Pedro Mata y Fontanet (1811-1877) was a Spanish medical doctor referenced by the author Jorge Luis Borges in his work "The Analytical Language of John Wilkins". Mata is cited as having written a book entitled Curso de lengua universal or The Study of Universal Language, which was purportedly written in Buenos Aires in 1886.[1] Borges' piece on John Wilkins focused on an attempt at creating a universal language.
The calle del Doctor Mata, a street in Madrid, is named in honor of Pedro Mata y Fontanet.
Dr. Mata is also referenced, humorously (his family name means "[he] kills"), in Ángel Ganivet's novel Los trabajos del infatigable creador Pío Cid.