Gellie L.

Bautista May, 2016

HI 248.1- Special Topics in Asian History: Japanese History

Review of Related Literature

(Sanitation and Public Health Program in Batangas; 1898-1920)

Introduction

It is very interesting to note that each country in the world possesses distinct and

unique traditions and customs. Each nationality has their own way of dressing; food to eat

and even rules to follow. One of the reasons for such diverse culture is the distance that

separates each country from one another. These differences however, make the world even

more fascinating.

Japan for instance, is one of the countries that actually have a great culture. Its houses,

clothing, food and beliefs are truly remarkable. But one gets definitely more exciting to note

of the culture of Japan concerning baths and sanitation.

Lee Butler in his article Washing Off the Dust: Baths and Bathing in Late Medieval

Japan (2005) analyses the bathing practices in Japan. He described the various types of baths

as well as the development that had happened in those practices. In type and variety, Japanese

baths were remarkably diverse but despite the diversity, the purpose for which people bathed

can be grouped into just two categories: religious and therapeutic.1 What is interesting in the

article is the incorporation of diaries of those who also experienced the Japanese bath.

1
Lee Butler, “Washing Off the Dust: Baths and Bathing in Late Medieval Japan,” Monumenta Nipponica 60, no.
1 (2005): 41.
 Another article which traces back the development bathing practices in Japan is Japan

in the Bath: The Significance of Bathing in Japanese Culture, With Observations by Euro-

American Visitors From the Late 19th Century to Today. Authored by Julie Joy Naootbaar,

the article presents the history of bathing practices of Japan. It also includes testimonies from

some who visits Japan especially those are non-Japanese.

It is of course delightful to look into the culture of a country like Japan. But it is

certainly pleasant to also consider the culture of another country in Asia which is the

Philippines. This is a country that also has its interesting history, culture and tradition. There

are historians who have done so much about Philippines, but this paper will focus on works

about sanitation and public health.

Sanitation and Public Health in the Philippines during the Spanish Period

Various works can be used in tracing the history of the Philippines. Many authors

have written several things about the country; its inhabitants, old customs, traditions,

struggles, heroes, economy, politics and many more. One will never get lost in studying it

through those sources whether primary or secondary.

One of the things that can be noted in studying history of the Philippines is the old

customs and traditions that actually build up the cultures that Filipinos already have today.

And one aspect of those customs that is interesting to note is about the sanitation in the

Philippines. It is inevitable to recognize that the sanitary practices that the Philippines has

today is a product of the teachings of its colonizers. However it will be unfair not to take into

consideration that early Filipinos already know the concept of sanitation even before the

period of colonization.

There are several works from Spanish chronicles which established great evidence

that Filipinos really have their sanitary practices. One of which is Antonio Morga’s Historical
Events of the Philippine Islands (1609). This book shows what early Filipinos do for their

hygiene specifically bathing practices. He described how Filipinos gave importance to their

hair and teeth using stuffs to make them clean. Accounts like this of Morga and other

Spaniards are of great help to the historians of today to better understand early life in the

Philippines.

To support Morga’s observations, another work Filipino Society and Culture at the

Spanish Contact was published. It compiles accounts of the other Spanish observers in the

Philippines. Father Pedro Chirino for instance had shared that Filipinos bathe themselves at
2
all hours for cleanliness and recreation. On the same compilation, Father Francisco Colin

also strengthened the idea that Filipinos give importance to their hair and teeth. Both men and

women consider it essential that the hair should be very black and well cared for. For that

purpose they use lotions made of certain tree barks and oil, prepared with musk and

perfumes. They polished their teeth and covered them with a coating of black ink. 3

Jean Mallat authored The Philippines: History, Geography, Customs, Agriculture,

Industry, and Commerce of the Spanish Colonies in Oceania (1983) which is about the

observations of the Spanish towards the Filipinos. The author made mentioned of the

practices early Filipinos have for giving birth.

Aside from hygienic and sanitary practices of the early Filipinos, there are also

scholars who looked into the medicine and health in the Philippines. In A Short History of

Medicine in the Philippines during the Spanish Regime, 1565-1898 (1953) Jose Bantug talks

2
F. Landa Jocano, The Philippines at the Spanish Contact: Some Major Accounts of Early Filipino Society and
Culture (MCS Enterprises, 1975). p130

3
Ibid.p160
of the development of Philippine Medicine from the pre-Spanish period to the coming of the

Americans.

