In the run-up to Lorenzo Manché’s 100th death anniversary on February 16,
Louis Borg Manché and
Edwin Borg Manché give a detailed overview of the life and achievements of the ophthalmologist, educator and philanthropist.
This is part one in a three-part feature.
A century ago, Malta mourned the loss of a highly-gifted ophthalmologist who had a profound sense of compassion for the poor and the illiterate.
A portrait of Lorenzo Manché by Edward Caruana Dingli
Lorenzo Manché was considered a leading authority in Europe on ophthalmology, particularly following the publication of his groundbreaking textbook in 1885 on the subject.
Foremost among his many achievements is his pioneering work in the fight against trachoma, a serious eye disease prevalent in Malta during the latter half of 19th century, primarily among those in the lower socio-economic strata of society.
In the 18th article in a series on 20th-century artists who shaped Maltese modernism,
Joseph Agius highlights the life and works of Anton Inglott
The death at a very young age of Anton Inglott (1915-1945) deprived Maltese modernism of what would have been a leading protagonist, just on the eve of its birth. His ill-health conditioned most of his life.
The Raising of Lazarus
His prodigiously fast artistic maturity could have been due to a self-awareness that fate had bestowed upon him a short time frame in which he could express himself artistically. His very introspective output reflected this in his choice of restrained, almost monochromatic, palette that radiates an otherworldly aura of sobriety, asceticism and spirituality.