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Some late nineteenth-century Scottish travellers in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

Derek A. Dow
Derek A. Dow
Affiliation:
Archivist, Greater Glasgow Health Board
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Synopsis

In the late eighteenth century the Scottish Highlands were attractive to travellers eager to test themselves against climatic, dietetic and other deprivations. From the early nineteenth century, the Scots themselves became more adventurous and Scottish medical men, notably Mungo Park and David Livingstone, played a prominent part in the exploration of Africa. In the 1860s Livingstone's prolonged travels through the Dark Continent and his belief that he had conquered malarial fever led to the dispatch of the first Christian Mission to the Zambesi region, a venture which failed largely as a result of the missionaries' ignorance of hygiene and medicine.

The establishment of the European presence in British Central Africa (now Malawi) was accomplished by representatives of the Scottish Presbyterian Churches in the 1870s. This paper examines some of the problems encountered during the ensuing half century. Specific themes include the impact of developments in transport systems; housing and sanitation; hints on suitable clothing; the presence of trained medical personnel in both Mission and Government and their role in the study of tropical disease; use and abuse of alcohol.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 82 , Issue 1-2: Travel: Disease and Other Hazards , 1982 , pp. 7 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1982

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