It is increasingly common to hear Carlos Juan Finlay to refer to the prominent Cuban scientist, discoverer of the transmitting agent of the Yellow Fever. Studies by specialists from the Carlos J. Finlay Birthplace and the Office of the Historian show that (Carlos Juan) is an incorrect way of pronouncing his name.

María del Carmen Portón Guillemí, director of the Carlos J. Finlay Birthplace, tells us about this:

“If we go to the official data that appear in the Archdiocese of Camagüey, we find that Finlay is registered with the name of Juan Carlos Finlay Barrés. This appears in the White Book, number 16 on folio 153 number 576.5. ”

What is the correct way to call him?

“There are two ways, one is Juan Carlos Finlay, which is his first name, but if this is not used, he can be called Carlos J. Finlay; the Jota as he used it, a mute J, with a period at the end.”

What is the reason for this confusion?

Finlay had three children, one of them, Carlos Eduardo, studied medicine and after graduation he began to give his prescriptions as Carlos Finlay; therefore confusion arises between which one wrote the prescription. Then the wise Cuban decides in during his adulthood to start writing his prescriptions as Carlos J. Finlay, to differentiate his signature from that of his son and avoid confusion. ”

Juan Carlos or Carlos J. Finlay is present in each of the Cuban vaccines against COVID-19, whose massive vaccination for children and adolescents has already begun in our territory. He, in the same way, is present in every achievement of Cuban science through organizations such as the Finlay Vaccine Institute. It is everyone’s job to pay tribute to him in an appropriate way, not only through fair recognition of his legacy but also with the correct dissemination of his name.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García