Case Study: More than 3000 doses of Intravenous

Seawater in the Sanitary Collapse of Guayaquil 2020

FERNANDO DOYLET AUSON
Academic Researcher, June 2020
fernandoylet@gmail.com

Summary: At the end of March 2020, public health in Guayaquil (Ecuador) collapsed due to
lack of resources. The doctors who overcame their fears, were unable to attend the long lines of
people possibly infected with Coronavirus COVID-19, ignoring other emergencies. When dead
bodies were piling up in public view, three volunteers arrived from other provinces to imitate
what René Quinton did a century ago. Without masks or gloves, and with the help of other local
volunteers, in 16 days they injected more than 3,000 people with intravenous seawater at no cost,
in the neediest neighborhoods. The recovery of several very seriously ill people and popular
acceptance were documented, until they withdrew due to lack of resources. Having demonstrated
the effectiveness of intravenous seawater injections, the reader is challenged to learn the story of
René Quinton, a forgotten sage.

General Terms: Seawater, René Quinton.

Other Phrases and Keywords: Marine Therapy, Thalassotherapy, Pandemic, Health Collapse.

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?

At the end of March 2020, public health in Guayaquil (Ecuador) collapsed due to lack of
resources. The doctors who overcame their fears, were unable to attend the long lines of people
possibly infected with Coronavirus COVID-19, ignoring other emergencies. Hundreds of people
died, and their bodies were left abandoned in houses and streets for several days. (Colima News,
2020)

While Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner

mobilized the authorities, beginning the collection
of the deceased, public hospitals were unable to
attend to those affected by the lack of protective
equipment, materials, and medications. And amid
the chaos, more innocent victims died. (Aristegui
Noticias, 2020)

The least affected queued endless lines hoping to be

treated. Those who could not walk resigned
themselves to death, isolated and abandoned by
almost everyone, to avoid contagion. (Wyss & Hall,
2020). Only those who could pay for private
medical care were exempt from extreme despair.

People who drink seawater in Guayaquil (Doylet,

2014), recalling the legend of René Quinton [who a
century ago cured hundreds of thousands in various countries by injecting seawater] did not
hesitate to turn to those who told them that legend. That is how the moment came to save the
extremely needy from certain death.

WHO WERE COMMITTED?

Early April, Hipatia Campos, Linda Miranda and Alejandro González arrived in Guayaquil to
share their experience injecting intravenous seawater. They were known as the "marine team".
With their limited resources, and the support of the friends and family of the beneficiaries, they
formed teams of volunteers to go to the homes of the people with the most severe symptoms, to
which they were invited.

The Popular and Solidarity Economy Association 'ASOMIPROCOAG', owner of the seawater
bottling plant at www.esenciamarina.org presented its team of professionals on April 9th,
demonstrating in them the intravenous application of seawater (specially processed for that
purpose) and requesting to meet with the authorities to demonstrate how marine serum works,
and thus to have the opportunity to treat terminally ill patients (ASOMIPROCOAG, 2020).

On April 10, the volunteer Nurse Johana Pérez and Elsa Salcedo Mendoza joined the marine
team. (Campos, 2020a). On April 18, Sandra Marcado and Monserrate Zorrilla reported their
work from El Cisne 2 urbanization in Guayaquil (Esencia Marina, 2020b).

In the video report of April 11, they thanked Dr. Hugo Béjar and his family for having received
them at their home, Raúl Rosado for managing donations and buying what they needed to work,
and Pablo Erazo, Gonzalo and Miriam for their collaboration. (Campos, H., 2020c).
Ignored by the authorities and the media, the aforementioned complied with their intended
volunteer work for 16 days, until they exhausted the resources donated by the beneficiaries, their
friends and family.

WHAT DID THEY DO?

Defying death with the certainty of their knowledge and experiences, the marine team and
several volunteers injected intravenous seawater into thousands of infected and potentially
infected with the coronavirus COVID-19. In a few hours, the most affected recovered their
health, causing the rejoice of their family and friends. This is the summary of their activities:

• April 7: on the 3rd day of visiting the

people who called them in the South
of Guayaquil, they found those having
symptoms -and without financial
resources- unattended by public
hospitals or by phone (Esencia Marina,
2020c).

