Javie Bryant B.

Redil BN2B 9/14/2022

The caregiving done by women, priests, and herb physicians in the pre-colonial Philippines
is where public health nursing in the country originates. Women at that time had few opportunities
to get a formal education in schools, a situation that persisted during the Spanish colonial period.
They were only allowed to pursue nursing education during the American era in the Philippines,
guided by the American nurses and missionary mentors, until then nursing became a full-pledged
profession in the country, a professional career open to both men and women in the Philippines.
Pre Spanish Era (Pre 1565)
In the pre-Spanish era, ancient Filipinos thought of health as a harmonious relationship
with the environment, both natural and supernatural. At that time, it was believed that ailments are
a cause of spiritual disharmony, and regaining health entailed appeasing the gods through dances,
incantations, and ritual offerings of food, clothes, and even blood. At the center of these rituals is
the babaylan who serves as the bridge between the physical and spiritual world. The babaylan is
considered the healer, priestess, and leader of the ancient Filipinos. Malaria was already present
during this era. Most of the treatment are done by the herb doctors. For indigestion, for instance,
leaves of the Anonas were used as a topical and applied to the stomach of children. Another
example of traditional treatment recommended by a rural faith healer is spitting well-masticated
areca and betel nut leaves into the affected area of the body.
Spanish Era (1565-1898)
During the Spanish era, in 1565, Hospital Real was the very first hospital in the Philippines
which was built to cater the needs of the Spaniards' army and navy, casualties from military
campaigns, and those who succumbed to tropical disease.
Bro. Juan Clemente was the first Franciscan missionary who created medicines and salve
to apply to the wounds of the countless beggars that gathered. It all began by providing public
health services for the indigenous people through a dispensary in Intramuros. The Hospital de Los
Indios Naturales, also known as Hospital de Naturales, was built by Clemente in 1578 and
consisted of two wards made of nipa and bamboo. The friars provided medical treatment for the
sick while also attending to the patient's spiritual needs.
In 1603, the Hospital de Naturales is turned over to the brotherhood of Santa Misericordia.
It was constructed to provide care for sick Spanish slaves and servants. In the same era, to
accommodate the escalating number of the sick, the priests built a modest-sized building behind
the convent and called it the Hospital dean Pedro Martir to accommodate them. It was created for
the Chinese who fell sick and died in poverty and abandonment.
The second smallpox outbreak, also known as bolotong, became the nation's first known
pandemic in 1574. By the 1760s, it had spread to the provinces of Cagayan, Samar, and Leyte and
had claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 Filipinos. A disease that quickly spread throughout Manila
and the other provinces. It was said to have originated on a Chinese ship that was heading to the
Ilocos area in 1789. King Carlos IV of Spain ordered the introduction of the smallpox vaccination
to the Spanish colonies, including the Philippines, in response to the said crisis.
An important development in public health administration during the Spanish regime was
the introduction of a safe water supply in which young women carried water taken from various
water sources and stored on bamboo poles
American Era (1898-1918)
During the era of American colonization is when formal medical education and more
medical benefits were given to Filipinos. the US ordered a widespread smallpox Philippine
vaccination campaign, and about 25 million shots were given in 1917 to Filipinos.
The turn of the century was marked by a brutal revolution, putting an end to the nearly 400-
year dominance of Spanish rule. General Emilio Aguinaldo who had led the Filipinos in reclaiming
their freedom, declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and established a
revolutionary government, one that included a Bureau of Public Health.
The most urgent health problem which confronted the Board of Health at this time was still
the spread of smallpox. A Board of Health study states that the sickness started to spread once
again among the American and Spanish forces in November 1898. The Board made the decision
to revive the former Spanish vaccine farm and standardize vaccine manufacturing in response to
the necessity for a reliable local source of smallpox vaccine. After that, skilled immunizers were
able to immunize close to 80,000 individuals. The Bureau of Health, also, led a one-week activity
of street sweeping, garbage collection, and general cleaning of houses and immediate surroundings
as a campaign against smallpox.
On July 1st, 1901 The Board of Health for the Philippine Islands was created . As provincial
and municipal boards were established, the Board soon changed its name to the Insular Board of
Health. The authority to create laws governing hygienic and medical procedures in the Philippines
was then granted to the Insular Board of Health. They were entrusted for overseeing public health
as well as researching illnesses and treatment options.
The Filipinization of Health: 1918 – 1941
The Filipinization of Health Services started when Dr. Vicente de Jesus, the first Filipino
Assistant Director of the Department of Public Instruction, became Director in 1919. Also, in the
same year, the 1st Nurses Law (Act#2808) was enacted, regulating the practice of the nursing
profession in the Philippines Islands.
The Philippines' health situation was assessed to be subpar by Leonard Wood and former
Governor-General William Forbes. There were several cases of TB, typhoid, and other infections
that may have been avoided. To care for the roughly ten million Filipinos, there were not enough
facilities and skilled medical workers. Health education received priority under Wood's
administration, especially for pregnant women and young children. Act No. 3029 mandated that
schoolchildren get a health assessment at least once per year as part of the primary goal of
prevention rather than cure. Efforts to expand the number of Filipino healthcare professionals
included things like the establishment of the School of Public Health and Hygiene.
 Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. succeeded Wood as governor-general in 1932. He abolished a
number of medical organizations and combined them under the Bureau of Health and Public
Welfare . Roosevelt emphasized on spreading awareness of health issues. Roosevelt was able to
accomplish it through the Bureau of Health's booklet publication "The Health Messenger," public
radio, posters, and festivals for lectures on health.
Through the passage of Commonwealth Act 430 on May 31, 1939, the Department of
Health and Public Welfare was created. The Tydings-McDuffie Act had already been ratified by
this point, and the Philippines was approaching independence.

References

DOH (2013). A legacy of Public Health. Retrieved from

https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/The%20Legacy%20Book%202nd%20E
dition_0.pdf
Labidon, S. (2012). Health in the late pre-colonial and early colonial period in the Philippines.
Retrieved from
https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10523/2643/LabidonSigridLS2012MSc.p
df?sequence=1
Torres, C. (2002). Health and Sanitation During the American Period. Retrieved from
https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=5202
Wikipedia (n.d.). Healthcare in the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_Philippines