Teodulo Topacio Sr.

Teodulo Topacio
Born
Teodulo C. Topacio

(1887-03-20)March 20, 1887
DiedJune 19, 1939(1939-06-19) (aged 52)
EducationUniversity of the Philippines Diliman
Medical career
ProfessionVeterinarian
FieldVeterinary medicine
InstitutionsBureau of Animal Industry (Philippines)

Teodulo C. Topacio Sr. (March 20, 1887 – June 19, 1939) was a Filipino veterinarian recognized for contributing for the eradication of rinderpest in the Philippines

Early life and education

Teodulo C. Topacio was born on March 20, 1887, to an illustrado family. He hails from Cavite. His father Cayetano Topacio was the deputy minister of finance in the cabinet of President Emilio Aguinaldo during the revolutionary government.

He was selected as a scholar in 1905 under the Pensionado Act which sent him to the United States to study at the University of Nebraska. He graduated in 1909 with a bachelor's degree.

From 1912 to 1915, he studied at the College of Veterinary Science of University of the Philippines Manila Topacio returned to America in 1927, to attend the State College of Washington and obtained his master's degree in bacteriology the following year. He did graduate work in bacteriology and pathology at the University of Pennsylvania. He then studied at the Johns Hopkins University from 1930 to 1931, graduating with a doctorate degree in hygiene. The topic of his thesis was about filterable virus.

Career

Topacio and his colleagues were tasked to improve the vaccine for rinderpest developed by William Boynton in 1923.

In February 1926, the United States Army Medical Department Research Board, at the request of Governor-General Leonard Wood and the Bureau of Agriculture, conducted a study to improve the vaccine. Major Raymond Kelser led the group that conducted the study with other members included Topacio, Stanton Youngberg, and Ildefonso Patdu. The chloroform-treated wet tissue vaccine was developed within months with Filipino veterinarians Manuel Robles and Juan Generoso in 1931 modifying the vaccine to extend its shelf life.

Until his death, Topacio served as head of the veterinary research division of the Philippines' Bureau of Animal Industry.

Death and legacy

Topacio died on June 19, 1939, of apoplexy caused by hypertension. He was survived by his son, Teodulo Jr. who grew up to be a veterinarian who did study on leptospirosis in the Philippines. Rinderpest was also eradicated in the Philippines by the end of the year.

References

  1. ↑ Manuel, Mauro; Tongon, Mario; Topacio, Teofilo Jr.; De Ocampo, Grace, eds. (2002). "Chapter XVIII: Who's Who in Veterinary Medicine and Vetenerinary Medicine Trivia". A Century of Veterinary Medicine in the Philippines, 1898-1998. Diliman, Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. pp. 274–275. ISBN 971-542-299-3.
  2. ↑ Index-Catalogue of Medical and Veterinary Zoology. Part 16: Authors: T to Tsykalas. United States Bureau of Animal Industry. March 1952. p. 5136. Retrieved 3 November 2026. TEODULO T. [1887-1939] [Dr., B. S., M. Sc. Bacteriol., Dr. Sc. Hyg., Chief Vet. Research Div., Philippine Bureau Animal Indust.]
  3. 1 2 Orosa, Mario. "The Philippine Pensionado Story" (PDF). p. 16. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Javier, Emil (20 July 2019). "A split second in time". Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Deaths". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 95: 394. 1939. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  6. ↑ Dela Cruz, Arleigh Ross (March 2013). "Epizootics and Veterinary Science Education in the Philippines: The College of Veterinary Science of the University of the Philippines, 1910-1919" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Dela Cruz, Arleigh Ross. "Epizootics and the Colonial Legacies of the United States in Philippine Veterinary Science" (PDF). International Review of Environmental History. 2: 168, 171. Retrieved 3 November 2026.