An official media outlet confuses Anthony Hopkins with a deceased Cuban doctor.

TV Yumurí illustrated a publication about Juan Calixto Oxamendi Deprez, who passed away in 1885, with a color photograph of the prominent British actor.

  • CiberCuba Editorial Team

Juan Calixto Oxamendi Deprez y Anthony Hopkins © Facebook / TV Yumurí
Juan Calixto Oxamendi Deprez and Anthony HopkinsPhoto © Facebook / TV Yumurí

TV Yurumí, the official television broadcaster from Matanzas, shared a post on its social media about the 19th-century Cuban doctor, Juan Calixto Oxamendi Deprez, accompanied by an image of British actor Anthony Hopkins instead of the portrait of the physician.

"Considered one of the greats of Cuban medicine, the matancero Juan Calixto Oxamendi should be remembered on the 195th anniversary of his birth," stated TV Yurumí in a post that mistakenly illustrated Oxamendi's figure with a photograph of Hopkins.

Screenshot Facebook (after the original post was deleted) / TV Yumurí

The number of comments left on the post caused the state media to quickly rectify and include a portrait of the doctor from Matanzas. But the issue was already circulating on social media, turned into a meme and unleashing the most biting comments.

There were plenty of images and animations of the famous character played by Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs," the serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

Instagram screenshot / tvyumuri

"I died with this. Hannibal Lecter ate their brains. Oh my god, they have to stop!" said a Facebook user in the comments to the post made by journalist Ernesto Morales.

"Yes, that Cuban doctor also healed Zorro's wounds in the adventures I watched during my childhood," commented another user mockingly, referring to the character of Don Diego de la Vega portrayed by Hopkins in "The Mask of Zorro."

"I didn't know that Anthony Hopkins had a twin in Cuba. Who was a doctor in Matanzas. Cuban TV and Cuban journalists are out of league, they are lost," said an internet user in reference to the monumental blunder.

"That Telecentro in Matanzas is the best at producing themes for memes. Instead of being 'journalists', they should belong to the Humor Promotion Center. I'm sure they win 10 or 12 Aquelarre Festivals in a row!" assured another social media user.

Oxamendi Deprez was born in the city of Matanzas on October 14, 1829. He was educated at the San Cristóbal de Carraguao School in Havana, and in 1847 he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science from the University of Havana.

He studied medicine at the University of Madrid, obtaining the degree of Bachelor. At the University of Paris, he earned the degree of Doctor of Medicine with the thesis titled 'De l’emploi des purgatifs en Medecine' (On the use of purgatives in medicine, 1856).

He practiced medicine and taught in Cuba upon his return, where he revalidated his degree. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical, and Natural Sciences of Havana in 1861.

Their research produced specialized articles with curious titles, which seem to be taken from the notebook of occurrences of the leader of "continuity," Dr. Miguel Díaz-Canel.

"Memoir on the distilled water from the leaves of the bitter cassava, which can replace in the island of Cuba, the commonly used cherry laurel that comes from Europe" (1870); "Distilled water from the seed of the mamey" (1871); "Cardol vesicant (on the properties of the cashew seed)" (1871); "On the resin of guaguasí and its physiological and therapeutic properties" (1881) and "Indications on the therapeutic properties of peanuts" (1881).

What do you think?

COMMENT

Filed under:


Do you have anything to report? Write to CiberCuba:

editors@cibercuba.com +1 786 3965 689