Claudio Mamerto Cuenca

Claudio Mamerto Cuenca (30 October 1812 – 3 February 1852) was an Argentine medical doctor and poet.

The Spanish mercenary José Pons Ojeda (who called himself "León de Palleja"), a member of the Grand Army of General Justo José de Urquiza who fought Juan Manuel de Rosas in the Platine War in 1852, killed him because Cuenca wanted to protect the wounded in his field hospital, immediately after the Battle of Caseros.

Biography Early life Claudio Mamerto Cuenca was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Justo Casimiro Cuenca and Lucía Calvo. His baptismal name was Claudio José del Corazón de Jesús Cuenca, and it is not known for what reason he changed it to Claudio Mamerto Cuenca. He did his first letters in the parish house to enter the Real Colegio de San Carlos at the age of 16, that in those years was merged with the Conciliar Seminary, directed by the Jesuits and worked next to the temple of San Ignacio. An excellent student, he graduated from high school with outstanding grades and four years later he entered the Medical Department of the University of Buenos Aires. Cuenca's family was marked by the decision of four of the five children, José María, Claudio Mamerto, Salustiano and Amaro, to become doctors. Claudio and Salustiano managed to stand out. The latter, following in the footsteps of the former, became an outstanding surgeon, and upon his death succeeded him in the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology. He died during a cholera epidemic in 1859.

At the University of Buenos Aires he had as professors Diego Alcorta, León Banegas and Miguel García, and in medicine, Ireneo Portela, Gómez de Fonseca, Francisco de Paula Almeyra, Juan José Fontana and Fuentes Arguibel. in his hand, tried to address the head of the assailant troop, Commander Palleja and, apparently, made himself known and asked for protection for his wounded. For all answer he received several saber blows; he was pierced by a thrust and a minute later he fell lifeless on the pavement. | Dr. Juan Corbella

Cuenca died in the arms of doctors Claudio Mejía and Nicomedes Reynal. Mejía, coa faithful friend of Cuenca's, was taken prisoner by Urquiza's forces, but managed to recover Cuenca's corpse – with saber wounds to the head, shoulders and arms, and a stab in the belly – and the inseparable briefcase of his friend with his poetic work. A poem titled Mi cara was found in a pocket of the military doctor's jacket: