On 2 February 1908, the surgeon Ángel Baltar Cortés and the professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Manuel Varela Radío founded in Santiago de Compostela the first surgical clinic in Galicia. Over the course of its history, the institution operated from two different locations: the first, on Rúa Campo do Cruceiro do Gaio, between 1908 and 1922 (the photographs correspond to this first location); the second, on Carreira do Conde, remained in operation from 1922 until its closure in 1963.
Both physicians, who had received training abroad—particularly in France and Germany—, were well acquainted with the latest medical advances and emerging trends in healthcare in Europe. In this context, Varela Radío introduced the autoclave in 1906, following his return from Germany, a device that enabled effective sterilisation through asepsis. The clinic was also a pioneer in Galicia establishing a haematology and pathological anatomy laboratory and incorporating radiotherapy equipment.
The institution became known for its practice of general surgery, with particular emphasis on urological surgery and otorhinolaryngology. Non-medical duties were carried out by the Irmás da Caridade, while clinical work was undertaken by a group of resident doctors. Among them were figures who later achieved national recognition, such as Juan José Barcia Goyanes, Professor for many years of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine in Valencia, and Vicente Varela, hospital director and civil governor of Ourense and Pontevedra during the Republican period.
The clinic became a model for subsequent healthcare institutions established in Santiago de Compostela and other major Galician cities1. In recognition of their work, a commemorative plaque located opposite the former clinic honours Baltar Cortés and Varela Radío for their contribution to medical science and for their commitment to humanism and Galician identity.
- Photos and main text by Sabela Nóvoa Gómez moc.liamg|im9211ebas#| (January 2025)
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Bibliography:
- Carro Otero, X. (1998). Materiais para unha historia da medicina galega. Tomo II. Consellería de Sanidade e Servicios Sociais
- Fraga Vázquez, X. A Barral Martínez & Domínguez, A., (Coords.) (1993). Diccionario históricos das ciencias e das técnicas de Galicia. Autores, 1868-1936. Ediciós do Castro: Seminario de Estudos Galegos