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)
The problem of clean water in Lagos was among his priorities also. He studied the possibilities of deep wells in Amsterdam and water storage in a tropical region in Egypt. The home ministry declined his initiative for a water plant, a plan that was only realised in 1917. The lack of colonial funds and the opposition of the CO to accept Africans in the forming medical services led to the abandonment of his other plans on local health services. These included the vaccination project which was declined by his superior at the colonial office because of African employment for vaccination officers. The Colonial Office as being too expensive and ineffective in their results declined his further plans for drainage. 29 Only the railway leading to Abeokuta received the required amount from Imperial Loans. 30 This, however, presented some additional health problems, as pointed out by the Royal Society expedition and the LSTM personnel in 1900 and 1902. 31 Both expert group suggested segregation as the only preventive measure, which was in defied by the governor. His opinion appeared in printed version in 1900 when he gave a speech on health problems of the colony at the London School of Tropical Medicine in October, 1900. Soon after he completed his plan that was to be the first non-urban anti-malaria strategy in a tropical environment. In this he emphasised the importance of drainage in every field of malarial regions, including the railway construction sites. 32 Eventually his illness with malaria forced him to leave Lagos in September 1904. His next post was to take him away from tropical West Africa but he remained interested in the development of malaria and sanitation policies of the region, especially through his friendship with Ross. 33 The policy initiated by MacGregor was carried on by his Principal Medical Officer, Henry Strachan, separately until the colony was amalgamated with the southern protectorate of the Niger Delta and the eastern regions of Cross Rivers in 1906. Since the amalgamation meant the merging of already existing departments, the Lagos administration was in a better situation since its medical department altogether had more members than the Protectorate's. It was obvious that the basic structures and policies of colonial medical policy would be retained as long as Strachan remained in his position. Curtin, 'Medical knowledge', 602—603. 1 Kubicek, The Administration, 78—80., especially Table I. The railway posed another problem with malaria when the workers building the line — including several European engineers — were exposed to the disease as the construction site provided the puddles for mosquito breeding. For details see the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine memoir written by Annett, H.E. — Dutton Everet — Elliott, J.H., Report of the Malaria Expedition to Nigeria 1900. Liverpool, 1901, although their conclusion in parallel with the Royal Society expedition's was segregation. The question is discussed in details by H. E. Annett, Everet Dutton and J. H. Elliott, Report of the Malaria Expedition to Nigeria 1900. Liverpool, 1901 ! MacGregor, William, "An Address on some problems of tropical medicine", m Journal of Tropical Medicine, October 1900,67. ' MacGregor kept up a correspondence with most major West African representatives, including Holt. In a letter in 1906 to Holt, the former governor was suggesting Ronald Ross to be supported by Holt in him becoming the special West African sanitary commissioner for all colonies, financed by private sources. MacGregor to Holt, 7 th of April, 1906, MSS Afr 1525, (Holt Papers), 17/2. Rhodes House, Oxford.
