in Berlin, Cruz was awarded with the gold medal in recognition of the sanitation of Rio de Janeiro. In 1909, he retired from the position as director general for Public Health, dedicating himself exclusively to the Manguinhos Institute, which has been named after him. From the institute he organized important scientific expeditions, which allowed a better knowledge about the health and life conditions in the interior of the country and contributed to the colonization of regions. Cruz eradicated urban yellow fever in the state of Pará. His sanitation campaign in the state of Amazonas allowed the completion of construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railroad, which had been interrupted due to the great number of deaths from malaria and yellow fever among the workers. In 1913, Cruz was elected a member of the Brazilian Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1915, due to health problems, he resigned from the directorship of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute and moved to Petrópolis, a small city in the mountains near Rio. On August 18, 1916, he was elected mayor of that city and outlined an extensive urbanization project he would not see implemented. Death and legacy In the morning of February 11, 1917, at 44 years of age, he died of kidney failure in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state. As a consequence of the short, fruitful life of Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, an extremely important scientific and health institution was born, which marked the beginning of experimental medicine in Brazil in many areas. To this day it exerts a strong influence on Brazilian science, technology and public health. References Buss, Paulo (June 2001). The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation: 100 years. TDRNews 65. Retrieved 2005-03-02. Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917) at FIOCRUZ: Oswald Cruz Foundation. Retrieved 2005-03-02. (website in Portuguese with English section) Further reading Cooper, Donald B. "Oswaldo Cruz and the Impact of Yellow Fever in Brazilian History," Bulletin of the Tulane Medical Faculty 26 (1967)L 49-52. Fraga, Clementino. Vida e obra de Osvaldo Cruz. 1972. (tr. "Life and work of Oswaldo Cruz") Stepan, Nancy. Beginnings of Brazilian Science: Oswaldo Cruz, Medical Research, and Policy, 1890-1920. New York: Science History Publications, 1981. Stepan, Nancy Leys. "Osvaldo Gonçalves Cruz" in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, vol. 2, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996. External links Cruz on the Brazilian 50 Cruzados banknote Museum of Life (online exhibition on Oswaldo Cruz 1872 births 1917 deaths People from São Luiz do