Juan Evangelista Manrique, the true pioneer of spinal anesthesia in Colombia

Abstract

Several findings paved the way to the use of the spinal approach for anesthesia. Information about the originators and dates of their discoveries is controversial. According to personal communications, doctors Juan Bautista Montoya y Florez, in Medellin, and Lisandro Leyva, in Bogota, in 1904 and 1905 respectively, would appear to be the pioneers of spinal anesthesia in Colombia. Pioneering cases of this procedure carried out in 1901 by doctor Juan Evangelista Manrique and which continued to be performed by his colleagues and assistants of the medical community at the time are documented in the Corporis Fabrica dissertation collection of the National University of Colombia.