Joaquin Maria Albarran Y Dominguez: microbiologist, histologist, and urologist--a lifetime from orphan in Cuba to Nobel nominee.

Joaquin Albarran was an extraordinary late 19th century urologist. His early career was in the field of microbiology and histopathology in Paris at a time of great medical developments and innovations. His later contributions to urology included the Albarran lever, Albarrans sign, Albarran-Ormond syndrome and seminal works on testicular and renal tumors. He also wrote treatizes on the pathophysiology of acute urinary retention, nephritis and calculus ureteric obstruction. He died at the young age of 52 from the effects of tuberculosis and in this same year was nominated for the Nobel prize in medicine.