Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra
Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Education of Venezuela | |
| In office 13 March 1985 – 21 April 1987 | |
| President | Jaime Lusinchi |
| Preceded by | Ruth Lerner de Almea |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Cabello Poleo |
| Minister of State for Science and Technology of Venezuela | |
| In office 2 February 1984 – 12 March 1985 | |
| President | Jaime Lusinchi |
| Preceded by | Raimundo Villegas |
| Succeeded by | Tulio Arends |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 29, 1924 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Died | November 19, 2015 (aged 90) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Spouse | Julieta Salas |
| Children | Luis Federico, Pedro Enrique, Julio Manuel Carbonell |
| Alma mater | Central University of Venezuela |
| Occupation | Physician, Explorer, Politician |
Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra (Caracas, December 29, 1924 - Caracas, November 19, 2015)[1] was a Venezuelan scientist, researcher, and university professor.
Biography
He obtained his degree as a medical surgeon in 1948 and specialized in Anatomical Pathology in 1950 at the Central University of Venezuela. He was a pioneer in Venezuela in research on parasites responsible for Chagas-related myocarditis.[2]
In 1951, he served as chief medical officer on the Franco-Venezuelan expedition led by French explorer Joseph Grelier, which successfully discovered the previously unknown source of the Orinoco River. This significant discovery not only had geographical importance but also provided key information for defining the border between Venezuela and Brazil. Dr. Carbonell Parra’s medical contribution was essential for ensuring the safety and success of the expedition under particularly challenging jungle conditions.[3][4] [5]
He served as a pathologist at Hospital Vargas and Maternidad Concepción Palacios, both in Caracas, between 1945 and 1956. He was an assistant professor of neuroanatomy at Howard, George Washington, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington D.C., between 1952 and 1955.[6]
Upon returning to Venezuela, he devoted himself entirely to research[7] . Alongside his colleague Marcel Roche, his name became closely associated with the history and development of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), an institute he helped reorganize since its inception in 1959 and collaborated with as a lead researcher, deputy director (1959-1969), and later director (1974-1981). Academically, he was a full professor of anatomical pathology at his alma mater between 1958 and 1963 and participated in committees for creating the Simón Bolívar University and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of the Andes, both in 1969.
He was a numbered member of the Venezuelan Academy of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Seat XXX), serving as president from 2003 to 2008. Since 2019, the Academy annually awards the "Luis y Juli Carbonell" Prize, honoring the contributions of Dr. Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra and his wife, Julieta Salas de Carbonell. This prestigious prize recognizes Venezuelan scientists or research groups who have significantly advanced knowledge or developed projects addressing critical environmental conservation issues, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development in Venezuela.[8][9].
He was also Minister of State for Science and Technology (1984), Minister of Education (1985), President of the Foundation "Centro de Investigaciones del Estado para la Producción Experimental Agroindustrial" (CIEPE) (1974), President of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICIT) (1985), and President of the Foundation for the Development of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (FUDECI) (1996).
He published 52 papers on electron microscopy of human pathogenic fungi and various gastroenterological topics, among his most notable publications was hi co-authoring of the book "The Pathologic Anatomy of Mycoses" in 1971 [10] and was awarded Venezuela's highest honors, including the Order of the Liberator (Knight in 1953 and Band of Honor in 1985), Order of Andrés Bello (Collar Class, 1968, Band of Honor, 1985), Order of Francisco de Miranda, Band of Honor and Second Class, and the Ministry of Education's Public Instruction Medal "Orden 27 de Junio" (1966). He passed away on November 19, 2015, at the age of 90.[1]
| Title | Publication | Year | URL | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical and immunological properties of galactomannans obtained from Histoplasma | Mycopathologia et mycologia applicata | 1974 | Link | Article |
| The Pathologic Anatomy of Mycoses | Handbuch der speziellen pathologischen Anatomie | 1971 | Link | Book |
| Glycogen in Yeast Form of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Nature | 1965 | Link | Article |
| Ultraestructura Del Paracoccidioides Brasiliensis En Cultivos De La Fase Levaduriforme | Mycopathologia et mycologia applicata | 1963 | Link | Article |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Murió Luis Carbonell, el político de la ciencia". El Nacional. November 21, 2015. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ de Suárez, Claudia. "Bases morfológicas de la miocarditis chagásica: con especial referencia a los estudios en autopsias y biopsias realizados en Venezuela". La Enfermedad de Chagas en Venezuela: Iniciativa digital del Instituto de Medicina Tropical de la Universidad Central de Venezuela. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ "El Descubrimiento de las Fuentes del Orinoco será recordado por uno de sus protagonistas". Analitica.com. September 1, 2006. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ "Premio Luis y Juli Carbonell" (in Spanish). Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales de Venezuela (ACFIMAN). Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Salas de Carbonell, Julieta (2012). El misterio de las fuentes. La saga del Orinoco. Caracas: Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales. ISBN 978-980-6195-257.
- ^ "Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra: Médico Patólogo, Investigador, Docente y Gerente de la Ciencia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Cazadores de Microbios. May 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "Descubrir lo invisible: Historia e hitos del IVIC" (PDF) (in Spanish). Centro Nacional de Desarrollo e Investigación Tecnológica (CENDIT). January 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "Academia de Ciencias convoca el Premio Luis y Juli Carbonell 2024" (in Spanish). Correo del Caroní. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Homenaje al Dr. Luis Manuel Carbonell Parra (in Spanish). YouTube. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Baker, Roger Denio; Angulo, Alberto O.; Barroso-Tobila, Cesar; Carbonell, Luis M.; Céspedes, Rodolfo F.; Chick, Ernest W.; Clark, Betty M.; Duque, Oscar; Edington, George M.; Fetter, Bernard F.; Graham, James H.; Guidry, D. J.; Huntington, Robert W.; Ichinose, Herbert; Klintworth, Gordon K.; Lurie, Harry I.; Mohapatra, L. N.; Morenz, J.; Nielsen, Harry S.; Parker, Joseph C.; Peña, Carlos E.; Pizzolato, Philip; Pollak, Ladislao; Salfelder, K.; Schwarz, Jan; Wiersema, Jan P.; Winner, H. I.; Winslow, Donald J. (1971). Electron Microscopy of Human Pathogenic Viruses. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-80570-7. ISBN 978-3-642-80572-1. Retrieved 11 July 2025.