Republic of the Philippines

Carlos Hilado Memorial State College

Talisay City, Negros Occidental

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY

(GEC STS)

Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science and Technology A common problem in the Philippines is the high
mortality rate of newborn babies. One reason for this problem
in the 20th century was the lack of available incubators especially
PHILIPPINE in far-flung rural areas due to lack of resources and electricity.
INVENTIONS Dr. Fe del Mundo, a Filipino pediatrician and the first Asian
Despite being woman admitted in Harvard Medical School, devised a medical
considered a incubator made from indigenous and cheap materials which did
developing country, not run on electricity. Dr. del Mundo’s incubator was made by
the Philippines also placing a native laundry basket inside a bigger one. Hot water
contributes to the bottles were inserted between the basket to provide warmth
global advancement of and a makeshift hood to allow oxygen circulation. Its main
science and purpose was to maintain conditions suitable for a newborn,
technology. It is quite usually a pre-term baby. Other breakthroughs in Philippine
remarkable to note the medicine attributed to Dr. del Mundo include her works on the
ingenuity of the immunization and treatment of jaundice and the BRAT diet for
Filipinos despite the curing diarrhea.
lack in resources. The Philippines is known to be one of the most
vulnerable countries in terms of natural disasters. Many of the Mosquito Ovicidal/Larvicidal Trap System
discoveries and inventions made by the Filipinos were therefore Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral illness, is endemic in
built from indigenous materials or created to adapt to the harsh tropical and subtropical areas, including the Philippines. This
tropical environment. virus is usually transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito, rampant
during the rainy season. Insecticides were previously used to kill
Salamander Amphibious Tricycle the species. However, recent studies show that insecticide
It has become ordinary for Filipinos to convert transport resistance has evolved in some mosquito populations. Likewise,
vehicles into something more useful. An example is the using insecticides is harmful not only to humans but also to the
conversion of American military jeeps used in World War II into environment. In 2010, the Department of Science and
jeepneys. Another Filipino innovation is the addition of a sidecar Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-
to a motocycle, transforming it into a tricycle to accommodate ITDI) was able to introduce the Mosquito Ovicidal/Larvicidal Trap
more passengers. System, also known as OL Trap. This trap system is made of
During the rainy season, flooding is a common occurrence in natural ingredients that are lethal to mosquitos but safe for
many areas in the country. Tricycles find it very difficult to humans and the environment.
traverse the streets. To remedy the issue, Victor LLave and his
team at H2O Technologies were able to invent the Salamander, Ejeepney
an amphibian tricycle that can cross not only flooded streets but A major innovation that changed the transportation
also rivers and lakes. It may also be utilized to travel from island industry in the Philippines was the development of the jeepney.
to island. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, the This iconic public utility vehicle was built using the military jeeps
Salamander is a useful invention that has a lot of potential. left by the Americans after World War II. The chassis and the
body of the military jeeps were extended to accommodate more
Salt Lamp load and passengers. Because of its usefulness, the jeepney
One of the major needs in the Philippines, as a dominated Philippine streets and is considered as the primary
developing nation, is electrification. Electricity powers various mode of transportation of most Filipinos. However, the diesel-
types of machines, including light sources. In many rural areas in powered jeepney produces large quantities of black smoke, and
the country, activities would cease when it gets dark. It also is usually a major contributor of noise pollution due to its
becomes more dangerous to travel. Filipinos have resorted to primitive exhaust system. To counter these disadvantages the
using candles and kerosene lamps but they carry certain risks as electric jeepney (ejeeney) was developed. This modern type of
they are fire hazards. Solar power is also a welcome transportation utilizes electricity instead of the more expensive
development but like rechargeable batteries, solar panels are too diesel. It is environment-friendly since it does not emit any
expensive for ordinary Filipinos. Fortunately, a young Filipina smoke and noise.
inventor named Aissa Mijeno was able to invent a lighting
system that utilizes a material abundant in the Philippines – References:
saltwater. She invented the Sustainable Alternative Lighting • Mcnamara, DJ. et.al. (2018). Science, Technology & Society.
(SALt) lamp, an environment-friendly light source that runs on Quezon City: C & E Publishing Inc.
salt water. The SALt lamp is safer as it poses no risk of fire and • Serafica, JP. et.al (2018). Science, Technology & Society. 1st
emits no toxic gases. Aside from people who live in coastal Edition. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore.
areas, it may also benefit those from far-flung barrios because • Bunch, B. & Hellemans, A. (2004). The History of Science &
they can make their own saltwater by mixing two tablespoons of Technology. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
salt and a glass of tap water. • Caoli. History of Science and Technology of the Philippines

Medical Incubator

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