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| History of San Lazaro |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Friday, 21 November 2008 06:00 |
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HISTORY OF THE SAN LAZARO HOSPITAL By SADDIE L. BURKHOLDER & IRVING HART March 1948
I
A man there was, tho’ some did count him mad The more he cast away the more he had. He that bestows his goods upon the poor. Shall have as much again, and ten times more.
-o-
Da Domine, ut quae ex inmensa bonitate tue nobis clargiri dignatue eos, in quorum cunque manus deverint, in tuem simper cedent gloriam. Amen. (Translation) : Grant O Lord! That what out of thine Infinite bounty thou hast vouchsafed to lavish upon us, into whosoever hands it may devolve may it always be improved to thy glory. Amen.
If one were to request from a resident of Manila the whereabouts or location of the Hacienda Mayhaligue, the probability is that he would be informed to the effect that “it might be somewhere in the provinces, but surely not in or about Manila.”
Yet it is located in Manila, and, strange to relate, thousands of people pass it daily without ever knowing or realizing that he San Lazaro Hospital, on Rizal Avenue, is a small part, and was known for many many years as the “Hacienda Mayhaligue.”
The early history of this hacienda is somewhat mystic. But crude maps and drawings would seem to indicate that at one time it was the property of Chinese mestizo, a devout and humble man who served God in humility and fasting, extending to the poor and needy in times of drought, fire, pestilence and other calamities, a large part of his wealth, yet notwithstanding all this he continuously increased his holdings.
At his demise, dying without heirs and being a leper himself, he willed: “That all rentals collected from the tenants be used exclusively for the maintenance and upkeep of the lepers of the Philippines, lest they be neglected and underfed.”
So the Hacienda de Mayhaligue, in its entirety, was taken over by the Spanish government, who, in turn, entrusted it to the care of the Order of St. Francis, sometime in the year 1576, or 1577, and was administered by that Order, by the grace of God, until 1636, when, by the then Governor of the Islands, Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, the administration of the hacienda was unjustly taken from this Order, and turned over the King of Spain, to the Jesuits, who administered same until they were expelled from the Philippines, several years later, and when this took place they were forced to turn the management back to the Order of Saint Francis, which continued to administer same until the American occupation of the Islands in 1898.
This history of San Lazaro Hospital, as we know it today, dates back to the year 1577. In that year (the same year Sir Francis Drake made his historical and adventurous travel around the world) a Godly man, fray Juan Clemente, a lay brother of the Order of St. Francis with fourteen other members of the same Order, arrived in the Philippines.
Upon his arrival, although a botanist, he was assigned as a “doorkeeper” in the San Francisco Convent in Manila, and holding this humble position he could not help but take note of the beggars that daily came to the Convent soliciting alms. Naturally he very soon began to be interested in not only their spiritual needs, but also in their physical ailments, he taking note that many of the supplicants were covered with loathsome sores and tropical ulcers, so he soon began to brew his herbs and apply his medicaments.
And within a short time his fame had spread to the uttermost parts of the Archipelago, and he was forced to enlarge his work which was impossible in the little Chapel that was at his disposal. So he finally decided that the proper thing to do was to take the matter which lay so heavily on his heart to his superior. And one day, on bended knees, he poured to this holy man of God his sorrows, informing him that he and some of his co-workers were doing all that could be done, but due to the lack of adequate quarters, there was no place for the sick and needy to congregate and be treated for their infirmities, and he was at a loss just what to do in his extremity.
This kindly man, who, with smiling face, had listened patiently to the tale of suffering and misery, coupled to a lack of suitable quarters where with to care for the sick and the needy, arose from his seat, and placing his two hands on the bared poll of his subordinate, told him to be of good cheer. Adding, “In some way God will provide, let us place the matter before Him,” and then, as an afterthought he, continued his remarks by saying: “I think it would be feasible to fill in the morass which lies in front of our Convent, and if this can be done I have even at the present time a small sum of money that may be used to purchase materials for small additional buildings.”
This piece of ground was located in the Walled City, where the present Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. building now stands, and was a low swampy place, always flooded at high tide, and looked upon as worthless.
But fray Juan was overjoyed, and he hurried back to his flock, and told them the glad tidings. He also importuned his Patron Saint to aid him, and either it was by saintly aid, or the desires of the patients themselves, very soon may of them had volunteered to aid, and, the chronicle states: “These good men, and some women, worked all the day, even unto the night, carrying baskets of sand and gravel from the nearby Pasig river, and soon the place was completely filled.”
A good sized building with several small outbuildings were then built of bamboo and nipa, and the buildings were all that could be asked for, yet its life was very short, for a few years later, or be exact, on March 10th, 1583, the funeral of Governor Don Gonzalo Ronquillo was being held, the remains lying in state in the San Agustine Chapel, which was at that time a bamboo and nipa structure, a brisk breeze blew the Church draperies over the lighted candles surrounding the bier and in the space of minutes the entire building was in flames, which soon spread to other buildings and entire City, including the Hospital, was completely wiped out.
After this calamitous and disastrous fire, His Grace, the Rev. Domingo Salazar, the first Archbishop of the Philippines, together with Fray Clemente, toiled day in and day out to aid the people, and through their efforts may of the houses, including the hospital, were rebuilt, some of hard wood, while still others were built of stone and durable tile roofs.
A pried named Juan Fernando de Leon, a Franciscan ex-novice, arrived in Manila in 1590, and shortly after his arrival he became seriously ill and was greatly despondent. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment, remaining in the institution for several months, and in the course of his extended stay he became very much interested in the work as carried on by Fray Clemente, so much so that he decided to dedicate his life to the cause. By his enthusiastic effort and with the help of God, he was able to construct and additional ward and furnished the where-withal to maintain it. Later on, however, finding that his resources were insufficient to carry out his self-assumed obligations, he organized the Brotherhood of Santa Misericordia for the sole purpose of maintaining the hospital ward he had constructed, the same continuing under the religious and spiritual supervision of the Franciscan Order.
History is silent regarding the end of Fray Clemente. It is reported by some chronicles that: “he died in Manila and was buried, at his request, with simple but impressive ceremonies beneath the altar of the Hospicio,” but if so, historians failed to make a record of it. He has gone on to his just reqard, but his name and the great work he started have gone steadily on, and of a truth it may be said “that his works do follow after him.”
As time passed the Hospital once again was unable to accommodate all who applied for treatment. Proper and nutritious food for the patients was out of the question as the price of foodstuffs were excessive. Medicine, likewise, except those which could be made locally from herbs, must be brought from Spain and other far distant countries, so an appeal was made to the King of Spain for assistance. He responded to the appeal most nobly and issued a royal decree, endowing the Hospital with five hundred ducats in silver, one thousand five hundred fowls, one thousand five hundred “fanegas” of rice in hulls, and three hundred Ilocano blankets.Later on the King set aside for the Hospital two hundred ducats, taken from the Royal Treasury of Mexico, and also the wines that were used when celebrating mass.
There is a document still in existence in which Philip II admonishes Governor Tello to “provide carefully for the Hospital as this is a work of so great a charity, and it is at the same time a service to our Lord.”
In the Archivo General de Indias, in Sevilla, there is another document date July 3, 1599, addressed to his Majesty, Philip III, signed by Domingo de Santiago, on the three Fathers of St. Francis in charge of the Hospital, requesting permission to export to the Philippines, four tons of pepper, free of Customs and other dues, in the ship of His Majesty, which were leaving for Mexico. This was also followed by other urgent requests made by notables of Manila.
King Philip granted all these requests, but in later years the Hospital suffered from the lack of this source of income due to the failure of the pepper crop.
It required more than twenty years of constant labor to reconstruct the City after the disastrous fire of 1583. The work was not completed when, on April 30, 1603, during the Fiesta of St. Philip and St. James, Manila was again visited by a conflagration of such magnitude that before nightfall, half of the City was burned and several lives were lost, and, sad to relate, the fire originated in the Hospital itself.