Concerning public health, Dean Worcester authored A History of Asiatic Cholera

(1909) which provides statistics of the cases of deaths from cholera during the Spanish

regime. It also includes accounts from various physicians who take note of the epidemic

occurrences of cholera in the country.

Sanitation and Public Health in the Philippines during the American Period

During the Spanish period, it is seen that there are already accounts concerning the

hygiene and sanitation of the Filipinos. But those accounts even doubled when Americans

came to the Philippines. This is because, they have observed a lot on Filipinos behavior and

hygienic practices.

Julius Bautista and Ma. Mercedes Planta collaborated to write an article with the title

The Sacred and the Sanitary: The Colonial ‘Medicalization’ of the Filipino Body. Their work

tries to analyze the different forms of colonial regimes that Spaniards and Americans had in

the country. It traces the transition from being a colony which focus on the spiritual side of

the country to the colony which gives importance to the body itself (cleanliness, hygiene).

When the Americans arrived in the country, they have seen a place that is disease-

stricken and in the article by Maria Louise Domingo Pante In Preparation for Self-

Governance: Filipinos’ Response to Different Health Measures of the American Colonizer

(2014) she looks at how education helped the Americans in developing the healthy measures

among Filipinos. She also discusses how Filipinos actually reacted to those actions and

programs given by the American government. It is important that the colonizers possess a

positive relationship with the colonized people. Authorities should be mindful of the culture
and beliefs of a community when it comes to pacification. And using education as a way to

pacify was successful. 4

Focusing on the hygiene of Filipinos is that of Warwick Anderson’s Colonial

Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in the Philippines (2006)

which discusses the development of public health and medicine in the Philippines during the

American occupation. During the Philippine-American war of 1898–1902, the Spanish health

system broke down completely. As they advanced, American forces established in its place a

new stratum of public health institutions, based directly on a military model.5

Anderson also wrote an article entitled Immunization and Hygiene in the Colonial

Philippines This article explores the importance of vaccination to the Filipinos. It also gives

emphasis on how hygienic programs of Americans can be seen as another form of

colonialism; changing how Filipinos should discipline themselves even through sanitary

practices.

Another article about how Americans acted upon the issue of sanitation is Dr. Victor

Heiser’s American Sanitation in the Philippines and Its Influence on the Orient (2007). In his

work, he first talks of Americans’ observations towards the Philippines. In making new

interments, the bones of those who had been previously buried were frequently cast out to

bleach in the sun or were thrown upon a bone pile. Disease-carrying human discharges found

their way into esteros or canals or were deposited directly on the ground, causing serious soil

pollution. He then describes the actions held by the Americans to improve the sanitation in

4
Maria Louise Pante, “In Preparation for Self-Governance: Filipinos’ Response to Different Health Measures of
the American Colonizer” (International Conference on Law, Education and Humanities, Thailand, 2014).

5
Warwick Anderson, Colonial Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in the Philippines
(Durham: Duke University Press, 2006).
the Philippines. One of the first steps was to organize some 300 boards of health throughout

the islands, with Filipinos in charge. Vaccination had been practiced in the Philippines for

several centuries, but was never done in a systematic manner so as to reach all the

population.6

Giving emphasis on health issues in the country is the work of Dr. Eliodoro Mercado

y Donato. It is the Leprosy in the Philippines and its Treatment (1915) which gives a

discussion on the causes and effects of leprosy and its probable treatment. What is also

valuable about the work of Donato is the fact that he provides statistics of the cases of leprosy

in particular places especially in the south. And lastly, the author also presents records and

accounts of those who were diagnosed with leprosy and who were cured.

Francis Gealogo also authored an article that gives information about influenza in the

country. His work The Philippines in the World of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919

(2009), provides an analysis of the origin of the disease. The characteristics of the disease as

well as its diffusion were also discussed in the article. The influenza pandemic in the

Philippines exhibited the same tendencies as in the rest of the world in terms of its virological

characteristics and epidemiological spread.7

In addition to the mentioned works is another comprehensive study by Maria

Mercedes Planta. It is a dissertation entitled Prerequisites to a Civilized Life: The American

Colonial Public Health System in the Philippines, 1901 to 1927 (2008) which includes the

6
Victor Heiser, “American Sanitation in the Philippines and Its Influence on the Orient,” Proceedings of the
American Philosophical Society 57, no. 1 (1918): 18.

