London Medical School found to be built on pure colonial ideology

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Aug 2022 16:05

A report disclosed that The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, established in 1899, was founded on deeply-rooted colonial ideologies and the exploited labor of enslaved people.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (The Guardian)

According to a study released on Thursday, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, also known as LSHTM, is entrenched in a colonial past, and propagated ideologies in its research and teaching methods that were rooted in white supremacy and pseudoscience.

Lioba Hirsch, the report's author, stated that "LSHTM was set up as a colonial institution and benefited from and contributed to British colonialism in a variety of ways between 1899 and 1960."

There have been attempts, however, by the British authorities to water down British colonial history in academia, but still has not taken effect due to its controversy.

Colonial interests in its foundation

The school was established by the British Empire's Colonial Office, which administered British colonies in 1899, where the funds and running costs came from colonial contributions - derived from the exploitation of resources and labor abuse of the enslaved in the colonies.

The school also carried out research that aimed to strengthen Britain's commercial interests and protect colonial officers from premature deaths from infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera.

During both world wars, it was also conducive to protect at the time British troops against tropical diseases and safeguarding imperial possessions and assets.