Professor Doctor Corino de Andrade (born on 10th June of 1906 - passed away on 16th June 2009) is one of the most famous Physicians in Portugal with a legacy that will last for many years because he was the responsible person for discovering and identifying Paramyloidosis. For several years, he observed patients with signs and symptoms that were considered unknown to Medicine in the 30s and 40s of the XX Century.
As a result of his medical work, it has been made this bronze bust of Corino de Andrade can be seen in Póvoa de Varzim (Largo da Misericórdia)
The reason why this bust has been placed in this place is the following one. In September 1952, Professor Corino de Andrade finally published his famous scientific article which made him worldwide famous named: “A Peculiar Form of Peripheral Neuropathy (Brain, vol. 75: 3, 48). In this article, Professor Corino de Andrade became the first person to scientifically identify and typify Paramyloidosis after observing fishermen in the Póvoa de Varzim area who did not feel pain when they cut themselves on the ropes of the boats and burned themselves with cigarettes. Póvoa de Varzim is a city in the North of Portugal, around 42 km away from Oporto. It is one of the most important seaside cities in the country and throughout the centuries has a very strong connection to the ocean due to the fishermen who lived and worked there for several years.
In order to pay tribute to his lifetime work, the city of Póvoa de Varzim, which for many years, was the city in Portugal where more cases of Paramyloidosis were identified, afterward, it was discovered in other cities along the coast, has decided to create a bust to honor him.
The bust is located in the Largo da Misericórdia, in front of the Hospital of Póvoa de Varzim and very near of one of its most important Churches named: Igreja da Misericórdia, Holy Mercy Church, which has been inaugurated in 1914.
In May 2006, Manuel da Silva Pereira (the main responsible of of Santa Casa da Misericórdia) and António Correia de Campos (the Portuguese Minister of Health from 2005 until 2008) inaugurated a bust of Corino de Andrade, which was made by a very famous Sculptor and artist who lived in Póvoa de Varzim named Fernando Gonçalves. In this day, the neurosurgeon Rui Faria (Clinical Director of Santa Casa da Misericórdia) summarized the life and work of the honoree.
The initiative came from the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, which houses the Center for Studies and Support to Paramyloidosis (CEAP) and the Câmara da Póvoa, with the Portuguese Minister of Health has decided to join the tribute of a scientist who defined him as "a lovely figure, with no mouths in the language, determined and determinant". The tribute to Corino de Andrade was included in the program to commemorate 250 years of Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Póvoa de Varzim.
The Sculptor Fernando Gonçalves, full name Fernando da Silva Gonçalves, was born on February 2, 1940, in Póvoa de Varzim. He was a multifaceted artist because during his life he was a cartoonist, painter, portraitist, plastic artist, musician. He was the responsible person for many of the Statues in Póvoa de Varzim and he was considered so important for the city that he was also the author of the toponymic signs of Póvoa de Varzim streets.
Every year occurs a tribute in front of the bust of Professor Corino de Andrade. On the National Day of Fight Against Paramyloidosis, which is held on the 16th of June of each year, there is a pilgrimage of longing and deposition of a wreath next to the bust of Professor Doctor Corino de Andrade.
- Photos by António Miguel Santos @ (August 2021) and page layout by António Miguel Santos @ (September 2021)
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