Rodney C. Jung, MD, PhD, a lifetime member of the Society, passed away on October 22, 2013. He was 93 years old. Jung, who served on ASTMH's editorial board, is remembered for his pioneering public health efforts in the city of New Orleans. Jung was a senior author of the textbook Clinical Parasitology, a classic source of tropical medicine information for generations of students and scientists. He is survived by his wife Carol Jung and brother Fredrick Jung.
An obituary at MyNewOrleans.com details Jung's varied contributions to the improvment of public health in New Orleans -- from his world-renowned mosquito control commission to the “Jung diapers” that are still worn by the mules in the French Quarter. "All the hats Dr. Rodney Jung wore at one time or another could fill a warehouse," Brobson Lutz, MD, writes of his late colleague. Lutz also noted Jung's outstanding and effective leadership in the area of sexually transmitted diseases:
Jung wasted no time organizing a more effective program to address syphilis and gonorrhea. He implemented expanded reporting, outreach and educational efforts. He initiated a testing and treatment program at Orleans Parish Prison. Dr. Frank Gomila, an underfunded venereologist, was directing the treatment of 70 to 80 patients a day in the city’s VD Clinic, a former two-story drugstore, which had only one bathroom and fire code violations dating back to 1958. The examination rooms were described as broom closets with hanging sheets taking the place of doors. Within months Jung found a larger and more suitable space for the clinic. He personally drew plans for the new space to optimize patient flow. The new clinic opened to great fanfare with the police band playing and a prayer from Father Peter Rogers, the longtime police and fire chaplain. All these efforts yielded quick dividends. After being No. 1 then No. 2 for syphilis, New Orleans fell to No. 6 and then plummeted to No. 17 under Jung’s strong and dynamic leadership.
Image courtesy of Carol Jung.