William Cunningham Blest (1800 – 3 February 1884) was an Anglo-Irish doctor, the president of the first Medical Society of Chile, creator of the first School of Medicine in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, a politician and father of the novelist Alberto Blest Gana. Through his illegitimate son, Ricardo Blest Ugarte, he was grandfather of

Clotario Blest Clotario Leopoldo Blest Riffo (; 17 November 1899 – 31 May 1990) was a Chilean social activist and labor union leader. Blest was one of the founders of Agrupación Nacional de Empleados Fiscales (ANEF), Central Única de Trabajadores (CUT), Re ...

Early life

He was born in

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban ce ...

, Ireland in 1800, son of Anglo-Irish clergyman and author Anna Maiben and Albert Blest; members of the middle class, Reverend and Mrs. Blest gave good educations to their children. He studied at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, receiving a degree in medicine; then continued his studies at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

in the King James IV Academy, where he received a doctorate in medicine on 21 March 1821.Available at th
Edinburgh Research Archive
He then moved to London, practicing medicine until he decided to emigrate because of the oversupply of doctors in London at the time. After persuasion by his brother Andrew Blest (who established the first brewery in Chile) about the good prospects for a doctor in the young country, William Blest arrived in

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

, Chile, in 1823. On 21 March 1827 he married María de la Luz Gana Darrigrandi, a woman from a wealthy family and sister-in-law of Manuel Blanco Encalada, which helped Dr Blest in setting up practice independently in Chile.

Career

After three years' residence in his adopted country, Blest wrote in 1826 the essay "Observations about the present state of Medicine in Chile and a proposal for its improvement", highly critical of the

sanitary Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

conditions of Chile, its poor level of education, and the lack of interest in learning medical science properly. The repercussions of this report were immediate, and in the same year the government abolished the Protomedicato and created the Chilean Medical Society, constituted of all practitioners in

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

, and made Blest its chairman. On 4 April 1827 Freire, who was back in government, eliminated the Medical Society and replaced it with the General Medical Inspectorate, naming Blest as its Chief Inspector. After many other changes to the medical body of the young nation (each of which, Blest headed in turn), the infamous Protomedicario was permanently reinstated in 1830, with William Blest as its chairman. From that moment on, Dr Guillermo (William) Blest presided over any medical act in Chile, approving licences to practice, inspecting medical facilities and pharmacies. In his hands were left all responsibilities and authority with everything related with medicine; such power gained him many detractors, among them a Spaniard, Dr José Passaman. Dr Blest's constant speeches about the importance of studies in the fields of medicine put him at the head of Chilean physicians when he published his "Essay on the most common causes of illnesses suffered in Chile". He then was assigned to create and inaugurate the School of Medicine in 1833 in the National Institute, which operated from the Hospital of Saint John of God. Blest served as its director for twenty years. As an important member of Chilean society at the time, William Blest, after being granted Chilean nationality, was in 1832 elected a member of the national congress for

Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sant ...

, a seat he occupied until 1834, but without major interventions. He was also a faithful supporter of the Public Beneficence, sitting on its council for many years, helping to create hospitals, cemeteries, orphans' asylums, and the like. He was later also elected a Senator.

Death

Blest died in retirement at his estate in San Bernardo, on 3 February 1884, leaving to his adopted Chile a School of Medicine and a family illustrious on many accounts. Proof of that are his sons Alberto Blest Gana, one of the finest Chilean novelists; Guillermo Blest Gana, poet and author; and Joaquín Blest Gana, politician, lawyer, historian, and government minister.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blest, William Cunningham Irish emigrants to Chile People from County Sligo 1884 deaths 1800 births 19th-century Irish people Chilean physicians Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Chilean healthcare managers

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...