Then it was decided that the proper thing to do was to rebuild outside of the Walled City. The former hospital, with all its staff, was transferred to the Brotherhood of Santa Misericordia, “which still continued under the religious ministration of the Franciscan Order. On May 13, 1656, the Hospital of Santa Misericordia was formally transferred to the religious Hospital of San Juan de Dios, whose workers had just arrived in the Philippines for the purpose of carrying on hospital work. This Order assumed the functions of both of the orders previously mentioned.
This was the beginning of the San Juan de Dios, which, up to the time of the bombardment of Intramuros, carried on a great humanitarian work, which can never be forgotten. Plans for the reconstruction of the Hospital, on an enlarged scale, are now being prepared, and some not far distant day, by the grace of God, it will function as of yore, and Manila will be proud of it, as it was in the years passed and gone.
The site selected by the Franciscans for the new Hospital was in the old pueblo of Dilao, where the Philippine Normal School is now located. It was at this time that a new name was given to the Hospital, due to the fact that a large number of lepers had been admitted. It was called the “HOSPITAL DE SAN LAZARO,” or as we know it today the San Lazaro Hospital.
The Hospital continued operating in that location for nearly sixty years. In the year 1662, however, the buildings were all ordered demolished by Governor Sabiniano Manrique de Lara for the protection of the city against the threatened invasion led by the Chinese pirate Kue-sing (Koxinga). A temporary asylum was provided for the lepers and others in the District of Quiapo, while permission was granted to the friars to erect a new building on land donated by the military authorities where the Sternberg Hospital formerly stood, or before it was set on fire by the American Military authorities, so as not fall into the hands of the enemy.
The buildings erected at that time were not suitable and Governer Don Manuel de Leon, at his death 1676, bequeathed tweleve thousand pesos to rebuild the San Lazaro Hospital, and two years later the construction was started by Friar Fernando de la concepcion, the Provincial of the Province of St. Gregory, and it is interesting to note that the stretch along one side of the former Sternberg General Hospital is called Calle Concepcion, thus perpetuating the memory of the builder.
After three years of labor a beautiful stone edifice, capable of accommodating some two hundred patients, was completed and the patients installed therein, the Royal subsidies which had been suspended, together with the Church ornaments which had been removed for safekeeping, being duly restored.
Nearly a century had passed before the tranquility of this Institution was again disturbed. And then during the British invasion in September, 1762, the enemy entrenched themselves in the rear of the Hospital and other buildings that were located nearby, and, from this vantage point seriously damaged the Spanish fortifications. However, it was not until 1783, when rumors were current that the English contemplated another siege, that it was deemed wise to demolish the Hospital and outbuilding, thereby making imperative that other quarters be found for the sick, especially the more than one hundred lepers.
Many different locations were given due consideration, but none seemed so well suited for the Hospital as the House of Mayhaligue, which in due time was reported to the King of Spain.
The King, by Royal Order of June 24, 1784, decreed that: “The House and Hacienda of Mayhaligue shall at once be converted into a Leper Hospital, and the old one destroyed as proposed, and as the sanitary requirements of the neighborhood and the defense of the post required.”
This was the beginning of San Lazaro Hospital in its present site. At that time there was only one small building, a dilapidated farm house, barely large enough to house the more urgent cased, with still a smaller Visita (chapel) being used as place of worship.
Additional buildings, however, were erected and in the year 1785, the entire estate, consisting of about four hundred hectares of land, most of which was tillable, was granted to the Hospital so that its rental would give it a steady and sure income.
The Hospital was somewhat somnolent and had a hectic existence however, and in the year 1823, desiring to be further informed as to the origin and nature of the work being done by the Hospital authorities, the King of Spain appointed a commission, composed of local authorities, to make an investigation and report direct to him. This Commission did their work thoroughly and soon discovered that the expenses of the Institution were far in excess of its revenues, and that the shortage had been met in part by the generosity of charitably inclined persons but even so, the caretakers were seriously handicapped by a lack of actual necessities.
The Commission, among many other things, recommended some reform measures and stated that in their opinion physicians and nursed should be employed to treat the lepers and other patients. These recommendations were duly transmitted and some time later adopted and put in force which improved conditions very much indeed.
