Patrick Manson
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Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
who made important discoveries in
parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...
, and was a founder of the field of
tropical medicine Tropical medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with health issues that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or are more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions. Physicians in this field diagnose and tr ...
. He graduated from the
University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
with degrees in
Master of Surgery The Master of Surgery (Latin: Magister Chirurgiae) is an advanced qualification in surgery. Depending upon the degree, it may be abbreviated ChM, MCh, MChir or MS. At a typical medical school the program lasts two to three years. The possessi ...
,
Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
and
Doctor of Law A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
. His medical career spanned
mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He discovered that
filariasis Filariasis is a filarial infection caused by parasitic nematodes (roundworms) spread by different vectors. They are included in the list of neglected tropical diseases. The most common type is lymphatic filariasis caused by three species o ...
in humans is transmitted by
mosquitoes Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by '' mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, ...
. This is the foundation of modern tropical medicine, and he is recognized with an epithet "Father of Tropical Medicine". This also made him the first person to show pathogen transmission by a blood-feeding arthropod. His discovery directly invoked the
mosquito-malaria theory Mosquito-malaria theory (or sometimes mosquito theory) was a scientific theory developed in the latter half of the 19th century that solved the question of how malaria was transmitted. The theory proposed that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoe ...
, which became the foundation in malariology. He eventually became the first President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He founded the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (subsequently absorbed into the
University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
) and the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...
. Manson was inflicted with
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
during his service in China. His recurring condition worsened with age. He died in 1922.


Childhood and education

Patrick Manson was a son of Alexander Manson and Elizabeth Livingstone Blaikie, born at
Oldmeldrum Oldmeldrum (commonly known as Meldrum) is a village and Civil parish, parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), North East Scotland. With a population of ...
, eighteen miles north of
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
. His father was manager of the local branch of the
British Linen Bank The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999. History Foundation The Edinburgh-based British ...
and Laird of Fingask. His mother was distant relative of the famed Christian missionary-explorer
David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livings ...
. He was the second son of a family of three boys and four girls. He developed a childhood passion in natural history, fishing, shooting, carpentry, mechanics and cricket. Among his Presbyterian-Christian family, he showed excellent memory for memorising church sermons at the age of five years. In 1857 his family moved to Aberdeen, where he entered Gymnasium School. He later continued at West End Academy. In 1859 he was apprenticed to Blaikie Brothers,
ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...
s based in Aberdeen. However, he was struck by a type of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
called Pott's disease of the spine which forced him to take rest. In 1860 he entered the
University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
from where he completed medicine course in 1865. He was only nineteen and was underage for graduation, so he visited hospitals, museums and medical schools in London. Finally of age he formally graduated in October 1865, and was appointed Medical Officer at Durham
Lunatic Asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...
, where he worked for seven months. He performed 17 postmortem dissections on patients with
psychiatric illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
es for his thesis. In 1866 he received the degrees of Master of Surgery, Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Law.


In China

Patrick Manson was inspired by his elder brother, David Manson, who worked in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
in medical service, to join medical officer post in the Customs Service of Formosa (now
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
). Manson traveled to Formosa in 1866 as a medical officer to the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, where he started a long career in the research of tropical medicine. His official daily duty involved inspecting ships docked at the port, check their crews and keep the
meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
record. He also attended to Chinese patients in a local missionary hospital where he was exposed to a wide variety of tropical diseases for his postgraduate training without any supervision. His only research tool was a combination of clinical skill, hand lens and good record keeping. He was in good terms with the native Chinese, learning
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and befriending them. However, due to political conflict between China and Japan over the occupation of the island, he was advised by the British Consul to leave. After 5 years in Formosa, he was transferred to
Amoy Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
, on the Chinese coast where he worked for another 13 years. Once again he again served the local Chinese patients at the Baptist Missionary Society's Hospital and Dispensary for the Chinese. His brother David joined him for 2 years.


