The work was published in 1928 by Robert W. Hart, a Surgeon in the U.S. Public Health Service, and served as an informational report to the American public whom the author believed possessed only a vague conception of their Far Eastern possession. The book provides a social, political, and economic assessment of the Philippines, which had been under United States control since 1898. Its publication occurred during a critical juncture when the political and economic destiny of the archipelago was a matter of considerable debate in the United States, with a dedicated section of the book focusing on the contentious independence movement. The author, writing from the perspective of an American official, aimed to enlighten readers about the "great social-political experiment" the United States was conducting in the islands. Specifically, the text highlights the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Health, which had successfully transformed the territory from a health "plague spot" into one of the most sanitated countries in the Orient, showcasing an institutional success of the American administration.
The Philippines today