Ditan, Iris D.

2014 48971
Co Tec Tai Museum Field Trip
It was not the first time I had heard about the Co Tec Tai Museum. When
Professor Wilson Ong spoke to our class last year, in LU2, he mentioned the
museum several times, stating that it was the first public medical museum in the
country. At the time, Professor Ong was giving a short lecture on the history of
Medicine in the Philippines. I had thought that it was quite a shame that we couldnt
visit the museum that year as I bet it would have been a very good supplement to
the lecture.
Fast forward a year later in LU3, it came as a pleasant shock to me that on
our very first day of lectures, we were scheduled to visit the museum I had heard
about in the previous year. Once our class got there, I was happy that we visited the
place in LU3 instead of LU2. It would have been a shame if the rest of our
classmates had not been able to visit the museum. It was full of artefacts, pictures,
and books that spoke volumes of the development of health care in our country.
After we toured the two levels of the museum, we sat down to a lecture from
Professor Wilson Ong and Doctor Willie Ong. The formers lecture was similar to the
one he gave last year. It was a good review of a history of medicine and in better
context within the museum. On the other hand, the latters lecture was new and
refreshing. Doctor Ong shared with us his life experiences as a doctor who wanted
to make a difference in the health care system. His tips were insightful and relevant
to us as newly minted medical students. However, I think the most interesting thing
he shared with us was how the system within hospitals, medical schools, and the
medical community in general created doctors that didnt necessarily benefit
marginalized patients. It was a sobering truth that I had witnessed happened to
several people I knew. I only hoped that I was strong enough not to be eaten by the
system.
All in all, I think it was a very good session. Unlike in LU2, this years session
with Professor Ong and Doctor Ong was made in better context and with a better,

broader perspective. With Doctor Ongs lecture, a bridge was formed between facts
of the past as stated by Professor Ong and the realities we will face as future
doctors. From their lectures, I realize I want to work hard to both honor the hard
work of our ancestors and better take care of the patients who need me most.