PMLS 1 - Analyze chemical content or a chemical reaction
and determine concentrations of compounds
HISTORY OF MT
By Phill Galaroza, RMT
ASCLS – American Society for Clinical Laboratory
Science
Microscope – primary tool of MT’s
- Involves 70% of the job
WHAT IS MT?
- Combination of medicine and technology
- Application of procedures to develop a highly
sophisticated solution to medical problems, the
prevention of diseases, and monitoring o good
health.
- Applied science for it employs scientific
investigation to come up with diagnostic
findings.
- Auxiliary branch of laboratory medicine which
deals with examination of tissues, secretion,
excretion of the human body and body fluids by
various electronic, chemical, microscopic, and
other medical lab procedures.
RA 5527 or Philippine Medical Technology Act of 1969
- Approved on June 21, 1969
WHO ARE MT, CLS, & BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS?
MT – used in Asian countries
MLS – USA, AU, NZ,
CLS – Florida, USA
MLT (Medical Laboratory Technologist) – Canada
Biomedical Scientists – UK
- Medical investigator, performing sophisticated
analysis using state-of-the-art instrumentation.
- Examines blood and other fluids, make culture
of body fluids and tissue samples to determine
presence of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other
microorganisms
such as blood glucose, cholesterol levels, type
and crossmatching blood samples for
transfusion
- Use instrumentation to check
components.
HISTORY OF MT
 Hippocrates (460 BC) – Father of medicine
- Correlated anatomical parts with chemical
findings and causes of diseases
- With the delay of chemistry, scientists
used Alchemy
- Adopted triad of regimen with use of drugs,
surgery, and bloodletting in treating diseases
 They searched for the Elixir of Life (which was
claimed to be made in China during the Tang
dynasty, but instead they made arsenic)
 The willow tree was used to synthesize aspirin
 Crude surgery was made (despite surgery being
a taboo)
 Vivian Herrick – believed that intestinal infection
dated back to 1550 BC and is caused by Ascaris
lumbricoides and Taenia species (published in Ebers
Papyrus)
 Anenzona (1550 BC) – Arabian physician proved tha
parasites are the etiological agent of scabies
 Professor Ruth Williams – mentioned ( An
Introduction to the Profession of Medical
Technology) with urinalysis being a fad
- back then, crude urinalysis was used
- color, smell, taste, consistency, etc.
 Anna Fagelson (19th century)
- Italian physician at the University of Bologna
confirmed the beginning of MT when she
correlated the cause of death of Alexander
Gillani (a laboratory worker under her
supervision)
 Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)
- Dutch businessman
- Invented the first Microscope
- 1t scientist to observe and describe the
appearance of RBC and differentiate bacteria
and their shapes
- Used Rainwater as his first sample.
18th CENTURY
 William Occam – English philosopher who used lab
findings as a preliminary evidence in diagnosing and
evaluation a patient’s disease.
 Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow – Father of Microscopic
Pathology
- Emphasized the study of manifestation of
disease with the use of the microscope in the
cellular level
 Dr. Calvin Ellis – first to utilize the microscope in
examining specimens
 Baron Karl von Humboldt
- Formulated the Apothecaries Act of 1815
formally used laboratory findings for the
treatment of diseases and infections
throughout England and Wales.
- Required the instruction of botany, chemistry,
material medical and physics.
 1854 – The Medical College of St. Bartholomew,
LONDON established similar labs
 1858 – all part-time clinicians were reinforced as
teachers by whole-time professional units by
applying new tech.
USA
- Science was highly developed through Medical
Education reforms
 1871 – Harvard University established learning by
doing
- Considered to be the first internship program
- It was then followed by the University of
Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan.
 John Hopkins School of Medicine – provided 2
years of instruction in basic sciences
 Late 1870’s - William Welch (who was a student of
Virchow) and Mitchell Purden
- They were the first to apply clinical pathology to
medical diagnosis (Bellevue Hospital Medical
College)
 1875 – Dr. Welch established another lab at
Bellevue Hospital – a teaching lab.
 1885 – Dr. Welch became the first professor of
pathology at John Hopkins
- Soon became one of the Big 4 of John Hopkins
 1880’s - Dr. William Osler a clinical professor at U.
Penn
- used a microscope and blood counting machine
in the hospital
 The first lab established at U. Michigan
- The largest and best equipped laboratory related
to medicine
- Dr. Douglas was first to give lab instructions
 1887 – University hospital in Philadelphia was
established by Dr. Douglas and Dr. George Dock,
then later at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor.
- First hospital to mandate urinalysis and blood
examinations
 1885 – Sir John Burdon-Sanderson
- Applied lab methods to his practice of medicine
1887 – Sanderson concludes the use of laboratory
methods in clinical medicine educates pathological
problems
 John Hopkins establishes first clinical lab in 1896
 Another lab opened at U.Penn. called the William
Pepper Lab.
 1900’s – a census of 100 male technicians
- Clinical labs were then established in 1896
- this increased to 3,500 in 1920
- in 1922, there were now 3,050 hospitals with
clinical labs
The sudden rise of labs was attributed to the ff.:
- WWI (being the Trench war) causing Trench fever.
- The Immigration of Germans/ Prusians to America
together with their foreign diseases.
 1908 – Publication of a Laboratory guide “Manual of
Chemical Diagnosis” by James C. Todd.
- later by Dr. Arthur Stanford entitled “Clinical
Diagnosis by Laboratory Methods” which was
edited by Drs. Davidson and Henry
Dr. Henry then went on to revise the book and establish
what we now call as the MT’s and Pathologists’ bible,
the Henry’s Clinical Diagnosis
 1911 – revolution in the development of laboratory
science was approved by the Insurance Act
 1915 – state legislation of Pennsylvania enacted a
law requiring hospitals to have adequate
laboratories.
 1940 – US required a two-year collegiate education
with
 1950 – a student curriculum was formalize for a
Bachelor degree
PHILIPPINES
 WWII (1939-1945)
1949 – US bases were built in Luzon and Leyte where
the Americans brought members of the healthcare
team
- They resolved the health of American and Filipino
soldiers
 THE 26TH MEDICAL INFANTRY OF THE 6TH US
ARMY. First Clinical Laboratory in the Philippines
• Dr. Antonio Gabriel and Dr. Gustavo Reyes of the
FACULTY of Pharmacy, University of Sto. Tomas o#ered
medical technology as an elec5ve subject to 4th and 5th
year B.S. Pharmacy students.Rev.Fr. Lorenzo Rodriguez
Decided to o#er it as a course because of the popularity
of medical technology among pharmacy students.JUNE
17,1957> Temporary permit was issued by the Dept. of
Educa5on, for :rst to third year student.
University of the Philippines> O#ers a similar course but
the degree being conferred in B.S. Public Healt

