Anacleto Del Rosario:

born on 13 July 1860 at Santa Cruz, Manila

died on 2 May 1895
He was a leading chemist in the Philippines during the Spanish era
in Philippine history.
Regarded as the "Father of Philippine Science and Laboratory"
Del Rosario invented the formula for producing a pure kind of alcohol
from tuba in a nipa palm.
This formula won the first prize during the World Fair in Paris, France in 1881.
Del Rosario extracted castor oil from the palma christi, literally the "palm of
Christ" (castor bean), a native plant in the Philippines.

Anacleto Del Rosario (13 July 1860 2 May 1895) was a leading pharmacist and
chemist during the Spanish period. He was referred to as the Father of Laboratory
Science in the Philippines.
He married Valeriana Valdezco on 18 April 1883. They had three children, Jose, Luis,
and Rose.
Early life and education
Del Rosario was born on 13 July 1869 on Quiotan Street (now named Sales Street in
honor of his maternal name) in Santa Cruz, Manila. He was the only one who
survived out of the eleven children of Eugenio Del Rosario and Casimira Sales. His
father was a maker of cordons used by the military while his mother was a street
vendor of fruits, vegetables, and other food. His father died when he was five years
old, leaving his mother to support his schooling.

Del Rosario first studied informally under the guidance of an uncle who was a
lawyer. He received his primary education under private tutors and his secondary
education from a school master.
In 1873, Del Rosario was enrolled in Ateneo Municipal de Manila when he was
already in his third year. He befriended Jose Rizal and studied Latin under Francisco
de Paula Sanchez. He made electric bells, toys, household fixtures, and other
objects which he sold for extra income. He was made a member of the
Congregacion Mariana in recognition of his outstanding performance in school and
his good values.
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1876, Del Rosario enrolled in
the University of Santo Tomas and took a course in Pharmacy. On 22 November
1879, his scientific essay entitled Estudio Sonre a Unidd de las Fuerzas Fisicas won
a consolation prize in an open composition held by the Liceo Artistico-Literario of
Manila. On 6 August 1881 the government appointed him to the commission tasked
to study the mineral waters of the Philippines, even though he was still an
undergraduate.
On 25 September 1881, in the competition sponsored by the Real Sociedad
Economica de Amigos del Pais on its centenary celebration, del Rosarios Un Estudio
Sobre las Aguas Minerales de Zaragoza won honorable mention while another piece
entitled Los Ofidios Venonosos Ms Comunes del Pais won him a diploma and a
silver medal.
After obtaining the title agrimensor y perito tasador de terrenos (expert surveyor
and assessor of lands) from the Ateneo Municipal, Del Rosario worked as a private
surveyor and surveyed the haciendas owned by Emilio Araneta in Silay, Negros
Occidental, among others. He used his earnings to continue his studies at
the University of Santo Tomas, support his mother, buy books and microscope. He
finally graduated from UST in March 1882 with a degree in pharmacy with
qualification of sobresaliente (substitute).
Career
As chemist, Del Rosario partly built the commercial names of the manufacturers of
the Ayala distillery. He was successful in producing alcohol from nipa tuba (wine)
which was absolutely free of characteristic odor. He sold his formula for the
purification of local alcohol to Ayala & Company. They exhibited the alcohol at the
Worlds Fair in Paris in 1881 where it won first prize.
Del Rosario worked as an apprentice in a friends establishment for some time
before setting up a drug store with Enrique Perez as a partner. He also worked as a
chemist in the La Rosario distillery on R. Hidalgo Street which was then managed
by Benito Legarda.
After some time, del Rosario sold his share of the drug store to his partner and
managed Botica de Javega which was located at Escolta. With his savings and a
grant from Doroteo Cortes, he established the Botica San Fernando in Binondo.

