Arturo Belleza Rotor
Encyclopedia
Arturo B. Rotor was a Filipino
medical doctor, civil servant, musician, and writer.
and attended the University of the Philippines
. He graduated simultaneously from the Conservatory of Music and the College of Medicine. He trained further at Johns Hopkins University
's medical school, publishing a paper on a rare form of hyperbilirubinaemia (jaundice) now known as "Rotor syndrome
".
During World War II
, Rotor served as executive secretary of the Philippine Commonwealth government-in-exile under Manuel L. Quezon
, the Philippine president in exile. In the immediate post-WWII period, he was appointed secretary of the Department of Health and Welfare. Later, Rotor was director of the University of the Philippines' Postgraduate School of Medicine and was a practising physician until the early 1980s.
on orchid biology and becoming an authority on orchid propagation. The orchid genus Rotorara is named after Gavino.
An example of Rotor's writing, the short story "Zita", is available as part of The Best Philippine Short Stories:
The Men Who Play God remains in print: http://www.ateneopress.org/detail_lang.asp?ID=45. It can be found on the website "A Critical Survey of Philippine Literature":
Rotor's role in post-WWII reconstruction in the Philippines: http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/civilaffairs/chapter16.htm
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
medical doctor, civil servant, musician, and writer.
Medical career
Rotor was born in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and attended the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
. He graduated simultaneously from the Conservatory of Music and the College of Medicine. He trained further at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
's medical school, publishing a paper on a rare form of hyperbilirubinaemia (jaundice) now known as "Rotor syndrome
Rotor syndrome
Rotor syndrome, also called Rotor type hyperbilirubinemia, is a rare, relatively benign autosomal recessive bilirubin disorder of unknown origin...
".
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Rotor served as executive secretary of the Philippine Commonwealth government-in-exile under Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
, the Philippine president in exile. In the immediate post-WWII period, he was appointed secretary of the Department of Health and Welfare. Later, Rotor was director of the University of the Philippines' Postgraduate School of Medicine and was a practising physician until the early 1980s.
Writing career
Rotor was an internationally respected writer of fiction and non-fiction in English. He is widely considered among the best Filipino short story writers of the twentieth century. He was a charter member of the Philippine Book Guild; the guild's initial publication (1937) was Rotor's The Wound and the Scar, despite Rotor's protests that someone else's work should have been selected. In 1966, the Philippine government recognized his literary accomplishments by awarding him the Republic Cultural Heritage Award. Rotor's best-known literary works are The Wound and the Scar (1937), Confidentially, Doctor (1965), Selected Stories from the Wound and the Scar (1973), The Men Who Play God (1983), and the short stories "Dahong Palay" (1928) and "Zita" (1930).Orchids
He was an orchid fancier and breeder, a long-time member of the Philippine Orchid Society, and is the namesake of a Vanda orchid species (Vanda merillii var. rotorii). Rotor shared an interest in orchids with his younger brother, Gavino B. Rotor, Jr. Gavino took this interest even further, receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
on orchid biology and becoming an authority on orchid propagation. The orchid genus Rotorara is named after Gavino.
Personal
Rotor died in 1988, survived by his wife Emma Unson, who taught college mathematics and physics. They had no children.Sources
- http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/2043.html
- http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40001284/#notes
- http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1065.htm
An example of Rotor's writing, the short story "Zita", is available as part of The Best Philippine Short Stories:
- http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/stories/zita.htm
- http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/authors.htm#rotor
The Men Who Play God remains in print: http://www.ateneopress.org/detail_lang.asp?ID=45. It can be found on the website "A Critical Survey of Philippine Literature":
- http://web.archive.org/web/20050813080341/http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/home.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20050219041646/http://www.geocities.com/icasocot2/rotor_god.html
Rotor's role in post-WWII reconstruction in the Philippines: http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/civilaffairs/chapter16.htm