However, a few years later the hospital was again in financial difficulties due to an epidemic and increase of patients, and the defalcation of one of the agent of the administrator. The lands also had been flooded and crops destroyed, discouraging may of the tenants, so much so in fact that they abandoned their holdings, thus depriving the Hospital of much need rentals. Therefore, further government assistance became necessary to save the Institution, so additional contributions of the receipts derived from the sealing-or-resealing of weights and measures amounting to something like four thousand pesos, was allotted to the Superior Government for this purpose.
In this way the Institution struggled along for years, but in 1859 was almost forced to close its doors because of lack of resources. The tax on sealing and resealing of weights and measures created in favor of the Hospital, by an adroit manipulation, was not turned into the treasury, but went into the public coffers. Sometimes a part of this was handed over to the hospital but more often it was not. The buildings also showed the ravages of time, the great earthquake of 1863 almost finishing what was left of them.
II
Not - “How did he die?” But “How did he live?”
Not - “What did he gain?” But “What did he give?”
These are the units to measure the worth, Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not - “What was his station?” But “had he a heart?”
And how did he play his God- given part?
Was he ever ready with words of good cheer, To bring back a smile, or to banish a tear?
Not what was his Church, nor what was his creed, But had he befriended those really in need?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say, But how many were sorry when he passed away?
It was the will of God perhaps at this trying time that a new man should appear upon the scene, the Rev. Father Felix Huerta, who, with some misgivings, set about to place the Hospital in order, repairing what could of some of the dilapidated building and rebuilding others. However, lacking funds to do all that was planned, he requested that the receipts for sealing and resealing of weights and measures be restored and paid direct to the Hospital, which, after much haggling, was agreed upon. He also raised funds through solicitations from charitably inclined persons for the building of a strong substantial Church, which stands today as a monument to his memory. He also provided for two recreation grounds, which up to the present time are still in use be many of the patients.
It would appear from the records available for scrutiny, that the most crucial period of this Institution appears to have been in the year 1859, or several years before the incumbency of Father Huerta, when fire and flood and pestilence had done it utmost, and the tenants, numbering about eight thousand, bewildered and discouraged, abandoned their holdings and emigrated elsewhere, the Administrator apparently unable to cope with the situation, writing the Archbishop, asking to be relieved of his duties, and recommending at the same time, “that the Hospital be closed for a long or indefinite period.” This, the chronicle relates: “displeased the Archbishop overmuch, and he accepted the resignation with alacrity and appointed Father Felix Huerta in his stead.” Asking him to assume the responsibility, and to pray earnestly to God for strength, and for guidance, so as to make of the Hospital a great and noble Institution.
So undismayed and somewhat encouraged by the words of his Superior, Father Huerta took over the management of the Hospital, and for thirty-five years he was not only the spiritual but the financial wizard of the Institution, bringing order out of chaos, and, from a financial standpoint, made of the Hospital as asset rather than a liability.
And no one at the time of his appointment imagined that he would, or could, surmount and overcome all the apparently insurmountable obstacles that were placed before him, nevertheless although he was supposed to be in the first stages of tuberculosis, his indomitable will never failed him and he seldom ceased in his labors for the enlargement and betterment of the Institution.
After assuming charge, he immediately started to erect additional quarters, and, strange to relate, he had hardly completed the erection of the first edifice when the great earthquake of 1863 almost completely destroyed it. This however did not discourage him overmuch, and within forty-eight hours after the quakes ended, he and his co-workers started to repair the damage done and to rebuild the part that had been destroyed. One chronicler declaring in his writings that: “Father Huerta was not dismayed or discouraged, but seemed to take it was the will of god, and that He would, in some way, provide funds for the reconstruction.
