Correspondence of Apollon de Mirbeck and his wife with Aimé Bonpland

Abstract

The correspondence between Apollon de Mirbeck (1808-1891), the first physician in Salto, Uruguay, and his wife Ana Carrière, with the French naturalist and physician Aimé Bonpland (1773-1858), is housed in the Juan A. Domínguez Museum of Pharmacobotany at the University of Buenos Aires. This text presents a translation of the letters exchanged by the couple, with particular reference to aspects of their family and professional life, as well as their connection to the administration of some of the French scholar's establishments in the province of Corrientes. It also includes some references to military events in the region during the Great War (1839-1852). The correspondence reveals that the couple had a son, who died at four months old, after being diagnosed by Dr. Teodoro Miguel Vilardebó (1803-1857), who gave a poor prognosis. The author was able to consult the baptismal certificate of both children at the church of Our Lady of Carmen in the city of Salto, allowing him to expand the information known so far.