“TALK OF THE TOWN”
COLUMN BY MANNY CORREIRA
February 2008

By Manny Correira, Veteran American Journalist
Chief Marshal of the Bristol Fourth of July 2007

Published by The Scene Journal = South Coastal Eastern New England. 
 Serving The Southeastern New England Community, U. S. A.

TALK OF THE TOWN:
MEET DOCTOR DA SILVA  

Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva has balanced medicine and history
in a very unique way.In his library at home in Bristol, Rhode Island, USA.
(Photo by Manny Correira)

BRISTOL, RI  -- The wool, knitted cap and wrap-around scarf are instant giveaways.

If you’ve ever been in the presence of retired Bristol physician Manuel L. Da Silva, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Dr. Da Silva is one of the most recognizable figures in the town of Bristol, yet completely unassuming. He’s talkative, responsive, and a man of compassion. He speaks his mind and can exchange viewpoints on virtually any subject. He’s always been that way.

The good doctor and I have been friends for nearly five decades. As a matter of fact, I’ll tell you how long it’s been. It started in late winter of 1963, when he and a group of noted area physicians were among the first to practice at the new Bristol County Medical Center. That’s almost 45 years ago, and to this day, I’m proud to call Dr. Da Silva a personal friend and confident…a man not only known for his astute medical observations, but someone who has literally changed the course of history through his exhaustive findings.

Being of Portuguese heritage in a town inundated with a heavy Portuguese presence, Dr. Da Silva has served his people well. Through either his sensitive medical examinations or startling historical revelations, Dr. Da Silva has been a rare combination of scientist and historian...sort of a new-era Leonardo Da Vinci, if you will.

Because of this man, I’ve become a better person in my profession. I’ve followed his exploits during this entire duration and have marveled at his ability to get to the root of any medical problem or ascertain some piece of historical data that is of enormous interest, not only to those of Portuguese descent, but anyone on the street.

“All my life,” he explained, “I had two loves: medicine and history. When I got tired of one, I turned myself to the other. This way, I have been always a happy man.”

“In scientific research,” he continued, “medicine and history are very similar. The common people are not aware of this similarity. For me to be a practicing physician, I have to be a scientist. To make the correct medical diagnosis, I have to use in every patient the scientific method. Researching an historical document I also use the same scientific method of diagnosis. During my medical practice I have made close to a million diagnoses...some of them between life and death.

Therefore, my long medical experience gave me the training and the know-how to make original discoveries in historical research concerning the Portuguese discoveries, colonization and cartography of North America.”

Dr. Da Silva has been a pioneer of sorts. In 1975, when he was selected Chief Marshal of the Bristol Fourth of July Parade…the highest honor the town can bestow on a Bristolian, he was the first to lead the parade from its new formation area at the corner of Hope and Chestnut Street. Previously, the famous Independence Day parade, the oldest in the country, ran its course primarily throughout the downtown area of Bristol.

He also took an active role during weekly meetings of the Bristol Rotary Club, eventually rising through the ranks and into the president’s seat in 1986-1987.

Dighton Rock has also been one of Dr. Da Silva’s pet projects over the years. His discoveries regarding Christopher Columbus’ origin and the fact that the Portuguese were actually the first to land in the New World have drawn him critical acclaim.

Dr. Da Silva has been studying the history of the Dighton Rock inscriptions made by Miguel Corte Real in 1511 for nearly 60 years. He proposed with original research that the first European Colony in New England was Portuguese.

In 1964, he co-founded the cultural organization “The Knights of Corte Reais” and served as president. He also was past-president and founder of the Portuguese-American Federation.

Dr. Da Silva received one of Portugal’s highest honors when he was awarded the Decoration of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1968, for organizing, in New England, the International Medical Congress of the Portuguese-speaking medical doctors in the world.

Locally, he initiated the weekly TV program, “Portuguese Around Us,” shown for 20 years every Sunday on Channel 6. In 1974-1975, he served as president of the Bristol County Medical Society.

Being such a public figure, you’d expect Dr. Da Silva to be a man in demand. Indeed, he’s been well-received by so many clubs and organizations begging for his services. He’s never been known to turn down any public appearance or speaking engagement.

Make no mistake about it, Dr. Manuel Da Silva has been a champion of the Portuguese people ever since he immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, in 1946.

He was born in 1926, in the village of Cavião, Vale de Cambra, District of Aveiro, Portugal. Once in America, Dr. Da Silva entered Washington Square College in 1948, and graduated from New York University in 1952, majoring in Biology. That year, he returned to Portugal because of his father’s death, and entered Coimbra University Medical School where he graduated with distinction in 1957.

After one year of medical practice in Portugal, he returned to the United States for an internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. He then completed his specialization in Internal Medicine (three years) at the internationally famous Lahey Clinic in Boston.

Since 1963, Dr. Da Silva was an associate member of the Bristol County Medical Center and an active staff member of Roger Williams Medical Center. For 21 years, he served as medical director of the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. He was also medical director of the Portuguese Continental Union, the largest Portuguese-American organization on the U.S. East Coast.

Dr. Paul J. Agatiello has always considered Dr. Da Silva a giant in the field of medicine and a great role model.

“Dr. Da Silva was an inspiration to me when I started practicing medicine back in 1984,” he said. “His concern for his patients, his commitment to medicine and his clinical acumen were much appreciated on my end. When all is said and done, I believe that history will say that he has been and continues to be one of the most influential people in the Portuguese community.  Congratulations to Dr. Da Silva and his family for a lifetime commitment to his profession and community.”

 Never one to boast of his accomplishments (and there have been many), Dr. Da Silva remains steadfast in his approach to medicine and history. Between the two, he has spent countless hours reading various material, writing numerous books, hosting scores of television programs and radio shows, and doing whatever necessary to form an opinion that is both unbiased and “to-the-point.”

One of his biggest achievements was having his recent book, “Cristovao Colon (Christopher Columbus) was Portuguese,” co-authored by his wife, Sylvia Jorge Da Silva, turned into an international film, “Cristovao Columbus—the Enigma,” directed by Manoel de Oliveira, the oldest move producer in the world, still active at 99 years of age. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in Italy this past September.

The book has been a smash success in Portugal, particularly in the Azores and Madeira. “In Portugal, the book is already in its fourth edition with 14,000 sold,” Dr. Da Silva reported. “The American edition is not yet available in the United States. We know there are various publishing companies already interested in Europe, the USA, Canada and Argentina. But, we have to wait until next spring to find out which ones show the most interest.”

Dr. Da Silva also has two sons, Manuel and Jose, and four grandchildren, Victoria, Alexandra, James and Katelyn. He’s been a devoted husband and family man. He knows where his priorities lie and he always puts everything in proper perspective.

I’ve marveled at this man’s passion for medicine and history over the years. I have never met anyone else quite like him. And that also goes for his dutiful wife, Silvia, who has always been right by his side, offering her own valued opinions and complementing her husband perfectly.

Having just finished his latest book on the origins of Christopher Columbus, I’ve come to the conclusion that Dr. Manuel L. Da Silva is a man for the ages…widely imitated, but never duplicated. Look for the knitted wool hat and scarf…you can’t miss him.