Post by von on Apr 12, 2005 8:51:37 GMT 7
The actual beginnings of Physical Therapy in the Philippines would be difficult to accurately ascertain.
The earliest recorded information of historical significance to the development of physical therapy in the Philippines was the formation of a Section of Electrotherapeutics, under the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Santo Tomas, in the school year 1908-1909. Its first Director was the renowned and respected Filipino Physician, Dr.Bonito Valdes. Listed among its faculty members then was Dr.Eulalio Martines as Assistant Director, and Dr.Ignacio Valdes, who was a Professor of Therapeutics and Electrotherapy. In 1916, Physiotherapy was included in the curriculum of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery along with Radiography.
In the post-liberation years, a Section of Radiology and Physiotherapy was formed with Dr.Paulino Gracia as the first Section Chief at both the UST Medical School and the UST Hospital. Dr.Garcia later became a Secretary of Health and NSDB Chairman, and one of the most prominent figures in Philippine medical history.
It is believed however, that the first hospital Physical Therapy Department in the Philippines was started and established at San Juan de Dios Hospital. Military Hospitals, like Veteran's Memorial Hospital and the V. Luna General Hospital, were likewise pioneers in this field. It was however at the Mandaluyong General Hospital, which later became the National Orthopedic Hospital in 1948, where progress in this field was hastened. The visit of Dr. Henry Kessler in 1949 as Consultant in rehabilitation and orthopedic surgery to the U.S. Armed Forces, sparked greater impetus to the acceptance of rehabilitation as an important aspect of medical care in the Philippines. At that time, the training of the allied medical professionals in rehabilitation work was primarily done through in-service training programs given by U.S. Army physicians, American Red Cross nurses, and foreign consultants in Physical and Occupational Therapy.
In 1956, the Philippine government requested for a United Nation's consultant to survey the status of rehabilitation work in the country. It was again Dr. Henry Kessler, then a recognized international figure in rehabilitation, who was sent by the United Nations to study rehabilitative care in the country and to make proposals or its speedy development. Among the measures he recommended was the establishment of a school for the training of physical and occupational therapists.
The establishment of a school of physical therapy finally became a reality when the first 20 students were admitted in November 1962. A wing of the National Orthopedic Hospital at the Maria Clara Street was used as classrooms, and Dr. Benjamin V. Tamesis, chief of the NOH, was the first director of the school. The establishment of this first school of PT in the country, was a true cooperative effort between the Philippine government and numerous international agencies, like the WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, Peace Corps and the Colombo Plan.
Two years later, on December 08, 1964, with only 17 charter members, The Philippine Physical Therapy Association (PPTA) was founded 'to promote the professional advancement and provide continuing educational growth for physical therapists practicing in the country.' Working closely with the other rehabilitation professional groups, the PPTA helped in the creation of Republic Act 5680, otherwise known as the 'Philippine Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Law.' This landmark legislation was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on June 21, 1969.
As provided for in this law, a Board of Examiners of Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists was created. The first registry and licensing examinations for physical therapists in the Philippines was given in June 1973.
An interesting historical footnote in the history of physical therapy in the Philippines is the sojourn here of one of the most prominent personalities in the field of physical therapy, Miss Mary McMillan. She is considered the first physical therapist in the United States and was the first president of the American Physical Therapy Association. She was the author of the first book (Massage and Therapeutic Exercise) by a physical therapist ever to be published in the United States.
When the World War II erupted, Miss McMillan was on her way home to America from China where she had been teaching for a few years. She reached Manila and when the bombardment of the city began, all Americans were sent for safety to the University of Santo Tomas campus which later became their prison for many months.
On the way to UST, Miss McMillan, along with several of her doctor and nurse friends raced to an American Hospital and loaded a truck with medical supplies and surgical equipments. Upon arrival at the university, they set up a medical and surgical unit in the compound, where they began to care for the many who had been injured in the bombardment. It would not be surprising to know that along with the doctors and nurses, Miss McMillan probably practiced her physical therapy profession while ministering to the sick, the injured and the disabled. It could well have been that first treatments rendered by the physical therapist in the Philippines.
The American Physical Therapy Association has honored Miss Mary McMillan with a Memorial Lectureship delivered by prominent members of the profession during its annual conference.
It is of interest as well to note, that some 30 years after her stay at UST, the university opened a school of physical therapy under its Faculty of Medicine Surgery. Its opening, and that of the other PT schools in the country, is an affirmation of the ever increasing recognition and acceptance of the physical therapist as an important member of the health team, providing a valuable service to the physically handicapped and disabled in the Philippines.
