:for the neighborhood in rio de janeiro, see oswaldo cruz (rio de janeiro). for the neighborhood in sÃ£o paulo, see osvaldo cruz.  oswaldo gonÃ§alves cruz, better known as oswaldo cruz (; august 5, 1872 in sÃ£o luÃ­s do paraitinga, sÃ£o paulo state, brazil â february 11, 1917 in petrÃ³polis, rio de janeiro state), was a brazilian physician, bacteriologist, epidemiologist and public health officer and the founder of the oswaldo cruz institute. he occupied the fifth chair of the brazilian academy of letters from 1912 until his death in 1917. ==early years== oswaldo gonÃ§alves cruz was born on august 5, 1872 in sÃ£o luis do paraitinga, a small city in sÃ£o paulo state, to the physician bento gonÃ§alvez cruz and amÃ¡lia bulhÃµes cruz. as a child, he moved to rio de janeiro with his family. at the age of 15 he started to study at the faculty of medicine of rio de janeiro and in 1892 he graduated as medical doctor with a thesis on water as vehicle for the propagation of microbes. inspired by the great work of louis pasteur, who had developed the germ theory of disease, four years later he went to paris to specialize in bacteriology at the pasteur institute, which gathered the great names of this branch of science of that time. he was financed by his father-in-law, a wealthy portuguese merchant. ==career== ===work in brazil=== cruz found the seaport of santos ravaged by a violent epidemic of bubonic plague that threatened to reach rio de janeiro and engaged himself immediately in the combat of this disease. the mayor of rio de janeiro authorized the construction of a plant for manufacturing the serum against the disease which had been developed at the pasteur institute by alexandre yersin and coworkers. he asked the institution for a scientist who could bring to brazil this know-how. the pasteur institute responded that such a person was already available in brazil: dr. oswaldo cruz. on may 25, 1900, the federal serotherapy institute destined to the producti
1872_births 1917_deaths Brazilian_physicians Brazilian_scientists Deaths_from_renal_failure Members_of_the_Brazilian_Academy_of_Letters People_in_public_health