Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas
| Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Born | February 24, 1888 Adjuntas, Puerto Rico |
| Died | October 21, 1932 Washington, D.C. |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1917-1932 |
| Rank |
 Major |
| Unit | Army Dental Corps |
Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas,DDS (February 24, 1888 – October 21, 1932) was an odontologist (dentist), scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.
Fernando Emilio Rodríguez Vargas was born in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico to Luciano Rodriguez and Dolores Vargas. There he received both his primary education. Adjuntas did not have a high school until 1950, therefore he attended high school in the City of Ponce where the other students from Adjuntas went. After he graduated from high school, he applied and was accepted in the University of Puerto Rico where he took paramedic courses and earned his teachers certificate. He then went to work as a United States Internal Revenue Service inspector and later as a Spanish translator for the United States War Department. In 1910, Rodríguez Vargas applied and attended Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. where he earned his DDS degree in 1913. From 1913 to 1915, Rodríguez Vargas had his private practice in Washington, D.C. In 1915, he joined the United States Indian Medical Services, and was assigned to Tucson, Arizona located in the southwest region of the United States. During this time he studied the mottled enamel situation which was affecting Native Americans.
On August 16, 1917, he joined the United States Army and on September 14, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant. Rodríguez Vargas was assigned to the Army Dental Reserve Corps and attended a course at the Medical Officer's Training Camp at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia before being sent overseas.
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