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Gorgas Hospital

Buildings and structures in Panama CityDefunct hospitalsFormer installations of the United States ArmyFormer medical facilities of the United States ArmyHistoric American Buildings Survey in the former Panama Canal Zone
Hospital buildings completed in 1904Hospital buildings completed in 1915Hospitals established in 1882Hospitals in Panama
Stamps of the Canal Zone
Stamps of the Canal Zone

Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama, named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas (1854—1920). Built on the site of an earlier (1882) French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally (1904) christened Ancon Hospital by the Americans. It was originally built of wood but was rebuilt in concrete in 1915 by Samuel Hitt. It was renamed Gorgas Hospital in 1928. Gorgas Hospital is located on Ancon Hill. It was managed by the U.S. Army for most of the 20th century but is now, in accordance with the Torrijos–Carter Treaties (1977), in Panamanian hands. Since October 1999, it has been home to the Instituto Oncológico Nacional.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Gorgas Hospital (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Gorgas Hospital
Calle Culebra Rl, Ancón

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 8.9602 ° E -79.5466 °
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Calle Culebra Rl

Calle Culebra Rl
0843 Ancón
Panamá Province, Panama
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Stamps of the Canal Zone
Stamps of the Canal Zone
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Ancon Hill
Ancon Hill

Ancon Hill (Spanish: Cerro Ancón) is a 199 metres (653 ft) high hill that overlooks Panama City, Panama, adjacent to the township of Ancón. Ancón Hill is an area in Panama that was used for administration of the Panama Canal. It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone until being returned to Panama in 1977. Largely undeveloped, the area is now a reserve. The hill includes the highest point in Panama City. The summit of the hill can be reached by a 30-minute hike. According to a local Ancon resident, at this time it is no longer possible to drive to the summit of Cerro Ancon (February 12, 2017). Relatively undeveloped it includes jungle in an otherwise urban area, and wildlife still survives cut off from other jungle areas. It is not uncommon to see sloths, white-nosed coati, nine-banded armadillos, Geoffroy's tamarins, or deer on Ancon Hill, which now has protected status. Its name is used as an acronym by a Panamanian environmental group, Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ANCON). The lower slopes contained residences and Gorgas Hospital. Higher up were the residence of the Governor of the Canal Zone and Quarry Heights, where the United States Southern Command was located. Quarry Heights was named for being adjacent to a large rock quarry on one side of the hill, which left a visible cliff face on one side. The hill contains an abandoned underground bunker once manned by the US Southern Command. At the top are two broadcast towers and a small road that reaches them. One-way vehicular traffic is now allowed during daylight hours. Hikers can use the road to reach the summit, and the hill is a popular jogging and hiking trek. Along the path, all manner of vegetation and birds can be seen, including a large number of orchids (which are protected by CITES).

Ancón, Panama
Ancón, Panama

Ancón is a corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 29,761 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 11,518; its population as of 2000 was 11,169. It is sometimes considered a suburb or small town within Panama City, northeast of the limits of the town of Balboa. Ancon Hill is also the name of a large hill that overlooks Panama City and once served as a form of protection from pirates and sea invasion. The township was originally located around this hill, and was created to house employees of the Panama Canal during its construction. As part of the construction effort, the historic Gorgas Army Hospital was founded and built on the hillside. The first ship to officially transit the canal, SS Ancon, was named after the district. The community continued to serve as housing for employees of the Panama Canal Company until 1980, when parts of it began to be turned over to the Panamanian government under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Modern-day Ancón is a corregimiento (the Panamanian equivalent of a suburb in the United States) of Panama City, serving mainly as a residential area. The Gorgas Army Hospital building is now the Panamanian Oncology Hospital, primarily used for cancer research. The area also houses Panama's Supreme Court, just a few feet away from the Gorgas Army Hospital building, and several Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute buildings for research into tropical biology. Ancón is also a parish (parroquia) of the District of Panama, located in the Panama Canal adjacent area.