The Philippine Medical School, forerunner of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, was established by virtue of the Second Philippine Commission Act 1415 dated December 1, 1905, as a response to the urgent need for more doctors in the country.

The school opened on June 10, 1907, occupying the old structure of the School for the Deaf and Blind on Bonifacio Drive (previously Malecon Drive) while its own building on Pedro Gil Street(previously Herran) was being constructed. On June 1, 1910, the school transferred to the new site.

After three years of independent existence, it became the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and Surgery, thus having the distinction of antedating the mother university by a year and being its oldest college. The name was abridged to College of Medicine in 1923.

Three months after the transfer of the College at Pedro Gil Street, the Philippine General Hospital was opened and became the University’s teaching hospital.

During the difficult days of the Second World War, the College continued to operate even when the other units of the University were closed. Fighting during the Battle of Manila in 1945 reduced the College building to rubble. Barely had the sound and fury of combat died down, when the College, phoenix-like, rose from the shadows of the ravaged campus initially holding classes in shell-holed rooms with leaking roofs. Its role in the delivery of health never dwindled in those days of turmoil and during the long years of rehabilitation after the war.

As the College continues into the next one hundred years, it renews its dedication to excellence and leadership in medical education, research and service that is community-oriented and directed to the underserved.