Lorenzo Manché and his son Charles, Driven by Compassion

by Louis Borg Manché and Edwin Borg Manché,

self-published, Malta, 2023

Surely it could never have passed Pierre Manchin’s mind when he set foot on Malta in 1749 that he would be the forebear of a family that would come to play a distinct role in the island’s social life.

The poor man himself, ironically, did not have a happy end as, due to his French origin, he was expelled by the British, even though he had lived on the island for over 50 years, raised a family, and definitely never collaborated with Napoleon’s invaders. With that, he bows out of recorded history. 

Pierre’s family stayed behind and over the years, after a number of variations, the surname assumed the form of Manché. And what a progeny it has been, including two outstanding ophthalmologists, a saintly parish priest, a university rector, a musician of talent, and a cardiothoracic surgeon with no mean musical talents himself.

Louis Borg Manché and Edwin Borg Manché’s well-researched smartly produced book focuses on the life work of their great-grandfather Lorenzo (1846-1921) and grandfather Charles (1874-1936). Although the brothers are no professional historians they have managed to compile a solid fully documented study, thanks no doubt to the rich family archive they had at their disposal.

When they did not have the documents, they carried out extensive research as, for example, in the subject of the development of ophthalmology in the 19th century and also its practice on the island.

The book's cover

But beyond ophthalmology, the authors take every opportunity to delve deeply and give extensive background in all the aspects that the Manchés touched upon being politics, emigration, and the casting of bronze monuments, for example. With every aspect they touch, they proceed to give the fullest background. 

The book becomes much more than a shallow biography but transcends into veritable social history of the island.

Lorenzo obviously takes the lion’s share of the book. He had a more than full life and a stellar career as a pioneering ophthalmologist, beautifully rounded up by a great social commitment and perfected by a generous selfless philanthropy.

Lorenzo qualified as a doctor in 1868 and then specialised in the treatment of diseases in Paris and London under leading ophthalmologists at a time when ophthalmology was making considerable scientific progress. He went on to gain a reputation far outside our shores, attending numerous conferences, and publishing papers based on his pioneering work which were acclaimed by his peers.

A textbook he published in 1885 received international acclaim and consecrated him as a leading ophthalmologist. It also remained long a standard work of reference.

In 1888 he was designated as the inaugural chair of ophthalmology at the university where he had first been appointed lecturer in 1873. For 17 of these years, he received no remuneration.

Lorenzo concurrently served as ophthalmic surgeon at the Central Hospital where for 14 years he performed countless operations again for no remuneration.

Manché also played a part in the language question

Conscious that the living conditions and the lack of education among the lower classes contributed heavily to the spread of disease, Lorenzo made part of his life mission to educate them.

His booklet It-Trobbija tat-Tfal jew Tuissijiet ghall Ommijiet covered several health and family topics and was widely distributed. Other pamphlets dealt with eye hygiene, replete with practical suggestions. He also gave a number of lectures to the general public.

Concomitant with this was his fervent support of the Maltese language which he considered as the only means to reach the lower classes. Indeed for him Maltese was identifiable with nationhood and should be the language of the courts.

In addition to his civil duties, in 1875 he was commissioned surgeon of the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery and appointed orderly medical officer at Station Hospital in Valletta. His services were also sought by the British forces stationed locally. He eventually retired from the army with the rank of colonel in 1901.

Lorenzo’s social commitments led him to strive for the betterment of a population, most of whom lived in the direst of straits. Emigration, he believed, was the way out of their endemic poverty and he insisted that the government should organise the whole process to safeguard the interests of the prospective emigrants.

Manché also played a part in the brewing controversy that came to be known as the language question. A staunch supporter of the Maltese language, he saw its great potential to educate and empower the lower classes and lift them from their sorry condition.

In 1913 he was nominated as a member of the executive committee to organize the Eucharistic Congress, where he played a leading role. It was his suggestion to erect an artistic monument to serve as a lasting reminder of this signal event. 

The full story behind Antonio Sciortino’s iconic Christ the King monument makes fascinating reading that is here being told in full details for the first time.

Charles Manché at his home Ebe Cottage, Gżira.

Known as a go-getter, Lorenzo was chosen to take overall responsibility for the project and to try to smooth the financial challenges that bedevilled it. It was indeed a saga with Sciortino, who had offered his work for free, often clashing with the committee when he was refused reimbursement for his expenses. Even the release of the statues from the port was at one time in doubt. Lorenzo was the patient middleman in all this flurry.

Charles (1874-1936) followed in Lorenzo’s distinguished steps, placing first in ophthalmology in 1898 and even took his father’s place as surgeon with the Royal Malta Regiment of Militia in 1901, ending with the honorary rank of surgeon lieutenant colonel in 1921.

Concerned with the trachoma that plagued the islands, Charles specialised in its treatment in Naples.

Back in Malta, with the help of his father, he set up The Ophthalmic Institute of Malta in Ħamrun in 1908 to offer free services to the poor and needy while charging only a small remuneration to those who could afford it.

The lack of beds had meant that very few cases were being treated in hospital.

Lorenzo, who had retired from official service the previous year, lent his whole-hearted support for this noble undertaking. By the time it closed down in 1921, six months after Lorenzo’s death, the Institute had treated 4,568 patients.

The book, based on a great deal of unpublished documents and lavishly illustrated with over 70 photographs in full colour from the family archives, is a notable addition to Melitensia.

The book is available at BDL, San Ġwann, and leading booksellers.