The son of Rubio, continuing the name of the well-known eighteenth-century physician and medical author, and of his wife, *née* Galli, was born on August 7th, 1827, at Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz. He studied in the Faculty of Medicine, and graduated at Cadiz in 1850, having been from 1846-1849 engaged in the study of surgical anatomy and operative surgery. From that time onwards he rose to the first rank of Spanish surgeons, being at the same time engaged in politics and diplomacy as a Republican. He was Spanish Ambassador in London in 1873, a Deputy and Senator under the Spanish Republic, but under the restored Monarchy he restricted himself to medical practice and teaching. He was the first in Spain to practise ovariotomy in 1860, removal of the uterus in 1861, and of the larynx in 1878. He founded the Free School of Medicine at Seville in 1868, the Institute of Operative Surgery in connection with the Princess Hospital at Madrid in 1878, and the Reports of the Princess Hospital for 1881-1885 were drawn up under his direction. In 1880 he founded the Institute of Moucloa and was eventually buried there. In 1896 he founded the Saint Elizabeth of Hungary School of Medicine for Nurses, 'Enfermedares'. His jubilee of fifty years' practice was celebrated in 1900 and he was elected an Hon Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons on July 25th, 1900. He and Dr Cardenal of Barcelona were marked by their dark robes, slashed or decorated with scarlet. Rubio was further characterised by a long forked beard. He died at Madrid on August 21st, 1902. There is a photograph of him in the Hon Fellows' Album. A National Memorial to Rubio y Galli was raised by subscription in Spain. Publications: Rubio wrote much in *El Siglo Medico* in 1899, and founded the *Rivista Ibero-Americane de Ciencias Medicas*. He added notes to the Spanish edition of Le Dentu and Delbet's *Traité de Chirurgie*. He wrote on circumcision, and a sociological work - *Felicidad*. A bibliography of his surgical works, 1863-1890, is appended to the biography in the *Rev de Chir*, 1902, xxvi, 615.