Dr. Andrés Barbero Biography

Andrés Barbero was the only male son of the family Barbero-Crosa, of Italian parents, he was born in Asunción July 28 1877.
He graduated from High school to eigtheen years old in the National School. As soon as he graduated he was named in charge of the Class of Physics; he endowed the laboratory of Marconi's invention: a wireless telegraph and the first installation of rays X of the country.
In 1898 he graduated of pharmacist, with the number one in their promotion, registering then in Medicine, graduating in 1904 with number one of the first promotion of Doctors in Medicine of our country.
In the School of Medicine he taught medical Physics (being still a student), Botany, Histology, Physiology and Embriology and in 1908 was named Dean of the School of Medicine.
In 1905 he occupied the Direction of National Conservatory of Vaccine and of the   Natural History Museum of the National School.
In 1906 he was member of National Council of Education and National Council of Health, as Director of this Council, in 1917 it directed an active campaign against the plague tropical " anquilostosmiasis "; he named twenty two commissions to study and to emit conclusions on the malaria, leishmaniosis and anquilostosmiasis, illnesses these endemic ones in Paraguay.
In 1908 he took their first trip, of the three that made to Europe, taking the national government's responsibility of picking up data to elaborate a plan of creation of institutes of technical and industrial teaching in our country and to acquire material for laboratories.
He worried about the feeding of our town and it praised the cultivation of wheat from the Council of Agriculture and Industry, of which was member and it president; also from 1913 to 1917 was member of the Directory of the Agricultural Bank of Paraguay.
Another of their restlessness was the public health. In 1916 he was Managing the Hygiene National Department in whose function carried out an intense sanitary campaign in the whole country among whose results count the excavation of 1500 wells of drinkable water and the construction of 37500 hygienic latrines, as well as the shipment of 53 commissions doctors to the whole national territory. Other realizations in the fact of helth were the creation of an specialized San Pedro's Regional Hospital for fighting against the leismaniosis, creation of the venereal-syphilis Institute and of the first Drop of Milk. A clinic anti-tuberculosis, the creation of a modern surgery pavilion in the National Hospital, today V pavillon of the Clinical Hospital and the construction of a new pavilion in the National Asylum. He played him to confront the epidemic of wicked flu of 1918.
In 1919 with other people he founded the National League against the tuberculosis whose president was per years. Soon after their great work: the Paraguayan Red Cross was founded, he was th"mecenas" of this institution for long years; endowed it, also, of a big and expensive building whose maternal-infantile branch was its biggest dedication.
Some of Dr. Barbero's activities through the Red Cross were: at times of the civil revolution of 1922/23, he installed a campaign hospital in the front of operations, and installed a rolling hospital in boxcars of the railroad.
The Red Cross also went to give it aids to the city of Encarnación when it was destroyed by a hurricane the 26 of September of 1926
During the War of the Chaco the Red Cross acted in an excellent way, Dr. Barbero organized his great hospital in the local of the Military School and mounted 17 hospitals of blood covering this way the necessities of the emergency.
He also directed Barbero the sanitary fight of the exterior during the War of the Chaco. Many aboriginal tribes were displaced by the contingency of the war and the Red Cross lent them attendance.
Among another government activities, he occupied in 1920 the position of Municipal Intendant of Asunción's City, in 1933 Minister's of Economy position, from this position assisted the agriculture, the cattle raising. industry and trade of the Nation, as well as the National Department of Public Works and the General Address of Statistical; it was also in 1937 president of the National Commission of Development and Work.
It was also met to the creation of other assistance institutions as the Institute of cancer, today "Clinical of the cancer María and Josefa Barrero", with goods of him and his family, the creation of the Home The Pity for old men and a magnificent church in the same property in whose crypt is buried the family Barbero.
Creator of the Technical Schools that the government with justice called them Instituto Andrés Barbero was also; this professional schools were of Hospital Infirmary, of rural obstetricians, of social attendance and of dietitians; just the last one disappeared, the other ones are dependent today of the National University of Asunción.
Among the scientific and cultural entities it is necessary to mention the Scientific Society of the Paraguay, one of the oldest and appreciated by Dr. Barbero (it dates of 1921) due to their great attraction for the study of physical and natural sciences.
Another institution more in that Dr. Barbero had participation it is the Paraguayan Academy of the History, founded August of 1937, 15; this academy works today in the first floor of the building Museum Andrés Barbero, provided by the Foundation The Pity.
In relation to the Scientific Society of Paraguay, it also founded Dr. Barbero Museum of Natural History and Ethnography with an eye toward the study of the aboriginal ones of Paraguay and to preserve the material culture of the same ones, today it works the Library and Museo Andrés Barbero of the Foundation The Pity in the building Museum Andrés Barbero.
Later on, he founded the Indigenist Association of the Paraguay that counted as all the other institutions with it local provided by Dr. Barbero, today in the local of the Museum.
It also intervened in the creation of Fray Bartolomé Colony of the Houses with the Gral. Belaieff among the Makás.
The national government honored him in 1942 with the badge of Great Official of the National Order of Merit, as well as many others of governments and foreign institutions.
Paraguay owes Dr. Barbero and its family works of different nature, of scientific order, of professional formation, of medical attention, of technical orientation, of ethnologic documenntation, of help to the needful, etc.
All their works have a social sense and a human transcendency.
He died February of 1951, 14; he went out this way the life of an unique humanitarian in Paraguay, however their work didn't finish with its death, because they were his sisters and his brother-in-law, these they were María Barbero, Josefa Barbero and Luis Viola who interpreted Dr. Barbero's idea of offering a charity institution and culture, bequeathing all its patrimony and that of its family. This way in date 29 of June of 1951, the denominated Foundation The Pity was constituted, fulfilled will Dr. Barbero for its heirs.
This foundation works as Civil Entity of Charity and Culture, its statute has been approved by ordinance of the Executive Power of July 25 1951 and later on modified in 1956.