Father Huerta was undoubtedly an able administrator. He nor only called in all the tenants remaining on the Hacienda, informing them that they must pay up all arrears in rents, but he secured the names and the whereabouts of those who had moved away, and seeking these and holding out inducements, which in a small way included financial assistance, he induced may of them to return to their former holdings. Then, incensed at the lethargy displayed by government officials in restoring the subsidy derived from the receipts of sealing and resealing of weights and measures, he wrote a strong letter of protest, informing the heads of the Insular Government that this matter must be attended to at once, for if not he would personally appeal to the Queen of Spain. So realizing that if this happened the Queen of a surety would begin to ask embarrassing questions, it was restored, and with this increased revenue the work was carried on, the buildings enlarged and a new edifice costing P30,000 erected, as well as a stone building for the guards. The Chapel was likewise restored as this building had been damaged considerably during the severe earthquake in 1863.
Looking back in retrospect, it seems incredible that, during the thirty five years of his administration he collected and expended on the institution, more that P330,000.00, which at that period was indeed a large sum of money.
Of this amount P4,000.00 was derived annually from the tax on weights and measures: P2,500.00 from the Hacienda, and P500.00 from the real Tribunal de Consulado. (Galleon trade with Mexico which was still carried on at that date.)
When Father de Huerta took charge there were confined in the Hospital seventy-nine men, and fifty-one women, which was all that could be accommodated. Buildings that he erected increased the accommodation to two hundred souls, and, from this number, with few exception, all that were taken in and cared for were poor destitute lepers. However, it should be borne in mind that during the entire period of Spanish domination in these Islands there appears to have been no comprehensive official policy for the conservation of the public health. In no respect was this better exemplified than in the care of lepers, for everyone seemed to think it was the duty of the Church to care for these unfortunates, and it has been repeatedly stated that, even as far back as 1631, the Emperor of Japan, incensed at the way Catholicism was spreading throughout the Japanese Empire, caused a shipload of one hundred and fifty lepers to be sent to the Philippines, as a “present”, to be cared for by the Catholic priests, whom he well hated and despised, and it is presumed by some that leprosy was unknown here before that time, while still others claim that it was brought in from China by Chinese junks which carried on quite an extensive trade with the Islands even before this time.
On the 28th of July, 1894, Father Felix Huerta, his life work completed, passed on to his reward. Born of humble parents in Valdecarabanos, Spain, in 1814, he was at the time of his demise eighty years of age. The last years of his life found him very feeble and unable to carry on his work as of yore, yet he refused all kinds of relief and importunations and tried to go among his flock which he loved, and they, to a man, loved and respected him.
His manner of passing away was quite tragic. For several weeks before his death he was unable to move about very much. The Capellan, Father Mariano Martinez, who for many years served under him was constantly at his side, aside from celebrating mass and attending to the spiritual and material needs of the patients. On the morning of July 28th Father de Huerta informed Father Martinez that he himself would officiate at the celebration of mass. He was implored not to attempt it, but to no avail, he insisted, saying to Father Martinez, “permiterle, por ultima vez.” And while administering the Holy Sacrament he fainted away, and was carried to his room where he soon expired, dying as it did, on the firing line, laboring to the very last in the vineyard of the Master.
Father Felix de Huerta was buried with impressive ceremonies in a niche especially prepared for him in the Balic-Balic cemetery, which belonged to the San Franciscan Friars, or the Order of Saint Francis. When the use of this cemetery was discontinued and bodies removed to other resting places, the bones of this faithful servant were removed to a niche alongside the Franciscan Church in the Walled City, where they lie, undisturbed, today.
Father Mariano Martinez was then appointed Administrator of the Hospital, he serving in that capacity until 1897, when he resigned and returned to Spain.
His successor was Father Teodoro Fernandez, who was in charge of the Institution when Admiral Dewey steamed into Manila Bay. Then, it was reported, he tried several times to resign and quit his post, but his requests not meeting the approval of his Superior, he held on until August 13th, 1898, when he and all the others, except a few patients that were unable to move, scurried away, leaving almost one hundred unfortunate and helpless lepers to their untimely fate, or to die of starvation as the Gods might decide. However, one faithful practicante (nurse), stuck tenaciously to his post, cooking and preparing food for the lepers, until he was relieved by American soldiers- and a hospital steward –who were detailed for duty there.
