Manson, Sir Patrick (1844-1922)

Case notes, letters to and from Manson (the correspondents including Ronald Ross) and miscellaneous papers.

1856-1922

2 volumes and 5 files Holograph and typescript material; bound volumes and files of loose papers.

MSS.3417 and 6129-6132 presented by Sir Philip Manson-Bahr in 1961 (acc.312264) and 1966 (acc.312767). MS.7245/1-2 purchased Sotheby's, London, May 1930 (acc.52792); MS.7245/3-4, accession details not recorded.

Patrick Manson was born in 1844 and studied medicine at Aberdeen University, passing M.B. and C.M. in 1865. In 1866 he became medical officer of Formosa for the Chinese imperial maritime customs, moving to Amoy in 1871. Here, while working on elephantoid diseases, he discovered in the tissues of blood-sucking mosquitoes the developmental phase of filaria worms. From 1883 to 1889 he was based in Hong Kong, where he set up a school of medicine that developed into the university and medical school of Hong Kong. Returning to London, he became physician to the Seaman's Hospital in 1892. He played a central role in the development of tropical medicine as a distinct discipline, publishing on tropical diseases, being instrumental in the setting up of the London School of Tropical Medicine in 1899, and becoming physician and advisor to the Colonial Office in 1897. He propounded the theory that malaria was propagated by mosquitoes, a theory to be proved by Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932). He was made F.R.S. in 1900 and K.C

At Wellcome Collection: the archives of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (WTI/RST) include Manson papers. MS. 6931, papers of Sir James Cantlie, includes some Manson material.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973); Richard Palmer, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine: Western Manuscripts 5120-6244 (London: The Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine, 1999); and subsequent typescript supplementary finding aids by Richard Aspin, Christopher Hilton, Keith Moore and Richard Palmer.