Abel Ayerza

Abel Ayerza (21 May 1861 Buenos Aires, Argentina – 14 July 1918) was an Argentine doctor who gave his name to the cardiological condition Ayerza’s disease.

Biography Ayerza was the son of the Basque doctor, Toribio Ayerza. He was a fervent catholic, married to Adela Arning with whom he had 11 children. One of his sons was kidnapped and later killed by Juan Gallifi a local Sicilian gangster which caused a great public outcry.

He undertook his higher education in the Medical Faculty of Salvador College in 1872. In 1882 he was a visiting practitioner to the Hospital de Mujeres (Women’s Hospital) and in 1884 was an internal practitioner of the Hospital de Clínicas. In 1885 he completed his practical studies as an intern in this hospital where he presented his thesis titled “Clinical Observations” sponsored by Dr. Ignacio Pirovano. He achieved his doctorate with a Gold Medal in 1886.

First discovery of mass arsenic poisoning Ayerza made the first discovery of mass arsenic poisoning due to drinking water. In 1918, he published his observations concerning an epidemic of melanoderma and keratosis of the palms and feet in the Argentinian province of Córdoba. Upon visiting patients in the affected regions, he noted that the chickens of the region also showed dermatological symptoms. He deduced that the common cause of the symptoms must be in their water. He tested the local water and found it contained high levels of arsenic and vanadium.