El Hospital de San Lázaro de Manila, siglos XVIII y XIX (249-299)

Description

The Hospital of St Lazarus goes back to the early Franciscan presence in the Philippines; it became known since the early 17th century when it was rebuilt outside Manila to treat patients with contagious diseases. This article relates the vicissitudes of the hospital during the 18th and 19th centuries and especially its difficult economic situation in the midst of political setbacks and natural calamities in this Spanish colony. The contemporary discussions as to how to modernize the organization of the hospital and the medical care provided are also briefly mentioned. The hospital experienced its hey-day during the leadership of Fr. Félix de Huerta (1859-94), before it had to be finally abandoned by the Franciscans in 1898, at the beginning of the American occupation. Largely based on unpublished materials, the article also provides an appendix of nine documents which offer further evidence to the topics discussed.