Dr. María Generosa (Marita) Souto
The unexpected passing of Marita Souto, a renowned expert in thermalism, Professor of Physics and Chemistry in secondary education and full member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), has deeply moved the academic world and Galician society, where she had become a leading figure in scientific outreach. She passed away on 17 April, having left a profound mark on generations of students at the secondary schools where she developed her teaching career from the 1980s onwards, eventually becoming a benchmark in Galicia and Spain in the study and dissemination of the health benefits of thermal waters and their treatments.
In fact, Souto was admitted to the READ in February of last year with the speech “The Mysterious Waters of Inland Galicia: Ourense”, in which she reviewed the use of the region’s thermal waters throughout history, presented the chemical and clinical studies carried out on their capacity as a therapeutic or complementary treatment, outlined the legal framework within which thermal health and wellness centres operate, and reflected on the future of their medical use. Last November, she was honoured with the Torques de Honra award, granted every two years by the Chamoso Lamas Study Centre in recognition of her career in the chemical-analytical study of thermal and mineral-medicinal waters, especially those of the province of Ourense, promoting their appreciation as a therapeutic and heritage resource.
Delegate of the World Federation of Thermalism and Climatotherapy in Spain and headmistress and deputy headmistress at different secondary schools, Souto combined her teaching work with a vast and highly fruitful research career that earned her institutional recognition. Among other distinctions, she received the Gold Medal of Termatalia, the leading international fair for thermal tourism, health, and wellness; the Doctor Paul Couterier Medal of the French Society of Thermalism and Thalassotherapy for Oral Health; and the Award of the Regional Ministry of the Presidency and Public Administration of Galicia.
The newspaper “El Faro de Vigo” highlights precisely the commitment with which Souto promoted thermalism from both a healthcare and historical perspective, as well as her passion for transmitting her knowledge. “The doctor, teacher and Professor of Physics and Chemistry, who also held a degree in Pharmacy and a diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics, became throughout her professional career a true world reference in thermalism, thanks to her countless scientific publications on the subject,” it states in an extensive obituary dedicated to the academic. For its part, “La Voz de Galicia” highlights her reception into the Royal Academy: “The importance of her work was more recently recognised by the Royal European Academy of Doctors, which incorporated her as a full member on 10 February 2025, describing her as ‘an international benchmark in medical hydrology and scientific thermalism.’”
The newspaper “La Región” also highlights her admission to the READ and the words she addressed to that newspaper on the occasion of this academic distinction, which she later reiterated in her acceptance speech: “I want thermal and mineral-medicinal waters to receive the recognition they deserve in order to be incorporated into Spain’s national health system,” one of the goals she mentioned to “La Región” in her last interview. A situation which she acknowledged as difficult, but possible to achieve. The Ourense newsroom of the radio network COPE, for its part, also highlighted Souto’s role in outreach and recalled both her admission to the Royal Academy and her last public appearance: “Her last public act was on 5 March at the Liceo de Ourense, at an equality event organised by CSIF, in which Marita Souto was honoured as the first woman to preside over this trade union.”