7
Francis Gealogo, “The Philippines in the World of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919,” Philippine Studies
57, no. 2 (2009): 18.
American strategies of governance through the colonial health system. It gives emphasis on

the progress of the colonial works of the American government inclined with sanitation,

hygiene and health.

With the above-mentioned works about sanitary and public health programs in the

Philippines during the American occupation, one could have a better grasps of what was life

during the colonial period. However, it is viewed that those books, periodicals or articles are

more or less concentrated on the country as a whole. That is why, to better have a picture of

the events in the country, one must also give importance in taking into accounts the things

that had happened in provinces or municipalities.

History of Batangas

There are various works which portrays the history of the province of Batangas. One

example of those is written by Pacifico A. Alvano who discusses the geographical and

historical account of the province. This work could actually serve as a basis for one to better

have a grasp about Batangas. A book written in Spanish by Manuel Sastron Batangas y su

Provincia (1895) also provides a substantive information about the province especially during

its early years. It gives background of Batangas and of the cities and municipalities in it.

However, there are some works which seems to be a duplication of another work.

Batangas: Its Image and Prospects (1977) for instance made mentioned of Batangas initially

included the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque as well as all lands southeast of Laguna as

far as the Camarines provinces; and that Spanish authorities had first baptized it with the

name Bonbon, the ancient name of Taal. 8This idea about the province was also stated in

Aurea G. Ilustre’s Maikling Kasaysayan ng Lungsod at Lalawigan ng Batangas, though

translated in Filipino.

8
Corazon Tiongson, Batangas Its Image and Prospects (Manila: Filipinas Foundation Inc., 1977). p. 5
 Understanding the profile of Batangas, one can also look at the works commissioned

by the Filipinas Foundation Incorporation. The mentioned Batangas: Its Image and Prospects

is one of those books. Another book is the General Development Framework: Batangas

(1976) which provides basic data like the topography of the place which has something to do

with its development. Topographically, the province as a whole is elevated, its terrain

characterized by highlands.9 This description from that book can help in identifying the

reason why the province has a cooler temperature and which is not that much affected by

typhoons.

Another book by the foundation is the A spatial transformation strategy : province of

Batangas which also gives background of the province and the ways it could improve having

the plan of its cities. Works of the foundation actually gave analysis of what the province has

developed over time; its agricultural and industrial growth or even its population.

A book edited by Ramon Villegas, Batangas Forged in Fire includes works from

different authors. This coffee table book provides other information about the province

including its tradition, food, houses and even ancestral churches. It is an engaging book since

it gives another concept of the place which also includes illustrations.

Finally, one of the known authors about Batangas is Glenn Anthony May who has one

book which is the Battle for Batangas: Province at War (1993). This shows the events that

took place in the province during the period of colonization. It could easily be identify that

Batanguenos has really played a great in the war just like the other parts of the country. He

had said that when the Philippine Revolution was brought to Batangas by Aguinaldo’s troops,

9
Corazon Tiongson, General Development Framework for the Province of Batangas (Filipinas Foundation Inc,
1976). p. 33
such men (Batangueños) were among the first to rally to it, as the revolution went on, they

came to have a formidable influence within the revolutionary government. 10

Sanitation and Public Health in Batangas

Batangas as one of the provinces in Luzon which fought during the Philippine-

American War was also subjected to the observation of the American government concerning

the issue of sanitation and health. And it was seen that during the war, mortality rate in the

province was definitely high. The reason for this was still uncertain whether due to the war

itself or due to some diseases.

Glenn Anthony May’s Battle for Batangas: Province at War is one of the sources that

one actually utilized in studying the province. In this book, the author provides information

about the morbidity and mortality in Batangas. Diseases such as malaria, influenza, cholera,

smallpox, dysentery and beriberi strike the province. One of the probable cause to those

diseases is the deficient sanitary practices. Among them, the tendency of most Filipinos to

dispose of human waste near their houses or in nearby streams which might serve as the local
11
water supply. This high death rate in Batangas was supported by the article Philippine

Islands: Status of Cholera from the Public Health Reports that gives status of cholera in

various places and wherein the Philippines, Batangas has the greatest number of cases of the

disease.

Aside from sanitary practices, another factor can be seen as the cause of high

mortality rate. Glenn Anthony May has also discussed this in his article in the Philippine

Studies, The Zones of Batangas (1981). The cases of deaths in the province may be attributed

to the concentration policy. It is the isolation of the guerillas from the non-combatants who

10
Glenn Anthony May, Battle for Batangas A Philippine Province at War (Quezon City, Philippines: New Day
Publishers, 1993).
11
Ibid.
provide them supplies. May used the statement of Teodoro Kalaw in The Philippine

Revolution (1925) that life in the zones made by the concentration policy was very hard.

