Doctor Gravalosa
Dr. Gravalosa, an 18th-century doctor, popularized local waters for kidney issues; even Ferdinand VII used them for gout. Legend has it a sick cow recovered by drinking from the spring.
Doctor. Born in Vilanova de Sau during the first half of the 18th century. He graduated in medicine in Huesca in 1758 and practiced in Sant Hilari Sacalm during the second half of the 18th century. On August 23rd, 1779, he published a study titled “Relación de los efectos y principios constitutivos del agua mineral de San Hilario Sacalm“, where he recommended the waters of Sant Hilari for treating bladder and kidney stones. That same year, Dr. Balcells conducted the first chemical analysis of the water.
Soon after, the waters began to be bottled for transport, and it is documented that King Ferdinand VII of Spain received and drank water from the Font Picant to treat gout, around 1810.
There is a legend about the discovery of the medicinal properties of the Font Picant water. It is said that a shepherd took his flock to graze where the Font Picant Spa is located today. One of the cows had a kidney infection that caused it to urinate blood. As it drank water from a spring hidden among the bushes, its urine gradually cleared, and within a few weeks, it was fully recovered. The local farmers, amazed by this, spread the word until the town doctor, Dr. Gravalosa, learned of it. He decided to investigate the properties of the water and, upon confirming they were indeed curative, prescribed them to his patients and publicized their benefits across Catalonia, Spain, and even internationally.
From that moment on, more sources of mineral water were discovered. In total, there were five, each with unique characteristics. Three of these springs were declared of public utility on December 31st, 1879.