Upon the occupation of Manila by the forces of the United States, the Hospital was found to be in abandoned and unsanitary condition, no one apparently having taken any interest in the leper’s welfare, and, as stated by Captain McKinnon, Chaplain, First Volunteer Infantry, of California, in a special report he made to the Provost Marshal General, he stated: “The Hospital inmates, ninety-eight in number, are in a terrible condition, due to the lack of food, water, clothing, and medical attendance.”
Measures were taken by the Provost Marshal General to provide relief for the inmates of the Hospital. Special Order No. 43. Headquarters, Department of the Pacific, dated September 19, 1898, directed the Chief of Commissary to set apart for the use of the Hospital, 600 lbs. of rice, 1,000 lbs. of bacon, and 10 lbs. of tea, to be turned over to Chaplain McKinnon as needed.
At this time the only medical attention given the patients was that rendered by the practicante, previously mentioned, who had served under Father de Huerta and knew quite well how to care for the lepers, and did all he could to alleviate their sufferings, and see that they were supplied with clothing and food.
The military authorities, believing that the lepers should have some attention given them by a competent physician, on September 29, 1898, Dr. Pablo Guevarra was appointed as house physician, and for a short period of time made daily visits to the Hospital and did what he could for the lepers there.
This was the only change in the administration and management of the estate and hospital until October 6, 1898, when Domingo Pacheco, a Spaniard, was appointed Administrator, and directed to collect rent, make, extend, and nullify leases, etc. However, the administration of this gentleman lasted for four months only, and cannot be described as a brilliant success, for he rarely visited the hospital, and gave but scant attention to the collection of rents, nor did he seem to take interest in the financial interests of the estate.
In the meantime the military authorities had discontinued their allowance and it was only through the efforts of Father McKinnon that the inmates were furnished food. He turned over daily to the practicante money which he secured from civil funds, which was, in turn, turned over to the patients who expended their allowances in the purchase of food from vendors who visited the Hospital and from outside markets, the cooking and messing being done individually.
Conditions turned from bad to worse, and so unsatisfactory, that on January 18, 1899, Mr. Pacheco tendered his resignation, and no administrator was appointed in his stead and what little administrative work done, was negligible, conditions gradually growing worse at the Hospital, and, upon the outbreak of the Insurrection, in February, 1899, many of the inmates escaped.
On March 1, 1899, by Special Order No. 35, the Provost Marshall General appointed Dr. Jose Mascunana as the resident Physician, and on April 1st Mr. Panfilo Jorge was appointed Administrator. It appears from the records, however, that while Doctor Mascunana attended to his duties faithfully, the so-called Administrator never visited the Hospital during his entire term in office, and on June 1st, 1899, Mr. Vicente Aguirre relieved Mr. Jorge, and Dr. Julian Feliciano took the place of Doctor Mascunana, who had sent in his resignation, completely disgusted.
Then order began to appear where chaos had reigned before. The Administrator turned in a full and complete report, stating that the buildings were in fair condition, the roofs leaking, however, in many places; closets in bad repair; insufficient medical attention; lack of clothing, and no library or games of any kind, for the diversion of the patients. Further, he reported that about two hundred persons who had no right were making their homes in the lower part of the Hospital, and that visitors came and went at will which should be prohibited.
Considering the chaotic conditions existing at that time the achievements during the administration of Mr. Aguirre were all that could be expected. For under his administration the revenues of the estate were materially increased and he remained in office until December 14th, 1899, when the Provost Marshal General, by Official communications, place the newly appointed Board of Health in direct control of the Hospital and its inmates.
III
There stands a monument, noble and grand, Built at a sacrifice, and at God’s command.
Some of its builders have now passed away,
But the buildings themselves were all built to stay,
Their doors ever open for the halt And the blind,
With a God-given slogan: “Oh! Be kind to mankind.”
It goes without saying that the history of any institution, irrespective of its nature for which it was founded, is not made by the institution itself but rather by those who assume the responsibility of its management, either bring it to the highest pinnacle of success, or drag it down, bringing it into disrepute, making it a curse to mankind and at the same time a blot on the escutcheon of the Nation’s history.
