By Reina Lynn G. Antonio, MD, FPCP, FPSN
“To the brains of our predecessors we owe all of our inheritance of civilization and culture.”
Sir John Eccles, Nobel Laureate
10 December 1963
We are all grateful to the substantial efforts given by the pioneer Filipino nephrologists, led by the first president of the Philippine Society of Nephrology, Dr. Filoteo Alano, who started it all in 1971.
I call them the Magnificent 13.
During that period, Nephrology was a nascent medical field and only gained worldwide acceptance in September 1960 when a core group of French physicians took the initiative of organizing the First International Congress of Nephrology, which was attended by 400 nephrologists, in Geneva and Evian-les Bains. It was only in May 1962 that the Société Internationale de Nephrologie or International Society of Nephrology (ISN) was formally organized and a second international congress took place with 899 delegates from 41 countries.
Confusion even existed in the early years as Nephrologists were even mistaken for Urologists. The latter also treated urinary tract diseases but were more focused on the surgical approach, mused Dr. Alberto Daysog, who like other Filipino physicians were trained abroad to gain knowledge and skills that they could impart to our country.
Practicing Nephrology was moreover challenging during those times, where commonplace procedures today like peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, renal transplantations and kidney biopsy, were actually laborious, tedious and sometimes, frustrating, as recalled by Drs. Antonio Talusan, Marieta de Luna and Libertad Nazareno-Rosales.
But despite these struggles, these pioneers’ knowledge and skills in Nephrology helped a lot of our countrymen, who were suffering from renal diseases. Their fastidious management saved a lot of Filipino lives.
Peritoneal Dialysis even played an important role in the recovery of survivors of the strong earthquake in 1968 when residents of the Ruby Tower in Sta. Cruz, Manila, who were trapped for so long under the rubble, suffered acute renal failure and dehydration. Due to the timely administration of peritoneal dialysis in these patients, they survived not only a natural disaster but a renal catastrophe as well, shared Dr. Eduardo Gotamco Tan.
We were thus keeping pace with the rest of the world in the practice of Nephrology. Dr. Filoteo Alano finally took the initiative with the intention of forming an organization with these pioneer Filipino Nephrologists, when he called for a meeting in 1970.
And the Magnificent 13 heeded the call.
Drs. Hilario Esguerra III (elected Vice President), Libertad Nazareno-Rosales (elected Secretary-Treasurer), Benjamin Atanacio, Ruben Basilio, Elsa Jacinto, Antonio and Cecilia Talusan, Ophelia Completo-Buot, Aurora Padolina-Perez and Adriano de la Paz (all elected Board members), Alberto Talusan and Roberto Soriano accepted the challenge to establish our beloved organization.
In 1971, the Philippine Society of Nephrology was born.
The founding 13 members then filed the Articles of Incorporation of the Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN) as a nonstock, nonprofit medical organization with the Securities and Exchange Commission in May, 1972. Dr. Hilario Esguerra III conceptualized the PSN logo and banner.
And so it began.
(lifted from Beyond Measure: 40 years of the PSN)
RLGA2020
