He was a man in lovewith God.
THE PHYSICIAN OF THE POOR
By Gustavo Mendez
This doctor was a well educated man in his time. His name was Jose Gregorio Hernandez. But rather than write his biography, I will tell a story that will show who was this Servant of God,known in his homeland as the doctor of the poor.
He graduated at the Central University ofVenezuela, he moved to Paris to continue his studies of histology, pathology and bacteriology. Later he traveled to Germany to study Anatomical Pathology.
He returned to Venezuela to teach and practice his profession, but in 1907 something happened in his heart, and after discussing it with the Archbishop of Caracas, he moved to Italy where he tried to become a monk of the Carthusian Order. However, after a year he had to go back, because the rigors of the order affected his health.
He kept practicing medicine and teaching. He became a famous doctor in the Venezuelan capital. The most distinguished families called him and he answered his requests, with a feature that made him popular in the city. The money he earned from the richest people, never more than was right, he used to buy medicines and care for the poorest people, so that he seldom had anything for himself.
I will tell you a story, and let us not forget that the biggest miracles are sometimes made of small stories. This is a true story, it really happened. I had an aunt, a very loved aunt, who was born in Caracas in 1890. She was a humble and hardworking woman, who could not read or write, but she had a heart of gold.
For her qualities, she was hired as a companion to one of the richest families in the city at that time. Agustina, my aunt became the companion of Ms. Ayala, wife of the then governor of Miranda State in Venezuela.
In 1918, the Spanish flu came to Venezuela.That disease killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide in a single year. And Mrs. Ayala fell ill. They called Dr. Hernandez, to attend her and as she was his patient, he did not mind to help her.
In one of his visits, the doctor who was a friend of the family, asked:
“Where is Agustina? I have not seen her for some time and she is always accompanying Mrs. Ayala.”
The woman said:
“Agustina came down with the flu a few days ago.”
“And why didn´t you say anything?” claimed the doctor gently. And he immediately went to the service area of the house to see the patient.
When he got to the room, he found the18-year old girl very sick, in bed, with the windows closed and she looked as if she was dying.
He immediately began to treat her. He opened the windows, administered medicines for the fever, ordered her to rest and drink fluids.
“Do not close the windows even if you are cold, Agustina, you have to breathe clean air.”
The doctor visited her for several more days, until she recovered and was again the same strong woman as before.
“Doctor” she said “I do not know how to thank you, I don´t have the money to pay for your treatment.”
The doctor smiled as he did every day in his office.
“Agustina, you do not owe me anything, I already have more than enough. My fees were covered by the Lord.”
“Thank you doctor”, the woman's eyes were filled with tears.
A year later she would cry more, when one of the few motor cars circulating in the city of Caracas in 1919, hit he doctor who had cured her, and he was carried to heaven. He is a man who has not yet been declared a saint, but he fulfills all the requirements. We only have to wait.
Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez, the physician of the poor in Venezuela, is still caring for his people since he went to God in June of 1919.
Agustina lived many more years, she died at 104 years old, surrounded by the love of her family, mine, among others.
And what I remember most is that when people talked about her doctor and called him just José Gregorio, she would say:"His name was Dr. Hernandez, have respect for him, I knew and met him and you did not."
The church takes its time to declare people saints, is a process, but still, God allows us to have those special people in our hearts.
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