It is not the intention of the authors of this brief sketch to paint the San Lazaro Hospital in fantastic colors, writing of it as a model, perfect institution, nor will its many defects be mentioned, for the truth is that it has its shortcomings and all the words that might be printed in an article of this nature could not alter the fact that it is a government institution and as such is sometimes referred to as an “infernal institution” without a heart, soul, or conscience, or in other words just a plain cake of ice.
The San Lazaro hospital of today, however, is not the Hospital of yester-year, nor is it what many people imagine it to be. For more that three hundred years, or in fact until sometime after American occupation of the Islands, the function of this Hospital was to give shelter to, and care for, the lepers, who, as a rule, were poor and destitute, and could not care for themselves in any way whatsoever. The responsibility of this was placed entirely upon the Church and especially on the backs of the barefooted Friars of the Order of Saint Francis, who did everything that could be done to alleviate the suffering of all the unfortunates even to the bathing of the patients, cleaning and dressing their wounds and with it all praying for their eternal welfare.
The records of the Hospital, in many instances, furnishes us with the information that the spiritual welfare of the inmates was considered as of primary importance. For treatment there was always on duty one practicante whose primary duty it was to see that the patients were given food, and then, in his spare time, he attended to the dressing of the lesions and sores.
Medical treatment, as needed, was given by a cirujano ministrante, who visited the hospital weekly to amputate a finger or a toe, but that was as far as medical treatment went.
Its seems to have been the policy of the Spanish government during the entire period of Spanish occupation of the Islands, to leave entirely to the ecclesiastical authorities the safe guarding of the public health. Lepers were looked upon by the people everywhere as “outcasts” and “undesirables” and had it not been for the interest taken in them by the Church, who sheltered and cared for them, their lot would indeed have been a hard one.
After the American occupation of the City of Manila, one of the first things done was to enforce strict regulations that would tend to safeguard public health, and, as soon as it was feasible, the military authorities appointed Dr. Eliodoro Mercado, a well-known physician of Manila, to give medical attendance to the lepers then confined in San Lazaro Hospital while the military police gathered in all leper suspect found on the public streets, sending them to that place for observation and, if found positive for leprosy, for proper medical treatment.
Doctor Mercado accepted the appointment and was the house physician until July 1, 1915, when he was made a senior surgeon and house physician, a post he held until December 7, 1918, when he resigned from the service.
The name and the fame of Dr. Eliodoro Mercado will never be effaced from the history of San Lazaro Hospital. For more that fifteen years he gave medical treatment to the lepers and stove to find a medicine that would tend to cure them. That he finally succeeded no one can, or will, dispute. For under his treatment, in the 1912, three lepers were found free from signs of leprosy, in accordance with the tests then employed, and were discharged from the hospital.
These patients, with a goodly number of others, had been injected with chaulmoogra oil, mixed however, with other ingredients which toned it down, making it comparatively tolerable to the tissues, thus rendering it feasible to five intra-muscular injections, obviating in this way the oral administration of the chaulmoogra oil which was found objectionable because when given in large and frequent doses the stomach of most of the patients rebelled and treatment in this wise was not feasible.
After much experimentation Doctor Mercado had perfected a mixture composed of 60 cc. of chaulmoogra, 60 cc. of camporated oil, and 4grams of resorcin. This could be tolerated by the patient and was the first successful introduction of injecting chaulmoogra under the skin o into the muscle, as all previous attempts had brought on painful inflammations and oftentimes abscesses that would continually superate and refuse to heal.
From this time on, for quite a number of years, the “Mercado Mixture” as it was called, was the standard official medicament used. At the present time however it is not in use (except in rare cases), by the hospital physicians, as what is considered a more efficacious solution has been discovered, but great credit must be given to Doctor Mercado for paving the way, and hundreds, nay thousands, of “cured” or “paroled” lepers, not only those of the Philippines, but elsewhere throughout the world, can thank him and glorify him for his may years of labor and earnest endeavor which resulted in this important, and God-given, discovery. Doctor Mercado has gone on to a just reward, and unsung hero, if there was ever one.
