After
living in that city during the first years of his life, his family
emigrated to Campinas, a town near Sao Paulo, in Brazil, since his
mother had become a widow. In this way, a new stage of his life began
in that majestic tropical environment. Because he was the youngest
member of the family, he was in charge of domestic chores and went to
school, while the rest of the family worked in the coffee and tobacco
harvest. It was here that he developed a great friendship with the
town’s witch doctor (folk healer), who in time taught him the
therapeutic truths of herbal medicine.
Then,
he emigrated to Rosario, in Santa Fe, Argentina, where he began to work
in Drogueria del Águila (a drugstore), and at the same time, he started
to pursue his degree as a “Idóneo en farmacia" - Pharmacist. In those
times, this degree was the only one granted in the field of chemistry,
and he obtained it in 1919.
His
first professional work was in Las Breñas, in Chaco, Argentina, where
he worked in a dispensary.
Some
time later, he decided to move to Rosario again, where he was in charge
of Farmacia Lister (a chemist’s).
Soon
after this, he got married, and worked in different parts of the
province of Santa Fe.