Barrowman, Barclay (1896-1978)

Materials relating to Barrowman's work on malaria control , also more generally on his activities in the Federated Malay States and other parts of South East Asia.

1925-1978

2 boxes

An initital accession of material was given to the Contemporary Medical Archives Centre by Barrowman's daughter, Mrs Gillian Hearson, via her neighbour Mr Keith Vowles, March 1992; additional material was received in February 2008

Barclay Barrowman JP, DTM, FCO, FRSH (1896-1978) was a malariologist. He was born and educated in Glasgow, served during World War One as a medical officer with the Royal Navy in various parts of the world. In 1923 he joined Sir Malcolm Watson in private practice in Klang, the royal capital of Selangor, Federated Malay States, becoming sole principal of the practice in 1928. In 1930 he was appointed Personal Physician to the Sultan of Selangor, and was one of the first two Europeans invested with the Name, Rank and Style of Dato'Semboh di Raja, in 1937. The Sultan's successor appointed him a Justice of the Peace. He served as President of the Malayan Branch of the British Medical Association. He made original and significant advances in the treatment and preventive control of malaria, including running instructional courses under the auspices of the League of Nations. He also made contributions to the improved housing and social welfare of local labour forces on plantations and in the towns and villages of Malaya. During the Second World War, he acted in a civilian capacity for the Australian Military Forces until he accepted an appointment with the Malayan Planning Unit of the War Office in London, and then returned to Malaya with the Military Administration as Advisor in Malariology with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, later Colonel. He remained with the civil administration until the permanent Colonial Services officers returned, while reorganising his medical practice for handover to his partner, retiring with serious ill-health in 1947. After his retirement the communities of Klang petitioned to commemorate his services by naming the new highway to Port Swettenham Barrowman Road. He died on 31 Jan 1978. There is an obituary in the British Medical Journal, 1978, i, p. 514