2 Euro - Philippe Cancer

Issued to mark the centenary of the Institut Jules Bordet, Belgium's dedicated oncology hospital founded in 1925, this coin honors the broader national campaign against cancer rather than commemorating Philippe himself as an individual — Philippe being a reference to the reigning king whose effigy authorizes the issue. The Bordet Institute was built largely through public fundraising drives in the years following World War I, when cancer mortality in Belgium was climbing sharply and no specialized treatment center existed in the country.