Plaza Olivia Salamanca PHC historical marker

Olivia Salamanca (1 July 1889 – 11 July 1913) was a Filipino

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

who trained in the United States at the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been establishe ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and was the second female physician from the Philippines. She died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

at the age of 24.

Early life and education

Olivia Salamanca was born on 1 July 1889 in San Roque, Cavite and attended

Cavite National High School Cavite National High School (Filipino:'' Pambansang Mataas na Paaralan ng Cavite'') formerly known as Cavite High School, is a Secondary School located at the Cavite City in the Philippines. It was established on June 19, 1902, and it is the old ...

. Her father, Jose Salamanca, was a pharmacist and the founder of a private school in Cavite. In 1905, she was one of 37 Filipino students (and one of three women), known as ''pensionados'', selected by the Philippine government under the

Pensionado Act The Pensionado Act is Act Number 854 of the Philippine Commission, which passed on 26 August 1903. Passed by the United States Congress, it established a scholarship program for Filipinos to attend school in the United States. The program has r ...

to study overseas in the United States. She spent a year in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, before enrolling in the

. She graduated in June 1910, at 20 years old, becoming the second female physician from the Philippines. While in the United States, she was the editor of ''The Filipino'', a monthly publication created by Filipino student expatriates.

Career

Salamanca returned to the Philippines in July 1910. She was one of the charter members and the first secretary of the Philippine Anti-

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

Society, which was founded in 1910; later that year, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis herself. In 1911, she was assigned to work at a hospital in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, a city in a mountainous area, in order for the mountain air to help improve her health. She wrote in a 1911 diary entry that she was the first person in the Philippines to receive

tuberculin Tuberculin, also known as purified protein derivative, is a combination of proteins that are used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. This use is referred to as the tuberculin skin test and is recommended only for those at high risk. Reliable admi ...

as a treatment for tuberculosis, saying: "If tuberculin proves effective in the care of T.B. by the experiment made on me, I would feel as if I have rendered a public service to humanity. Should it fail ... then I shall be glad also for it would save many from its dangers."

Death and legacy

In 1912, she left Baguio for

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, where she was briefly hospitalized in the

Philippine General Hospital The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...

. She died on 11 July 1913, aged 24, from tuberculosis. Plaza Olivia Salamanca in Manila and Dr. Olivia Salamanca Memorial District Hospital in

Cavite City Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people. The city was the ...

are named after Salamanca.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salamanca, Olivia 1889 births 1913 deaths 20th-century Filipino medical doctors Filipino women medical doctors Filipino expatriates in the United States 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis People from Cavite Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Tuberculosis deaths in the Philippines