Benidorm completes its tribute to Doctor Josep Pérez Fuster by naming a street after him

The name of Doctor Josep Pérez Fuster now appears on a street in Benidorm after the official unveiling of the plaque bearing his name in an event that took place yesterday afternoon on the street where the Foietes Senior Citizens' home retirement and Day Center is located. The event was attended by part of the local council, family members and descendants of the prestigious doctor.

The unveiling of the plaque bearing the name of the doctor and researcher (Benidorm 1856 – Valencia 1933) took place at the intersection with Nicaragua Street by Mayor Toni Pérez, along with some of the honoree's great-grandchildren. At the end of the unveiling, those attending took a walk along the street to conclude at the roundabout that leads to Avenida del 9 d'Octubre and Avenida Llibertat.

Beforehand, his great-grandson José Vicente Pérez-Fuster Soto spoke to thank the city for the tribute and recalled that "I studied medicine for him." Despite not residing in Benidorm, he noted that "every time I drive along the AP7 and see the city, I am moved because I feel the traces of this city in my being, even though I wasn't raised here."

The mayor closed the event by highlighting the "important work behind it" carried out by doctor Eusebi Chiner, also a descendant of the honoree, "to recover his memory." Toni Pérez stated that "governance is also about affection, taking the pulse and remembering all those who, carrying Benidorm in their hearts, did good for humanity." The mayor took the opportunity to emphasize that in the 19th century, many Benidorm residents were very successful. "Something had to happen in this town," he said. Pérez, in that sense, added that "success is honesty in work, doing something for your fellow human beings, and, as in this case, contributing your courage, bravery, and valor in the field of science."

The mayor concluded his speech by noting that Josep Pérez Fuster “left his town one day to bring Benidorm to the world” and “play a key role in understanding both the evolution of infectious diseases and laying the foundations for the fight against them.”

Born in Benidorm in 1856, Josep Pérez Fuster graduated in Medicine from the University of Valencia with Extraordinary Award, and earned his doctorate from the University of Madrid. Among his many positions were President of the Medical Section of the Valencian Medical Institute, Director of the Valencia Hygiene Institute, and Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine. He died in Valencia in 1933. His role as a physician and researcher was key to the arrival in Spain of anti-diphtheria serotherapy, discovered in 1894. In October of that year, the municipal plenary session of the Valencia City Council agreed to send José Pérez Fuster to Paris, to the Pasteur Institute and the Trousseau Hospital, where he remained for three and a half months. After his return to Spain, on February 23, 1895, the Benidorm native performed the first inoculation of anti-diphtheria saline solution in Valencia.

The tribute concluded in the Cultural Center of the Mediterráneo Foundation, on Alameda del Alcalde Pedro Zaragoza Street, where a lecture entitled "Doctor Josep Pérez Fuster, a reference in the fight against infectious diseases" was given by the head of the Pulmonology Department at the Sant Joan d'Alacant University Hospital, Eusebi Chiner Vives. The lecture was jointly organized by the City Council and the Frax Foundation.