• April 9: on the Trinitaria Island and

the Guasmos they found at least one
person per family with symptoms,
poor diet, and up to 14 people in 24 m2
houses; some corpses waiting at the
doors of the houses; enduring the
stench of chlorine-soaked rags because
they "disinfects." Among them, some
had been improved with home
treatments. “IF THIS WORKED A
CENTURY AGO FOR WORST
EPIDEMICS, WHY IT COULD NOT
WORK AGAIN TODAY? SEA
WATER IS LIFE!” (Marine Essence,
2020d).

• April 10: the #Guayaquil solidarity brigade began, with whom they were able to serve
150 people (Esencia Marina, 2020e).

• April 11: in Guayacanes urbanization, they attended a couple in terminal state, with
immediate results, and reported it with videos and photos (Campos, H., 2020b).

• April 12: with the beneficiaries of a southwestern neighborhood of Guayaquil, they

organized an event to clean the streets with water from the salty estuary (Esencia Marina,
2020a).
 • April 14: they documented the 5th
application of marine serum to patients
with covid19 (Esencia Marina, 2020j).

• April 15: video report of the 12th day in

Guayaquil (Esencia Marina, 2020k).

• April 16: video-testimony of the 5th

dose application to a patient (Esencia
Marina, 2020l).

• April 17: video-testimony of a

recovered doctor (Esencia Marina, 2020m).

• April 18: video recommending to not use chlorine or chloroquine and clarifying that the
health campaign is financed by the sale of drinkable seawater (Esencia Marina, 2020n).

• April 20: they published 70 pictures of the campaign in the suburb (Esencia Marina,
2020o).

• April 21: video of farewell from Guayaquil -after 16 days- due to lack of resources
(Esencia Marina, 2020p).

WHAT WAS THE IMPACT?

The level of popular acceptance was demonstrated and documented on several occasions: in the
lines formed by the residents of neighborhoods to
be injected with sea water, and in the streets
cleaning event with the waters of the salty estuary.
(Marine Essence, 2020a).

On April 11, having attended nearly 800 people,

on the Esencia Marina page it was published the
summary “HOW DOES SEA WATER ACT
AND HOW TO BE USED AGAINST
COVID19” detailing some symptoms found in
patients and their recommendations (Esencia
Marina , 2020f).

On April 13, on the Esencia Marina page they shared 2 explanatory publications:
"BIOSECURITY: GLOVES AND MASKS CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC" (Esencia Marina,
2020h) and "RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PATIENTS MANAGEMENT AND COVID19
PREVENTION" (Esencia Marina, 2020i).
On April 22 they published a video summary
indicating that in 16 days they attended more
than 3,000 people with the marine serum
(Esencia Marina, 2020q).

Several days after leaving Guayaquil, they were

attacked in a televised news article (Palma,
2020), which was duly refuted for its
unprofessional and malicious content (Esencia
Marina, 2020r).

They were also attacked in a newspaper article

accusing them of the death of a grandfather in
Jaramijó (Manabí Noticias, 2020), which was
denied by the daughter of the alleged victim in a
comment, discrediting the media outlet (Campos,
2020d).

WHAT BARRIERS, CHALLENGES OR LEARNING POINTS WERE IDENTIFIED?

If the health system had functioned normally, so many people would not have died due to lack of
medical care. To aggravate the situation, “staying at home” in Guayaquil, with so much heat, not
enough money to eat well, accumulation of garbage dumps, zinc roofs and no air conditioning,
was very damaging. This was recognized by the WHO (La Patria, 2020).

In the video report of the 9th day in Guayaquil, they answered the most persistent questions.
First, they clarified that the marine serum being injected, and its application were without cost
during the emergency. And about biosecurity, they explained their lack of masks and gloves
because they protected themselves daily with 20 ml of seawater applied to the vein (Esencia
Marina, 2020g).

The exaggerated proportion of victims in Guayaquil, in relation to other nearby geographic areas,
inside and outside Ecuador, is a mystery that -when resolved- could explain the causes, to
prevent that crisis from happening again. In addition to sanitary collapse, it is worth considering
the stress caused by the fear of contagion, isolation or abandonment of those affected with any
illness, and the uncertainty of the population.

Having documented the recovery of very seriously ill people with intravenous injections of
seawater, the reader is left with the challenge of knowing the story of René Quinton, a wise man
in oblivion (Pozas, 2010).
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