On 17 June 1882, Del Rosario was appointed pharmacist-member of the Sanitary

Commission in the 8th district of Manila. When the cholera outbreak happened, he
was assigned to a quarantine station in Mariveles, Bataan on 12 July 1882. On 11
March 1883 he was assigned as pharmacist-member in the Junta Inspectoria y
Administradora of the Bilibid Prisons on 11 March 1883. He later on served as
secretary of the Junta from 1885 to 1888. In June 1882, Del Rosario received his
degree of Doctor of Pharmacy. He became a professor of chemistry and pharmacy at
the University of Santo Tomas.
On 24 January 1885, Del Rosario was appointed to the body created to study the
mineral waters of Luzon. He co-wrote Memoria Descriptiva de los Manantiales
Minero-medicinales de la Isla de Luzon published in 1890 and Estudio Descriptivo
de Algunos Manantiales Minerales de Filpinas published in 1893.
On 10 March 1885 Del Rosario was named municipal pharmacist for the north
district of Binondo. At the same time, he was also doing analytical work for private
companies and individuals as legal chemist and as toxicologist for the government.
On 28 July 1885, he was awarded for his service by the University of Santo Tomas
during the inauguration of the Carriedo Water System in Manila.
On 23 December 1887, Del Rosario passed a government exam and the following
January 17 he was appointed director of the Municipal Laboratory of Manila.
Del Rosario was cofounder and secretary of the College of Pharmacists which was
organized on 29 November 1891. He belonged to the Manila Chamber of Commerce
and served as its secretary for a time. During his term, he wrote two of its annual
reports and edited its Boletin.
Del Rosario once recommended the dredging of the Pasig River after he found out
that algae caused its persisting odor. He made more than 50 analysis of mineral
springs and medicinal waters of the Philippines during his lifetime. He was ordered
by the government of Manila to report on beer adulterations in 1887 and also made
303 chemical analysis of cane sugar for Ker & Company in the same year.
Published works

El Analysis Quimico de las Aguas Minerales, in La Oceania Espaola (8, 14,

15 November 1885)

La Leche de Caraballa, ibid., 28 March1885

Contribucin al Estudio de la Esencia de Ilang-ilang, in Revisita

Farmaceutica de Filipinas, (January 3, March 3, and April 3 in 1893)

El Guano de Filipinas, ibid., (3 May 1893)

Los Olores del Pasig (Manila 1886)

Apuntes para el Estudio de un Nuevo Entfito (Manila 1887)

Resultado de los Analysis Micro-quimicos en la Provincia de Manila (1888)

The Purification of Philippine Alcohols

Anacleto Del Rosario Known as the Father of Laboratory Science in the Philippines,
Anacleto Del Rosario worked as a chemist during the Spanish period of the
Philippines history. The owner of several different drug stores in the Philippines
where he worked as a professional chemist. Rosario managed Botica de Javega,
which was located in Escolta. This was co-owned with other chemists, but he also
went on to establish his own Botica San Fernando in the town of Binondo after his
initial period of success. During this time he also worked on many different scientific
experiments in his own laboratories that he had built for the purpose, to help
advance the field of Philippine science. What Anacleto Del Rosario is perhaps best
known for in the rest of the world is winning first prize at the World's Fair in Paris in
1881. This was due to his discovery of alcohol production from native Filipino Nipa
palm trees that managed to be completely odorless. This formula was then sold to
Ayala and Company, who helped exhibit it in Paris at the World's Fair that year.
Rosario was a champion of the native botanical properties and possibilities of the
botanicals that were native to the Philippines, and conducted a series of
experiments into their use for pharmaceuticals and other mutable properties. In
addition to the accolades that Anacleto Del Rosario received for his work on
producing the odorless alcohol from Nipa palm trees, he also received a number of
other important distinctions from the professional sector of the era. In 1882, he was
appointed a pharmacist-member of the Sanitary Commission, located in the 8th
district of the capital city of Manila. This allowed him to complete work into making
society better through hygiene and sanitation, which at that time was a big problem
in the urban areas of the country. Also in 1882, Anacleto Del Rosario received a
doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Santo Thomas. He was then
appointed a professor of chemistry and pharmacy at this same academic institution.
Publishing several important documents detailing the features and uses of native
botanicals and minerals in the next few years, he was then named as the municipal
pharmacist in the northern district of Binondo, Philippines, where his first pharmacy
was also located. In later life, he was distinguished as the director of the Municipal
Laboratory of Manila and the cofounder of the College of Pharmacists in 1891.