The Story of Manuel Zamora, the Pharmacist Who Discovered Tiki-Tiki

The Story of Manuel Zamora, the Pharmacist Who Discovered Tiki-Tiki

There was a time when beriberi was a major cause of concern in the Philippines. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it ranked among the most common causes of illness and even worse, death in the Orient. From expectant and nursing mothers to adults and children, patients with beriberi suffered greatly during this period.

It would bring a prolonged thiamin deficiency, leading to fatigue, poor reflexes, irritability, and memory loss, among others. More severe cases would cause neuropathy of the legs or edema accompanied by high-output congestive heart failure.

During the American colonial period in the Philippines, it took the lives of hundreds of infants. A mortality rate of around 12,000 to 20,000 annually was reported during the ’20s and ’30s, with American researchers establishing beriberi as a leading cause of death in this demographic.

Manuel Zamora, of course, would end up changing the course of history with the introduction of the vitamin formula tiki-tiki. The son of affluent parents Marciano Zamora and Martina Molo Agustin, the scientist would become one of the great chemists and pharmacists of his time. Let us look back on his story and legacy as he celebrates his 154th birth anniversary.

The Story and Legacy of Manuel Zamora

Born in Sta. Cruz, Manila on March 29, 1870, Manuel Zamora grew up in a distinguished family. He would soon prove his mettle once he entered school. After finishing his education at the Ateneo Municipal, he would go on to study at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

As a student, he caught the attention of his professors and contemporaries by earning recognition for papers such as “Materia Farmaceutica Animal y Mineral” (1891-1892), and “Materia Farmaceutica Animal Vegetal” (1893-1894). He would become a licensed pharmacist in 1896. With Botica de Quiapo, he would serve as an apprentice while in college.

By 1901, he would become an assistant professor in organic chemistry at his alma mater before transitioning to an associate professor role and then to full professor. In 1908, he would set up his own drugstore and a small laboratory at 928 R. Hidalgo Street. This was where he laid the foundation for his discovery.

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Being the founder of Tiki-Tiki, he was actually the first to come up with a stable extract in 1909, which would then be purified by Robert R. Williams. Writing for the Bureau of Science in 1912, Williams noted of the process:

“A technology for the preparation of ‘tiki-tiki’ (rice polishings) extract has been developed for beriberi treatment. The process mainly involves extraction of ‘tiki-tiki’ with alcohol, followed by distillation and evaporation until the desired specific gravity of the extract has been obtained.

“The final product is further heated and pasteurized for 3 successive days and then packed for distribution to the local market. This ‘tiki-tiki’ extract has therapeutic action that possesses a high percentage of neuritis-preventing substance and is a cure for infantile beriberi.”

It proved to be quite the source of Vitamin B, and was especially effective for babies. This was the first time the vitamin would be isolated. The American protectorate would have the supplements made. From 1914 to 1920, the Bureau of Science in the Philippines reportedly churned out 47,530 50-cc bottles of Tiki-Tiki. This would effectively reduce infant mortality in the Philippines.

He was said to have had patent offers in the United States, particularly from Parke-Davis, but ultimately decided against it. The substance’s patents would be given to the Research Corporation of New York. Meanwhile, royalties would go to the Williams-Waterman Fund for the Combat of Dietary Diseases.

Zamora was quite the family man, as well. He would marry Baltazara Mangali and have two children, Marciano and Felicidad. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, of course, as his granddaughter Virginia “Jennie” Zamora sat as an executive committee member for the Philippine General Hospital Medical Foundation Inc.

The chemist was also one of the founders of the Philippine Pharmaceutical Association in 1920 and would become the first Dean of the Cento Escolar University College of Pharmacy in 1921. While with CEU, he was heavily involved with the Colegio Medico Farmaceutico, too. He would serve as dean of the university until his death on July 9, 1929.

Tiki-Tiki will always be synonymous with Zamora. But throughout his lifetime, he also found cures like vino ye, Elixir digestive estomacal, Lustora, and Alis galis, to name a few. In his laboratory, he would even look at the nitrogen compound of patis and do various studies on aromatic vinegars found in the Philippines. The chemist, suffice it to say, was a naturally curious individual even in his spare time.

Interestingly, the Zamora House remains in Calle Hidalgo, Quiapo, a heritage site that gets a fair amount of attraction these days. Not only is it important because of the pharmacist’s contributions, but also because it is quite the architectural icon. It’s one of the final bahay-na-bato structures in the city and falls under the Quiapo Heritage Zone. Unfortunately, a partial demolition of the property was greenlit by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines early last year.

It must also be said that Zamora has yet to be named a National Scientist in the Philippines. Nevertheless, he’s a respected figure in the Filipino scientific community. To think, as far back as the second century, beriberi was a globally recognized disease that would be found among prisoners and sailors. Children would become its next victims. Thanks to Zamora, the illness isn’t as deadly or as mortifying as it used to be. For that, we can always be grateful.