Magyar László szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 174-177. (Budapest, 2001)

TANULMÁNYOK — ARTICLES - Máthé-Shires László: Who Lives Where? British Anti-Malaria Policy in Southern-Nigeria (1899-1912)

ber that is significant in a town of ca. 40,000.

24 In 1903 after his second leave — he was in Europe between May and December in 1902 — he started the public works for the canal in Lagos which he considered to be the most important step to carry out the drainage of the town. The canal, intended as a massive drainage project, was completed shortly and as a result of it, the general public health of Lagos improved significantly. MacGregor's public health policy improved the general sanitary state of one of the least unhealthy urban settlement in tropical Africa. His idea was to improve the lives of the entire population, including and eventually relying on indigenous medical help. While he had some access to funds, he made use of them. In 1900 for example he used L 2,699 for sanitation projects out of the medical budget's L 11,535.

25 MacGregor's continued problem was his lack of funds. His plans, as mentioned above, included a hospital specialised in tropical medicine and the quininisation of the African population. In his lecture series he advocated the cooperation with local African civil organisations, most importantly with the Lagos Ladies League which he intended to use for the free distribution of quinine for native children.

26 He also considered the training of African doctors as specialists in tropical medicine.

27 During his second leave he contacted the universities of Liverpool and Edinburgh where he was trying to explore the possibility of the training as he was trying to recruit more doctors to work in Lagos. This fact is interesting in the light of the Westernised urban Creole elite of West Africa, among whom several members had a medical degree (M.D.) from British universities. It thus could happen that practicing doctors had better qualifications than some British colonial physicians. The governor's opinion in this issue stood against that of the Colonial Office where the recruitment policy expressed a strict racial policy of not accepting anyone for government service who was not of European British origin, regardless of qualification.

28 24 He published his experiences in an article, see MacGregor, William, 'Notes on Antimalarial Measures now being taken in Lagos', British Medical Journal, September 14, 1901. Later he wrote an article together with Ronald Ross about his Lagos experiences, see Ross, Ronald — MacGregor, William 'The fight against malaria with introductory note by Major Ronald Ross', in Journal of the African Society, No. VI, January 1903., 149— 161. 25 Annual Report Lagos 1900—01. Parliamentary Papers [hereinafter PP] 1902 LXIV [Cd. 788] It is interesting to note here that the colony's revenue in 1902 was L 275,0231 of which L 1 1,535 was spent by the medical department. In the same year the Protectorate acquired L 361,815 whereas its medical budget — with a population of an estimated four million people — was L 13,200. 26 Annual Report Lagos 1900—01. PP 1902 LXIV [Cd. 788] 27 His policy in recruiting physicians of African descent was quite unique since there was a certain tendency of professional racial discrimination in British West Africa. For details on some aspects of racial policies in the medical profession and especially on the career of African physicians in the early colonial period, see Patton, Adell Jr., Physicians, Colonial Racism and Diaspora in West Africa. (University of Florida Press, 1996). The governor's approach to the question was contrary to the CO opinion which was eventually placed into practice in 1903 when the West African Medical Staff (WAMS) was set up. This specialised colonial service excluded physicians of African origin from its ranks, maintaining a strict colour bar up to the late twenties. 28 For racial policies in West Africa, see Adell Patton, Jr., Physicians, Colonial Racism and Diaspora in West Africa. (University of Florida Press, 1996). For the colour bar within the newly formed West African colonial medical service, (West African Medical Staff) see PP 1909. LXI. [Cd. 4720.] Report of the Departmental Committee on the West African Medical Staff.