• QUIRICADA ST., Sta. CRUZ, MANILA• (MANILA PUBLIC

HEALTH) The lab o#ered training programs to high
school graduates as early as FEBRUARY,1944.1943

• THE US ARMY LEFT in JUNE

• Endorsed it to the NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH

• The Department rendered the laboratory non-

func5onal forsome5me.DR. PIO DE RODA

• ORGANIZED MANILA PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY

from the remnants of the deserted laboratory.

• OCTOBER 1,1945o With Dr. Mariano Icasiano as his

assistant and who was then the MANILA CITY HEALTH
OFFICER.1947

• Training of high school graduates to work as medical

technicians by Dr. Pio de Roda and Dr. Prudencia de Sta.
Ana

• No period of training was set and no cer5:cates were

given.1954

• A 6 months laboratory training with cer45cate upon

comple5on was given to the trainees.

• Dr. Sta. Ana prepared the syllabus for the training

program.Medical Technology Educa4on in the
Philippines

• The Training program o#ered by Dr. Pio De Roda did

not lastlong.

• The FIRST B.S. Degree course in Medical Technology

was o#ered by the PHILIPPINE UNION COLLEGE and
MANILA SANITARIUM.

• A=er 2 years, PUC produced its :rst graduate, Dr. Jesse

Umali, now a successful OB-Gynecologist.1957-1958