DR. FE DEL MUNDO
Lifted from Ed Lapiz
Katangi-tanging Dr. Fe del Mundo
1. The Harvard “Mistake”
Dr. Fe del Mundo became the first woman admitted to Harvard Medical School because the admissions office mistakenly assumed “Fe” was a man’s name. Harvard honored the acceptance when she arrived, making her the first woman ever trained in their pediatric program.
2. First Children's Hospital in the Philippines
She sold her own home and possessions after World War II to build the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines, the Fe del Mundo Children’s Medical Center. She lived inside the hospital for years to be close to her patients.
3. The Bamboo Incubator
To address the needs of rural clinics without electricity, she invented a bamboo incubator warmed by heated water bottles. This low-cost device saved thousands of premature infants.
4. Wartime Medical Service
During WWII, she treated Filipino children and even the children of Japanese soldiers, putting compassion above politics.
5. National Scientist
In 1980, she was awarded the title National Scientist of the Philippines, the highest scientific honor in the country.
6. Lifelong Service
She continued to work well into her 90s, wearing her white coat and advising younger doctors.
7. Personal Traits
She was known for discipline, simplicity, and total dedication to children. She never married; she considered her patients her children.
Legacy
Dr. Fe del Mundo is remembered as the mother of Philippine pediatrics, a humanitarian, inventor, scientist, teacher, and pioneering Filipina whose work transformed children's healthcare in the Philippines.
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Photo CTTO
