i 5 6

MEDICAL NUMISMATIC NOTES, IX:COINS OF THE LEPER COLONY

AT CULION AND OF THEPHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE

Almost no reliable information exists as to the origin of leprosy inthe Philippine Islands. The encyclopedic August Hirsch,1 for example,says that "besides Africa, the continent of Asia with the archipelagoesadjoining it forms one of the headquarters of leprosy at the present day"and he adds that the Philippines constitute a noted focus.

It has usually been assumed that the disease was introduced into theislands, perhaps even in pre-Hispanic times, by the Chinese. This viewmay be influenced by analogy with the alleged introduction of leprosyinto Polynesia by the Chinese in the i9th century. But an alternativehypothesis should not be overlooked: it is worth noting that nativePhilippine cultures and languages show distinct traces of Hindu influ-ence2 and that India has been for centuries a stronghold of leprosy.Perhaps both the Chinese and the Indians contributed.

Throughout the period of Spanish occupation much was done onbehalf of lepers by the Catholic clergy and by individual laymen. TheFranciscans are said to have designated a separate ward for lepers intheir hospital in i633. Much later the San Lazaro Hospital was estab-lished in Manila. At least two other hospitals for lepers functioned inthe Philippines in the I9th century. A census of lepers in Cebu wasmade by one Lobres, a health officer.

In i906, less than a decade after the arrival of the Americans, anextensive colony was established at Culion Island (I20 N. 1200 E.) inthe Calamian Group, between Palawan and Mindoro. Regional lepro-saria and subtreatment stations were created subsequently. Those whodesire to learn the early history of Culion Leper Colony, later calledCulion Sanitarium, will find it advantageous to consult the volume

1. Hirsch, A.: Handbook of Geographical and Historical Pathology. Translated byC. Creighton. London, New Sydenham Society, 1883-1886, vol. 2, p. 13 et seq.

2. Philippine Islands. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1953, vol. 17, pp. 725-33.

Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med.

LEPER COLONY AT CULION

Fig. 1. Culion leper colony, 1 peso, 1925. Author's collection. All photographs byAmerican Numismatic Society.

which commemorates the semicentennial of the establishment.3 Thispublication contains the following curious information:

Culion coinage. - To avoid the use of ordinary legal tender bythe patients, the government in 1913 provided for a special coin-age backed by an equivalent amount set aside in the treasury.The first issue, of six denominations (i peso and 20, 10, 5 and icentavos, also 1/2 centavo), was of aluminum, as also was a fur-ther partial issue made in 1920. That metal was found disad-vantageous because of corrosion by antiseptics; when mercuricbichloride was used the coins simply disappeared. The more re-cent (partial) issues, in 192 2, 1925, 1927 and 1930, were ofnickel. All payments made to the inmates were-and still are-made in this money. At first many of the patients refused toaccept it and law suit and even physical violence were threatened;not a little, in contempt, was thrown into the sea. In due coursethis attitude changed....

Three coins of Culion have recently been added to my collection.The first of these (Figure i) is a cupronickel coin of one peso dated

3. Republic of the Philippines, Department of Health, Culion Sanitarium: Culion1906-1956, edited by H. W. Wade. Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1956. 109 pp. Muchadditional information will be found in Dr. Victor Heiser's book: An American Doc-tor's Odyssey, New York, Norton, 1936, pp. 219 ff. See also Wade, H. W. and AvellanaBasa, J.: The Culion leper colony. Amer. J. Trop. Med. 3:395416, 1923.

4. Op. cit., pp. 11-12.

Vol. 49, No. 2, February 1973

TONLEPER COLONY AT CULL I 5 7

I 5 8 LEPER COLONY AT CULION

Fig. 2. Culion leper colony, 1/ centavo, 1913. Author's collection.

1925, bearing on the reverse the seal of the Philippine Health Serviceand mint marks P and M, which signify Philippine Mint. The obverseshows the portrait of Jose' Rizal, the Filipino martyr. The second coin(Figure 2) is made of white metal and has a diameter of i9 mm. Theobverse is marked

BUREAU OF HEALTH 1913

and has a caduceus at its center. The reverse side reads

CULION LEPER COLONY. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

and in the center,

½2 CENTAVO

The third coin (Figure 3) has a diameter of 27 mm. The obverse reads

LEPER COLONIES AND STATIONS. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

A portrait of A. Bonifacio is at the center. The reverse has a borderinscribed

PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE. LEPER COIN TEN CENTAVOS

In the center are the number io and the date, 1930. The quality hasbeen designated as extra fine (XF).

Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med.

LEPER COLONY AT CULION

Fig. 3. Leper coin of Philippine Health Service, 1930, 10 centavos. Author's collection.

Detailed information about the special coins and tokens issued in thePhilippines for persons afflicted with Hansen's disease is cited in worksby Perez5 and Shafer.6

Mr. Andres Cristobal Cruz of the National Library of the Philip-pines has had the kindness to send me photostatic copies of Coins,Medals and Tokens of the Philippines by Aldo P. Basso, Menlo Park,Chenby Publishers, I968. In this work the three coins described aboveare listed respectively as Nos. 2 12, 201, and 2I6.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank Mr. Andres Cristobal Cruz, Mr. and Mrs. Richard North,and the American Numismatic Society for photostats, photographs,information, and assistance.

S.J.5. Perez, Gilbert S.: The Leper Colony Currency of Culion. New York, American

Numismatic Society, 1929.6. Shafer, N.: United States Territorial Coinage for the Philippine Islands. Racine,

Whitman Publishing Co., 1961.

Vol. 49, No. 2, February 1973

LEPER COLONY AT CULION I 5 9