Their health was undermined by diseases. Absence from their farms deprived them from the
12
bare necessities of life. It is good to take into account the work of Glenn May about the

zones in Batangas because he had incorporated several reviews of other American and

Filipino historians concerning the concentration policy.

Since epidemic was really an issue during the American occupation, Matthew

Smallman-Raynor and Andrew D. Cliff made a paper entitled The Epidemiological Legacy

of War: The Philippine– American War and the Diffusion of Cholera in Batangas and La

Laguna, South-West Luzon,1902–1904 (2007). Their study focused on the effects of the war

and the spread of cholera especially in the province of Batangas and Laguna. It also discusses

the relationship between the epidemic and the sanitary conditions of the places. Lastly the

paper could be a guide in analyzing the pattern of disease in the provinces.

From what was cited above, it is obvious that there are already works that tackles

about sanitation and public health program during the American period. There are also

reviews of the accounts and records from other known historians. However, it seems that

works about the province of Batangas are limited. Also, efforts from the local officials in

Batangas in the whole Philippines are not that much given emphasis. And this is where my

study will actually deal with; identifying and analyzing the public health program

implemented by the local government in the province of Batangas in order to address the

sanitation and health issues during the American occupation.

12
Teodoro Kalaw, The Philippine Revolution (Mandaluyong: Jose Vargas Filipiniana Foundation, 1925).
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

Sastron, Manuel. Batangas Y Su Provincia. Malabon, 1895.

De Morga, Antonio. Historical Events of the Philippine Islands. Manila: National Historical
Institute, 1609.

Secondary Sources

Anderson, Warwick. Colonial Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in
the Philippines. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006.

———. “Immunization and Hygiene in the Philippines.” Journal of the History of Medicine and
Allied Sciences 62, no. 1 (January 2007): 20.

Bantug, Jose. A Short History of Medicine in the Philippines During the Spanish Regime, 1565-
1898. Manila: Colegío Médico-Framacéutico de Filipinas, 1953.

Butler, Lee. “Washing Off the Dust: Baths and Bathing in Late Medieval Japan.” Monumenta
Nipponica 60, no. 1 (2005): 41.

Donato, Eliodoro. Leprosy in the Philippines and Its Treatment. Manila, 1915.

Gealogo, Francis. “The Philippines in the World of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919.”
Philippine Studies 57, no. 2 (2009): 18.

Heiser, Victor. “American Sanitation in the Philippines and Its Influence on the Orient.”
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 57, no. 1 (1918): 8.
Kalaw, Teodoro. The Philippine Revolution. Mandaluyong: Jose Vargas Filipiniana Foundation,
1925.

Mallat, Jean. The Philippines: History, Geography, Customs, Agriculture, Industry, and
Commerce of the Spanish Colonies in Oceania. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1983.

May, Glenn Anthony. Battle for Batangas A Philippine Province at War. Quezon City, Philippines: New
Day Publishers, 1993.

May, Glenn. “The Zones of Batangas.” Philippine Studies 29, no. 1 (1981): 16.

Pante, Maria Louise. “In Preparation for Self-Governance: Filipinos’ Response to Different Health
Measures of the American Colonizer.” Thailand, 2014.

“Philippine Islands: Status of Cholera.” Public Health Reports 25, no. 45 (November 1910).
Planta, Ma. Mercedes. “Prerequisites to a Civilized Life: The American Colonial Public Health
System in the Philippines, 1901 to 1927.” National University of Singapore 2008, 2008.
Smallman-Raynor, Matthew, and Andrew Cliff. “The Epidemiological Legacy of War: The
Philippine– American War and the Diffusion of Cholera in Batangas and La Laguna, South-
West Luzo´n, 1902–1904.” War in History, 2007.

Tiongson, Corazon. Batangas Its Image and Prospects. Manila: Filipinas Foundation Inc., 1977.
———. General Development Framework for the Province of Batangas. Filipinas Foundation Inc, 1976
_______ Tiongson, Corazon. A Spatial Transformation Strategy : Province of Batangas. Manila: Filipinas
Foundation Inc., 1976.

Worcester, Dean. A History of Asiatic Cholera in the Philippine Islands. Manila: Bureau of
Printing, 1909.