Genitourinary tuberculosis in the urologic works of Professor Rafael Mollá Rodrigo

Professor Rafael Molla Rodrigo is considered by some the author who contributed with his scientific work and solid technique to consolidate Urology as a speciality in Valencia. Such importance is also perceived in a national level, as demonstrated by the fact that he belonged to the first board of the Spanish Association of Urology and contributed to its foundation in the two-year period 1910--1911, from his position of head of the department of Surgical Therapy and Operations at the Central University. Genitourinary tuberculosis is one of the most outstanding chapters of his extensive works.We reviewed all his works, selecting all original articles about genitourinary tuberculosis. Original articles have been obtained from the journals Revista de Higiene y Tuberculosis, La Medicina Valenciana, Revista Valenciana de Ciencias Medicas y Policinica, and from his two most important books, Clinical Lessons In Urology and Clinical Lessons in Urology and Genitourinary Surgery.Throughout his work he analyzes features of relevance about this disease, such as diagnosis, about which he emphasizes the clinical and bacteriological difficulties, and treatment, which was only feasible by precocious nephrectomy.He dedicates a great part of his work to the study of this pathology and defends a precocious diagnosis in order to perform the only treatment that had demonstrated efficacy. He also exposes the symptoms and variety of clinical presentations, as well as diagnosis through separate kidney catheterization with the aim to determine unilateral involvement.