ABSTRACT
Early Life Born on November 29, 1874, in Avanua, Portugal, Antonio Caetano de Abreu Freire was baptized with the added honorary name of Egas Moniz. He attended boarding schools operated by the Jesuit Order or lived with his uncle, Abadelde, a priest. It was his uncle who carefully supervised his education. The family was land-rich but income-poor. Thus, when Moniz's father died, the ancestral home had to be sold. His uncle purchased it for Moniz and also assumed the cost of his education. In 1891, Moniz entered the University of Coimbra, where he excelled academically, was elected president of Tuna Academica, the most prestigious student organization, and wrote political pamphlets for liberal republicans who were struggling to overthrow the Portuguese monarchy.
