Victor Heiser
Victor Heiser was an American physician known for his significant contributions to public health and his pioneering work in combating leprosy in developing countries. He experienced a tragic loss at the age of sixteen during the Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, which claimed the lives of both his parents. Overcoming early adversity and poverty, Heiser initially considered careers in plumbing and engineering before ultimately pursuing medicine. After graduating from medical school, he became the head of the colonial Bureau of Health in the Philippines in 1905, where he initiated important vaccine campaigns against smallpox and cholera. Heiser also advocated for a cemetery law to regulate funerals and the handling of the deceased, aiming to curb disease spread. His health programs are credited with saving an estimated two million lives. Later in his career, Heiser worked for the Rockefeller Institute and published his memoir, "An American Doctor's Odyssey: Adventures in Forty-Five Countries," which became a bestseller in 1936. Heiser passed away in 1972, leaving a legacy of medical advancement and public health advocacy.
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Victor Heiser
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- Born: February 5, 1873
- Birthplace: Johnstown, Pennsylvania
- Died: February 27, 1972
Biography
Physician Victor Heiser was a survivor of the famous flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1889, during which he lost both of his parents. He was sixteen years old at the time. Soon afterward, Heiser managed to leave Johnstown despite the poverty he suffered as a result of the flood. For some time, he considered becoming a plumber and an engineer, both of which he eventually abandoned in favor of being a doctor.
He graduated from medical school and went on to battle leprosy in developing countries, developing the first effective treatment for the disease. In addition, for many years he headed the colonial Bureau of Health in the Philippines, beginning in 1905. As head of the health department, Heiser launched vaccine campaigns against smallpox and cholera for adults and schoolchildren. He also pushed for a cemetery law that regulated funerals and the disposal of the dead to limit the spread of disease. With the health programs Heiser implemented, he is credited with saving as many as two million lives. Heiser eventually left his position in the Philippines to work for the Rockefeller Institute.
His memoir An American Doctor’s Odyssey: Adventures in Forty-Five Countries was published in 1936, and made the made the best-seller list at the time of its publication.
Heiser died in 1972.