Pedro Luiz Napoleão Chernoviz

Who was Pedro Luiz Napoleão Chernoviz?

Pedro Luiz Napoleão Chernoviz, was a physician, scientific writer and publisher. He was born in Łuków and immigrated to Brazil in the mid 19th century on a mission on behalf of King Louis-Philippe of France to Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil.

Ostracised for their participation in the failed insurrection for the independence of Poland in 1830-31, Chernoviz, along with many other Polish students and professionals, requested political asylum in France. Chernoviz, who had initiated his medical studies at the Uniwersytet Warszawski, completed them at the Université de Montpellier in 1838. In 1840, he emigrated to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and developed a very successful medical practice. He became a full member of the Imperial Academy of Medicine and was awarded the title of Cavaleiro da Ordem de Cristo and Oficial da Ordem da Rosa. In 1846, Chernoviz married Julie Bernard, a Brazilian of French descent, in Rio de Janeiro. The couple had six children. Although Chernoviz returned to France with his family in 1855, he remained active in the medical and scientific communities of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.