Paulo C. Campos (July 27, 1921 – June 2, 2007) was a
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
physician and educator noted for his promotion of wider community
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and his achievements in the field of
nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...
for which he was dubbed as ''"The Father of Nuclear Medicine in the Philippines"''.
[ The first president of the National Academy of Science and Technology, he was conferred the rank and title of ]National Scientist of the Philippines
The Order of National Scientists of the Philippines, abbreviated as ONS, is the highest award accorded to Filipino scientists by the Philippine government. Members of the order are known as National Scientists ( Filipino: ''Pambansang Alagad ng Ag ...
in 1980.
Early life and education
Campos was born in Dasmariñas, Cavite, on July 27, 1921. His younger brother was Jose C. Campos Court of Appeals of the Philippines Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...
.[De Guzman-Dizon, Dr. Campos is included in the roster of National Scientists of the Philippines, p. 148.]
Having graduated as valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
of his elementary and high school class, Campos enrolled at University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...
. He also took up his
medical school at the university. He then took his postgraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...
, the Harvard School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
, and Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a consortium of American universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with offices in Arlington, Virginia, Arvada, Colorado, Belcamp, Maryland, Cincinnati, Ohio and staff at other locations acros ...
.
Contributions to medicine
Throughout the 1950s, Campos would pursue graduate studies in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
; particularly at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...
, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
, and at the Medical Division of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a consortium of American universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with offices in Arlington, Virginia, Arvada, Colorado, Belcamp, Maryland, Cincinnati, Ohio and staff at other locations acros ...
.[De Guzman-Dizon, National Scientists of the Philippines, p.142] He developed an interest in nuclear medicine while at Johns Hopkins, and completed a training course on the field at Oak Ridge. Two years after his return to the Philippines in 1958, he was named as the head of the Department of Medicine of the University of the Philippines, and concurrently, the head of the department's Research Laboratories.[
As head of the Department of Medicine, Campos established the first Medical Research Laboratory in the Philippines][ at the U.P. College of Medicine. The facility, considered as the country's premier research laboratory in the 1960s,][ furthered research in fields such as ]epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
, physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
and biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
.
Nuclear medicine
Campos initiated the construction of the first radioisotope
A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...
laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
in the Philippines. With funding provided by the International Atomic Energy Authority
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
and other Philippine institutions,[De Guzman-Dizon, National Scientists of the Philippines, p.143] the Emilio Aguinaldo College was established at the Philippine General Hospital. As a result, it was made possible for the first time in the country to conduct such procedures as the basal metabolism test and radioactive iodine therapy[De Guzman-Dizon, National Scientists of the Philippines, p.141] At the clinic, and with funding from the IAEA and later, the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
, Campos conducted considerable research on goiter
A goitre, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly.
Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are caused by iodine deficiency. The term is ...
, a common medical problem in the Philippines. His team first suggested the injection of iodized oil (see poppyseed oil
Poppyseed oil (also poppy seed oil and poppy oil) is an edible oil obtained from poppy seeds (specifically seeds of ''Papaver somniferum'', the opium poppy).
Poppy seeds yield 45–50% oil. Like poppy seeds, poppyseed oil is highly palatable, h ...
) to goiter patients, a treatment later advocated by the WHO.[
Through the thyroid clinic, Campos likewise pursued research on whether there was a genetic factor that contributed to endemic goiter. His findings, as contained in a paper that he published in 1961, proposed that the ]iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
intake deficiency thought to be the main cause of goiter was just one of the triggering factors of the disease, and that physiology and anatomy proved to be more important considerations as some people were born without the enzyme necessary to take in trace elements such as iodine even if it were present in food and water.[De Guzman-Dizon, National Scientists of the Philippines, p.144]
Community medical outreach
As chairman of the Department of Medicine, Campos began the practice of fielding medical interns for community service in Los Baños, Laguna
Los Baños, officially the Municipality of Los Baños ( tgl, Bayan ng Los Baños), colloquialy 'elbi' or simply LB, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 115,353 ...
for one month a year.[ In 1963, the program was institutionalized through the organization of the Comprehensive Community Health Program (CCHP), pursuant to an agreement between the University of the Philippines and the ]Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
. The CCHP, which was based in Bay, Laguna
Bay () (), officially the Municipality of Bay ( tgl, Bayan ng Bay), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 67,182 people.
It is situated from Santa Cruz and s ...
, served as a community health center that serviced several towns in Laguna. Until its closure in 1989, it became the community laboratory of the UP College of Medicine, and it was there that Campos conducted testing on the use of iodized oil for the treatment of goiter.
Campos also founded a hospital in Ermita, Manila
Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city ...
, the Medical Center Manila, where he executed several of his ideas relative to health care in urbanized centers.[De Guzman-Dizon, National Scientists of the Philippines, p. 145.]
Educator
In addition to his service at the University of the Philippines, Campos was also affiliated with the Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine, which he and his family also managed. Appointed as the president of the college in 1973, he oversaw the establishment in 1977 of a second campus in Dasmariñas
Dasmariñas (colloquially shortened to Dasma), officially the City of Dasmariñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Dasmariñas), is a 1st class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. With a land area of and a population of 703,141 people acc ...
, Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
. The ownership and management of the Dasmariñas campus was sold by the Campos family in 1987 to the De La Salle University
De La Salle University ( fil, Pamantasang De La Salle or Unibersidad ng De La Salle), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private university, private, Catholic Church, Catholic coeducational research university run by the I ...
, which integrated it into the La Salle system as what is now known as the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute
The De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) is a medical school and allied health institution in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines. It was established in 1979 and is a constituent of De La Salle Philippines. The institute con ...
. The Campos family retained control over the Manila campus of what is now the Emilio Aguinaldo College
Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) is a private, non-sectarian institute of education located in Manila, Philippines
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the ...
, a partner-institution of the Medical Center Manila.
Despite his involvement with the Emilio Aguinaldo College, Campos maintained his ties with the University of the Philippines. He was named professor emeritus of the university and appointed a member of its board of regents in 1994.[
]
References
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Notes
External links
DOST - National Academy of Science and Technology: Paulo C. Campos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campos, Paulo
1921 births
2007 deaths
People from Dasmariñas
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