HISTORY OF MEDICAL

TECHNOLOGY
PRINCIPLE OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 1

FATIMA JESHEE A. TAHIL, RMT

What is Medical Technology?
A branch of the allied health professions that
deals with the study of various disciplines
such as chemistry, microbiology, parasitology,
blood banking, hematology, clinical
microscopy, histology, and histopathology,
among others.
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
HISTORY IN A GLOBAL
CONTEXT
 300 B.C. – 180 A.D.

HIPPOCRATES

• “Father of medicine”
• Measurement of body
fluids (a.k.a. the four
humors)
HIPPOCRATES

• “Father of medicine”
• Measurement of body
fluids (a.k.a. the four
humors)
 GALEN

• Described diabetes as
“diarrhea of urine”
• Established the
relationship between fluid
intake & urine volume.
“WATER CASTING” a.k.a. UROSCOPY

• Widely practiced in medieval

Europe.

• Greek words: “ouron” (urine) +

“skopeoa” (examine/inspect)
 900 A.D.

THEOPHILUS PROTOSPATHARIUS

• Wrote the first manuscript focused

exclusively on urine – “De Urinis”
 11th Century 18th Century 19th Century

• Prohibition of • Usage of mechanical • Machinery such as

physical examination techniques and spirometer and
by medical cadaver dissection.* sphygmomanometer.*
practitioners.*
 Onset of
Increasing number of General mechanical
patients & medical practitioners could & chemical
knowledge no longer handle* devices

Influx of patient Establishment of Required technical

data* ‘hospitals’ as expertise
medical service

Prompted the need for medical technicians

and data specialists
 *MICROSCOPE (1840)

*STETHOSCOPE (1816)

OPTHALMOSCOPE (1850)

X-RAY (1859)

LARYNGOSCOPE (1855)
 KENNY METHOD (1910)

*ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH (1903)

DRINKER RESPIRATOR (1927)

CARDIAC
CATHETRIZATION
& ANGIOGRAPHY
(1941)*
HEART-LUNG MACHINE (1939)
 MEDTECH HISTORY IN THE U.S.

• John Kolmer: Developed a method to certify medical technologists.

Published “The Demand for and Training of Laboratory Technicians”.

• 1920: Chief physicians as directors/head of clinical laboratories; 4-5

divisions of clinical laboratories (clinical pathology, bacteriology,
microbiology, serology, and radiology).

• 1922: Foundation of the American Society for Clinical Pathology

(ASCP); the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)
as a subgroup

• 1950: Licensure laws for MTs

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
HISTORY IN THE
PHILIPPINES
 MEDTECH HISTORY UNDER SPANIARDS

• 1565: First hospital established by Spaniards in the PH - Hospital Real.

• 1578: Franciscans built the San Lazaro Hospital for the poor and lepers

• 1596: Hospital for poor Spaniards – Hospital de San Juan de Dios

• 1611: Dominicans founded the University of Santo Tomas

• 1871: First faculty of pharmacy and medicine at UST; Publishing of

journals of science and medicine*
 MEDTECH HISTORY UNDER SPANIARDS

• 1883: Establishment of the Board of Health and Charity

• 1887: Laboratorio Municipal de Manila – for food, water, and clinical

sample examination; where General Antonio Luna was deployed as a
chemical expert
 MEDTECH HISTORY UNDER AMERICANS

• 1898: Spanish Military Hospital was converted into the First Revere
Hospital by Lt. Col. Henry Lipincott (chief surgeon)

• 1901: Bureau of Government Laboratories under the Philippine

commission Act No. 156*

• 1905: Reorganization of BGL into the Bureau of Science – which

worked closely with PGH and UP and became an active center for
scientific research in the country.

• June 1927: Opening of the Certificate in Public Health Program by UP

 MEDTECH HISTORY UNDER AMERICANS

• WWII: First clinical laboratory in the PH – Manila Public Health

Laboratory

• June 1945: US army left and Manila Public Health Laboratory (non-
operational) was endorsed to the National Department of Health

• October 1945: MPHL was reopened by Dr. Pio de Roda with the help of
Dr. Mariano Icasiano (then Manila City Health Officer)*

• Manila Sanitarium and Hospital (MSH) – opened the first school of MT

in the Philippines

• Dr. Jesse Umali – first graduate of the MT program from the Philippine
Union College (now Adventist University of the Philippines)
END