On the 2nd October 1899 the London School of Tropical Medicine at Royal Albert Dock opened its doors to 11 students. An inaugural address was given by Patrick Manson which discussed issues around the lack of training in Tropical diseases and the need to increase knowledge and awareness.
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| London School of Tropical Medicine at Albert Dock, 1899 |
One of the main reasons for basing the school at Albert Dock was to ensure that students had a ready supply of patients. The school report for 1899-1900 provided a list of ‘the more important Tropical diseases admitted from October 1899, to October 1900’:
Acute Malaria . . . . .55
Chronic Malaria . . . 4
Dysentery . . . . . . . .44
Beri-Beri . . . . . . . . . 29
Liver Abscess . . . . . 8
Leprosy . . . . . . . . . . 2
Guinea Worm . . . . . 7
Filariasis . . . . . . . . . .3
Blackwater Fever . . 1
Plague . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Malta Fever . . . . . . .5
Hepatitis . . . . . . . . . 3
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
The school offered facilities for study and research, including laboratories and insectaries that provided students with the opportunities to develop and share their knowledge. There was also an emphasis that students would not only learn how to identify and treat Tropical disease but would also gain the skills to investigate illnesses.
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| Laboratories, c.1900 |
Once finished studying at the school their education often continued abroad. In January 1903 the school published a list of student destinations from the Amazon to Zanzibar. The most popular destinations were India, the Gold Coast, China and Lagos.
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