A Tribute to Ricardo Gonzalez a Short Story Behind This Name

摘要

When Ricardo finished his residency program at the age of 25, the Chief of General Surgery Dr. Morera, encourage him to enter the contest for a position in General Urology at his Hospital. Unenthusiastically he applied and won the position, but his thoughts at that time were “I don’t like Urology too much. . . ” He felt that he had not good perspectives with the training he received as a general surgeon, and he thought that he would like to do more than “resection of varicose veins, appendix, gall bladder, and, stomach.” Because of this, he sent many letters to academic hospitals around the world and he finally received an offer to travel abroad for additional training. Dr. O.H. Wangensteen, from the University of Minnesota (UM) offered him a position to research in his laboratory. Even though then the idea seemed like a crazy adventure, but he didn’t have a second thought and start the journey. After a year in research in UM, where he published the first use of a laser through a rigid gastroscope to treat bleeding gastric erosions (any similarity to the current urology practice?), he was offered to start his training again as a resident in general surgery in UM. During that period, he met the new chief of the Urology department, Professor F.E.Fraley that –again- tempted Ricardo to join him as a resident in Urology—there is no future in general surgery” he told him. The condition was not only to become a good urologic surgeon but the commitment in research and academic work to eventually become a professor; which he achieve. . . .