende's funeral – at which the public eulogy was delivered by the radical leader
Enrique Mac-Iver Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Dut ...
and two future presidents of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and Ramón Barros Luco, carried the coffin – turned into a gigantic political meeting.


Personal life

On 24 April 1869 Allende married Eugenia Castro del Fierro, with whom he had three sons: Ramón, Tomás and Salvador. From his third and youngest son he was the grandfather of President Salvador Allende.


See also

* History of Chile


References


External links


Chilean Library of Congress biography




{{DEFAULTSORT:Allende Padin, Ramon 1845 births 1884 deaths People from Valparaíso Ramon Chilean people of Basque descent Radical Party of Chile politicians Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Members of the Senate of Chile Chilean military doctors Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera alumni University of Chile alumni People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific