Victor Heiser (1873-1972), US physician, hygienist and public health director. After graduating from medical school, Heiser spent much of his life try

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Victor Heiser (1873-1972), US physician, hygienist and public health director. After graduating from medical school, Heiser spent much of his life trying to prevent disease instead of just treating it. He worked in Italy, Egypt, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Java, Ethiopia, Thailand and Japan and had particular success in the Philippines, where he virtually eradicated smallpox. However, he was appalled by the way lepers were treated and frustrated by the failure to find a way to prevent and treat leprosy. Photographed in 1943.

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Photo credit: © AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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