The earliest recorded information of historical significance to the development of physical therapy in the Philippines was the formation of a Section of Electrotherapeutics, under the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Santo Tomas, in the school year 1908-1909. Its first Director was the renowned and respected Filipino Physician, Dr.Bonito Valdes. Listed among its faculty members then was Dr.Eulalio Martines as Assistant Director, and Dr.Ignacio Valdes, who was a Professor of Therapeutics and Electrotherapy. In 1916, Physiotherapy was included in the curriculum of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery along with Radiography.
In the post-liberation years, a Section of Radiology and Physiotherapy was formed with Dr.Paulino Gracia as the first Section Chief at both the UST Medical School and the UST Hospital. Dr.Garcia later became a Secretary of Health and NSDB Chairman, and one of the most prominent figures in Philippine medical history.
It is believed however, that the first hospital Physical Therapy Department in the Philippines was started and established at San Juan de Dios Hospital. Military Hospitals, like Veteran's Memorial Hospital and the V. Luna General Hospital, were likewise pioneers in this field. It was however at the Mandaluyong General Hospital, which later became the National Orthopedic Hospital in 1948, where progress in this field was hastened. The visit of Dr. Henry Kessler in 1949 as Consultant in rehabilitation and orthopedic surgery to the U.S. Armed Forces, sparked greater impetus to the acceptance of rehabilitation as an important aspect of medical care in the Philippines. At that time, the training of the allied medical professionals in rehabilitation work was primarily done through in-service training programs given by U.S. Army physicians, American Red Cross nurses, and foreign consultants in Physical and Occupational Therapy.
In 1956, the Philippine government requested for a United Nation's consultant to survey the status of rehabilitation work in the country. It was again Dr. Henry Kessler, then a recognized international figure in rehabilitation, who was sent by the United Nations to study rehabilitative care in the country and to make proposals or its speedy development. Among the measures he recommended was the establishment of a school for the training of physical and occupational therapists.
The establishment of a school of physical therapy finally became a reality when the first 20 students were admitted in November 1962. A wing of the National Orthopedic Hospital at the Maria Clara Street was used as classrooms, and Dr. Benjamin V. Tamesis, chief of the NOH, was the first director of the school. The establishment of this first school of PT in the country, was a true cooperative effort between the Philippine government and numerous international agencies, like the WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, Peace Corps and the Colombo Plan.
Two years later, on December 08, 1964, with only 17 charter members, The Philippine Physical Therapy Association (PPTA) was founded 'to promote the professional advancement and provide continuing educational growth for physical therapists practicing in the country.' Working closely with the other rehabilitation professional groups, the PPTA helped in the creation of Republic Act 5680, otherwise known as the 'Philippine Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Law.' This landmark legislation was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on June 21, 1969.
As provided for in this law, a Board of Examiners of Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists was created. The first registry and licensing examinations for physical therapists in the Philippines was given in June 1973.
An interesting historical footnote in the history of physical therapy in the Philippines is the sojourn here of one of the most prominent personalities in the field of physical therapy, Miss Mary McMillan. She is considered the first physical therapist in the United States and was the first president of the American Physical Therapy Association. She was the author of the first book (Massage and Therapeutic Exercise) by a physical therapist ever to be published in the United States.
When the World War II erupted, Miss McMillan was on her way home to America from China where she had been teaching for a few years. She reached Manila and when the bombardment of the city began, all Americans were sent for safety to the University of Santo Tomas campus which later became their prison for many months.
On the way to UST, Miss McMillan, along with several of her doctor and nurse friends raced to an American Hospital and loaded a truck with medical supplies and surgical equipments. Upon arrival at the university, they set up a medical and surgical unit in the compound, where they began to care for the many who had been injured in the bombardment. It would not be surprising to know that along with the doctors and nurses, Miss McMillan probably practiced her physical therapy profession while ministering to the sick, the injured and the disabled. It could well have been that first treatments rendered by the physical therapist in the Philippines.
The American Physical Therapy Association has honored Miss Mary McMillan with a Memorial Lectureship delivered by prominent members of the profession during its annual conference.
It is of interest as well to note, that some 30 years after her stay at UST, the university opened a school of physical therapy under its Faculty of Medicine Surgery. Its opening, and that of the other PT schools in the country, is an affirmation of the ever increasing recognition and acceptance of the physical therapist as an important member of the health team, providing a valuable service to the physically handicapped and disabled in the Philippines.