Lorenzo Campins y Ballester (1726 in Palma de Mallorca – February 20, 1785 in Caracas) was a Spanish born physician considered to be the founder of the formal studies of modern medicine in Venezuela. He studied medicine at the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Gandía (1755). He served as a physician until 1761 when he travelled to Caracas to serve as a faculty member in the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas.
Francisco Javier de Balmis (2 December 1753 – 12 February 1819) was a Spanish physician best known for leading an 1803 expedition to Spanish America and the Philippines to vaccinate populations against smallpox. His expedition is considered the first international vaccination campaign in history and one of the most important events in the history of medicine. It inspired recent vaccination efforts such as that of Carlos Canseco, president of Rotary International, to start the worldwide program PolioPlus to eradicate polio.