Gorgas Hospital

hospital, Ancón, Panama

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July 20, 2026

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Gorgas Hospital, located in Ancón, Panama, was a significant institution for tropical diseases. It was named after Colonel William Crawford Gorgas, a U.S. Army surgeon renowned for his work in eradicating yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone. Gorgas's sanitation efforts were crucial to the successful construction of the Panama Canal. While the hospital itself has since been converted into a clinic, its legacy is tied to the broader public health advancements in the region.12

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Ancón
It was noted for the Gorgas Hospital for tropical diseases, named for Col. William Crawford Gorgas (U.S. Army surgeon who eradicated yellow fever from what was then the Canal Zone); the hospital closed and became a clinic. Ancón is also the site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (established 1923),…
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It was noted for the Gorgas Hospital for tropical diseases, named for Col. William Crawford Gorgas (U.S. Army surgeon who eradicated yellow fever from what was then the Canal Zone); the hospital closed and became a clinic. Ancón is also the site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (established 1923),…
Read More