Jose Rodriguez

• Renowned Filipino leprologist and researcher, Dr. Rodriguez devoted

53 years to the control of leprosy in the country. As one of the very
few pioneers in the early fight against leprosy all over the world, he
proposed a control program which was not only adopted in the
Philippines but in other Asian countries as well.

• Dr. Rodriguez had written many scientific articles on leprosy which

have been published in various journals all over the world and
considered classics in leprosy research.

• In recognition of his untiring struggle for the cause of leprosy in the

Philippines for over a half century, Dr. Rodriguez was recipient to many
honors and awards including the 1974 Damien Dutton award.
• José Natalio Rodriguez, MD, MPH (Philippines 1896 ) organized the
Cebu Skin Clinic in 1927, the Eastern Visayas Regional Leprosy
Treatment Station in 1928, and the Cebu Traveling Skin Clinic (the first
mobile leprosy clinic) in 1930. He also served a Director of the Bureau
of Disease Control, Department of Health in Manila, 19581961, part-
time consultant for WHO Regional Office for the South Pacific Region,
1962-1963, and consultant to the Philippine Division of American
Leprosy Foundation (LWM), vice-president of the International Leprosy
Association Eastern Region, and as a member of the Philippine
Association of Leprologists. He conducted studies on the early lesions
of children of leprosy patients, "simple macules" (indeterminate), early
tuberculoid and borderline cases, and investigated and developed the
method of intradermal infiltration of lesions with chaulmoogra esters.
He published his findings in over 100 papers.