﻿IX, B, 3 Calderon: Medical Geography of the Philippines 207 



disease should encourage us in the Philippine Islands to resume 

 our efforts to bring tuberculosis under control. In a country 

 that is blessed with an equable climate like that of the Philip- 

 pines, it should be possible by a general educational campaign 

 to bring about open-air sleeping, and this alone would no doubt 

 prove a great factor in reducing the incidence of this disease. 



This brief review of a few of the preventable diseases in 

 the Philippine Islands shows clearly that, if modern knowledge 

 which is already available could be successfully applied, a hun- 

 dred thousand deaths in the Philippine Islands could be prevented 

 annually. The physicians of the Philippines have a wonderful 

 opportunity before them. 



These are the data furnished by the Director of Health. But 

 to make a more thorough investigation, I personally addressed 

 the following questions to a great majority of the physicians 

 located in the provinces. 



A. Which are the diseases, whether medical or surgical, that predominate 



in your province? 



B. In your locality which diseases predominate in certain months of the 



year and what are their causes? 



C. Could you indicate the local and general causes of the predominance of 



such disease or diseases in your district? 



D. What treatment could be practiced in your district to correct the prepon- 



derance of such affections? 



Ninety-five physicians from the provinces had the kindness 

 to respond to the questions sent to them, and I cannot let this 

 occasion pass without expressing my profound gratitude for 

 their cooperative spirit. 



To synthesize the accumulated data as a result of the above 

 questions, I have made a tabulation of the answers received, and 

 I here submit to your indulgent consideration the following 

 tables. 



In Table I we can see that the three diseases which predom- 

 inate in the whole Archipelago are pulmonary tuberculosis, 

 malaria, and dysentery. It can be said that in each region, 

 each province, each town, and even in each barrio these three 

 affections are the most terrible diseases that afflict the Filipino 

 race. Next in frequency and predominance are beriberi, the 

 intestinal parasites, gastroenteritis, bronchitis, and broncho- 

 pneumonia. From Table I we can see, also, that the diseases of 

 the different provinces of the Archipelago are identical. 



There is no doubt, however, that a closer study of the medical 

 geography of the different provinces would reveal the presence 

 of some unknown local and typical affections that characterize 



