Elías Regules at the University of the Republic’s School of Law. The program and unpublished notes from the forensic medicine classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35954/SM2026.45.1.10.e701Keywords:
Lawyers, biographies, schools, medical, medicine history, medical interpreting, jurisprudence, forensic medicine, coroners and medical examiners, enacted statutes, UruguayAbstract
Introduction: This article highlights the figure of Elías Regules (1861–1929) not only as a leading figure in Uruguayan traditionalism but also as a cornerstone of forensic medicine education at the University of the Republic’s School of Law. This study is warranted by the scarcity of historical records on this subject, which was considered marginal at the time, and by the discovery of unpublished notes that allow us to reconstruct Regules’ pedagogical thought between 1885 and 1924. The main objective is to document the history of the forensic medicine classroom, the influence of the 1889 criminal code on teaching, and the analysis of his methodology through primary sources.
Materials and methods: The research is historiographical and documentary in nature. Primary sources were analyzed, institutional archives were reviewed, and the 1882 curriculum by Antonio Martín Galindo and the 1891 curriculum by Regules were compared with the 1889 Penal Code. A bibliographic study and an analysis of university regulations from the late 19th century were also conducted.
Results: Antonio Martín Galindo was identified as the first professor of the department in 1882, and he designed the first curriculum based on Spanish texts. Following Regules’ arrival in 1885, the curriculum expanded from 9 to 19 chapters by 1891. This change was a direct response to the enactment of the Penal Code of 1889, incorporating topics such as criminal responsibility (insanity, intoxication), crimes against persons (infanticide, abortion, homicide), and forensic techniques (toxicology, autopsies). A single copy of his lecture notes was located, showing that Regules not only taught medicine but also adapted medical knowledge to the medico-legal method, focusing on its utility for lawyers and judges.
The notes reveal a pragmatic and critical perspective for his time; for example, on the topic of abortion.
Discussion: Regules’ work demonstrates that forensic medicine served as an essential bridge for the professionalization of criminal law in Uruguay. It is noteworthy that Regules’ approach was superior in technical specificity to many contemporary curricula.
Conclusions: Even with his fame as a man of letters and politician, his 43-year career as a teacher was technical, engaging, and enlightened. The discovery of the notes fills a critical bibliographic gap, confirming that Regules trained both the experts who would work within the judicial system and the lawyers who would interpret their rulings in the new light of modern codification.
NOTE: This article has been approved by the Editorial Committee.
Received for review: December 2025.
Accepted for publication: March 2026.
Publication date: April 2026.
Correspondence: 21 de Septiembre 2713, Apt. 401, C.P. 11300, Tel.: (+598) 27101418, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Contact email: asoiza@adinet.com.uy
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