Portuguese Student Files at the Royal College of Surgery of San Carlos in Madrid

Abstract

At the end of the 18th century, the Royal College of Surgery of San Carlos in Madrid became one of the leading centres of medical education. Among its students, a significant number came from Portugal, a country that contributed to the new scientific elites with professional aspirations and social mobility. Consulting the personal files of these Portuguese students, preserved in the National Historical Archives of Spain (Madrid), offers a glimpse into the lives of young individuals who embarked on a journey from towns, villages, and rural areas in another nation to the capital of Spain. The documents analysed are of diverse types, providing privileged information about their origins, prior education, ages, academic trajectories, and the challenges faced during their studies. The analysis of this information reveals the degree of success or failure of the students, as well as the geographical dynamics of their origins and, when traceable, their subsequent professional diaspora. Some returned to their hometowns as certified surgeons; others dispersed to various places, integrating into broader medical networks.