LUIS F. ALVAREZ

Luis Alvarez was early left an orphan. His mother died when he was 3 years old and his father died when he was 7. When he was 13, one of his brothers took him to Havana where he learned the cigar-making business, and along the way secured a good education. He learned to speak English fluently and without any accent.

In 1874 he came to this country where he earned his living as secretary to a Spanish Lodge of Masons. In all spare time he studied and improved his education.

Around 1878, he was in business in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he met Clementina Schutze and soon married her. They then moved to Los Angeles and later to San Francisco.

In 1884 Luis Alvarez entered Cooper Medical College (now Stanford) and in 1887 he had his degree. After practicing some months in San Francisco, he went to Hawaii as physician on the S.S. "Australia". In Honolulu, he was asked by the government to stay and become a government physician. After a few months in Waianae, he moved to Waialua where he remained until 1895. During this time he was in charge of medicine from Kaena Point clear around to Kaneohe. He took care of the employees of the several sugar plantations along the way. Dr. Alvarez quickly learned to speak Hawaiian and also the patois of the Portuguese in Waialua and Honolulu.

Dr. Walter C. Alvarez, one of the sons of Dr. Luis F. Alvarez, once wrote, "I can still remember my father operating on a man who was stretched out on our kitchen table. The local minister, a fine Hawaiian, gave the anesthetic and did a good job in spite of the fact that this was his first experience with ether. After the operation, the man got up and walked home with his friends."

Going about in terrible rain storms, Dr. Alvarez had many close calls with death. Once, while trying to ford a river in flood, his horse went under and the only thing that saved him was that a couple of cowboys who were waiting on the opposite side of the stream lassoed him around the waist and pulled him out.

In 1895, Dr. Alvarez resigned his position in Waialua to prepare himself for work as Superintendent of a new experimental hospital for the treatment of leprosy which was to be established in Kalihi, a suburb of Honolulu. In order to learn research bacteriology, Dr. Alvarez went -- at his own expense -- for six months of intensive study, day and night, at Johns Hopkins University. There he worked with Welch, Flexner and Blumer.

On his return, he developed a method for the better diagnosis of macular leprosy. With a small mouse-tooth forceps he would lift up a little piece of skin, snip it off with scissors, grind it into a fluid in a small glass mortar, and then stain the fluid for Hansen's bacilli. This method or a modification of it has been used ever since. Dr. Alvarez developed a serum by injecting Hansen's bacilli into horses. He used this on a number of Hansen's disease patients with encouraging results. Their lesions tended to clear up.

Later, after the laboratory was closed, Dr. Alvarez devoted his time to a large practice in Honolulu, his office being located near the lower end of Emma Street. In 1903 he left the Islands.

Dr. Luis Alvarez was an indefatigable worker, and during his many years in Hawaii, he was on call 24 hours out of the 24. Although short in stature and light of build he was tireless. He was a great student of medicine, and when he was 80, he remarked to one of his sons that for him the most delightful thing in life was the study of medicine. He held a large practice up until three days before his death from pneumonia. This came in Los Angeles, on May 24th, 1937.

Six children were born to the doctor and his wife: Luis, Walter, Milton, Florence, Mabel and Harold. Luis died in infancy. Walter is practicing in Chicago, Florence--Mrs. C. E. Spaulding-is a widow living in Los Angeles, Mabel is an artist in Los Angeles and Harold is a successful dentist in San Francisco. Milton died in the Philippines, in his thirties.

During his years in Hawaii and for many of his years in Los Angeles, Dr. Alvarez was vice-consul for Spain. He always took great interest in helping all persons who spoke the Spanish language. In Los Angeles he was much loved by the Mexican colony. Dr. Alvarez was a devoted Mason.

Written by Dr. Walter C. Alvarez

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