In looking over the records of San Lazaro Hospital since the institution was taken over the Americans, first by the military and later on by civil authorities, it is interesting to read the names of those who at one time or another have been at the head of the institution. The first administrator appears to have been Domingo Pacheco (1898); Porfilo Jorge (1899); Vicente Aguirre (1899); Adolph W. Schrage (1901); Edward H. Halgreen (1901); Dr. B. F. De May (1902); Dr. H. S. Wilkinson (1903-1906); Dr. J. M. Biggar (part of 1905 as Chief); Dr. Almon P. Goff (1906-1917); Drs. R. E. L. Newberne,, A. C. Gaston, and Thomas W. Jackson (acting as chief during the absence of the regular incumbent); E. E. Ernst (part of 1917 as chief); Dr. Florentino Ampil (1916-1917); Dr. Catalino Gavino (part of 1918 as resident physician); Dr. Andres Catanjal (1920-1921); while Dr. Catalino Gavino assumed the management of the hospital (on March the 5th, 1921), as chief, and has held that position up to the present time.
During the more than twenty-five years of Doctor Gavino’s administration the hospital has been brought to a high state of efficiency; the grounds having been enlarged and beautified; new and important buildings have been constructed; the insane patients removed to the new, Psychopathic Hospital in Mandaluyong; an up-to-date crematory constructed; steam laundry installed; low marshy grounds surrounding the hospital filled in and new driveways and walks constructed, so that today although many of the buildings are old and should be replaced with more modern and up-to-date structures, it can truthfully be said that his hospital will compare favorable with any institution of a similar nature that may be found anywhere in the Far East.
The function of the San Lazaro Hospital cannot be said to be devoted entirely to the treatment of leprosy. It is rather an institution for all contagious and infectious diseases. Shortly after the American assumed control and a civil government was established, the problem for caring for the sick was a serious one. Cholera and bubonic plague broke out in alarming proportions, and while a large cholera camp was established in Santa Mesa, it was also found necessary to erect additional building in the San Lazaro Hospital grounds. These buildings, erected as they were as emergency quarters, were built of bamboo and nipa. When in May, 1903, occurred the great trozo fire all these buildings were destroyed. Then new buildings, of strong materials, were erected, including quarters for the insane (which were, later on, removed), and all departments combined and placed under the control of one man, as previous to that this was not the case, each department being a unit by itself.
The magnitude of the work of this hospital, at the present time is tremendous, there being a contagious department; Tuberculosis department; leper department; laboratory department; administrative department; pharmacy; nursing service, and dispensary.
Cases admitted are as follows.
a. Compulsory hospitalization. - Cholera and cholera carrier, smallpox and varioloid, plague, anthrax, diphtheria and diphtheria carrier – including group cases, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, venereal diseases – professional, anterior poliomyelitis, lethargic encephalitis, glanders, tracoma, leprosy and any other communicable disease the hospitalization of which the Director of Health may, thereafter, declare compulsory. b. Hospitalization, not compulsory. - Measles, chickenpox, typhoid, and paratyphoid fever, ileocolitis and dysentery, grippe, mumps, whooping cough, hookworm, intestinal parasitisms, tetanus, rabies, venereal diseases - - non-professional, and those ordered by the Director of Health from time to time.
c. Advance cases of tuberculosis.
The dispensary is divided into a: Medical clinic, dental clinic, skin diseases clinic, immunization clinic, and eye, ear, nose, and throat clinic.
The regular bed capacity is 1,310, but may be increased, if there is an urgent need of same, to 1,525.
The number of physicians are as follows: San Lazaro Hospital proper—12 physician, 7 interns (4 vacant). Detailed physician – 3 from the U.S. Public Health Service; 9 from the Tuberculosis Control section; 1 from the National Psychopathic Hospital; and 1 from the Social Hygiene Clinic of the City of Manila.
There are also one chief nurse, 5 nurse supervisors, 4 dietitians, and 88 regular nurses. Other employees total, 295.
The number of patients admitted during the fiscal year, 1946, totaled 18,413, costing in salaries and wages, about P240,000.00; and sundry expenses, about P600,000.00. |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 23 November 2008 23:53 |