Discovery

He spent his early years researching filaria (a small worm that causes
elephantiasis Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema). It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstru ...
). Manson focused his time on searching for filaria in blood taken from his patients. From this he began to work out the life cycle of filaria and through painstaking observation discovered that the worms were only present in the blood during the night and were absent during the day. He conducted experiments on his gardener, Hin Lo, who was infected with filaria. He would get mosquitoes to feed on his blood while he slept and then dissect the mosquitoes filled with Hin Lo's blood. ''"I shall not easily forget the first mosquito I dissected. I tore off its abdomen and succeeded in expressing the blood the stomach contained. Placing this under the microscope, I was gratified to find that, so far from killing the Filaria, the digestive juices of the mosquito seemed to have stimulated it to fresh activity."'' Manson observed that filaria only developed as far as an embryo within the human blood and that the mosquito must have a role in the life cycle. Through these early experiments he started to hypothesise about the role of mosquitoes and the spread of disease. That the mosquito (''Culex fatigans'', now '' Culex quinquefasciatus'') was the
intermediate host In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include ...
of the filarial parasite (''
Wuchereria bancrofti ''Wuchereria bancrofti'' is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that is the major cause of lymphatic filariasis. It is one of the three parasitic worms, together with ''Brugia malayi'' and '' B. timori'', that infect the lymphati ...
'') was a medical breakthrough in 1877. His experimental results were published in the China Customs Medical Report in 1878, and relayed by Spencer Cobbold to the Linnean Society in London. Out of this arose the mosquito-malaria theory, which suggested that the agent that causes
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
was also spread by a mosquito. In the
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...
in 1894 he published 'On the Nature and Significance of The Crescentic and Flagellated bodies in Malarial Blood'. In this article he states, ''"the mosquito, having been shown to be the agent by which the filaria is removed from the human blood vessels, this or similar suctorial agent must be the agent which removes from the human blood vessels those forms of the malaria organism which are destined to continue the existence of this organism outside the body."'' He then proposes, ''"the hypothesis I have ventured to formulate seems so well grounded that I for one, did circumstances permit, would approach its experimental demonstration with confidence. The necessary experiments cannot for obvious reasons be carried out in England, but I would commend my hypothesis to the attention of medical men in India and elsewhere, where malarial patients and suctorial insects abound."'' Sir Ronald Ross approached Manson in London and went on to prove this theory. The subsequent correspondence between Ross and Manson is documented as one of the most legendary collaborations in the history of medicine. Manson's theory was finally proved by Ross in 1898 who described the full life cycle of the malarial parasite (of birds) inside the female mosquito. Ross won the
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single ...
in 1902 for this discovery. Both Manson and Laveran were also nominated for the Nobel prize. During his acceptance speech, Ross controversially did not acknowledge Manson as his primary mentor. The subsequent fall out between these two great men is well documented in the book ''The Beast in the Mosquito: The Correspondence of Ronald Ross and Patrick Manson''. Manson also demonstrated a new species of ''
Schistosoma ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are Parasitism, parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed ''schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World H ...
'' (
Bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects the urinary tract or the intestines ...
) known as '' Schistosoma mansoni''. In 1882, he discovered sparganosis, a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm '' Spirometra''.


In Hong Kong

From 1883 to 1889, Manson worked in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. He was the first to import cows from his native Scotland to Hong Kong and thus establish a dairy farm in
Pok Fu Lam Pok Fu Lam ( zh, t=薄扶林, links=no, labels=no) or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District. It is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellett, around Telegraph Bay. Pok Fu L ...
in 1885 and the company
Dairy Farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...
in Hong Kong. However his most significant works are in medical education. He was the founder of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, where
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...
was one of his first pupils. In 1896, through his contacts at the Foreign Office, Manson managed to secure the release of Sun after he had been kidnapped in London by Chinese officials. Sun went on to become the first President of the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. In 1911 Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese became the
University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
.


In London

After 23 years in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, Manson had amassed considerable wealth from his medical practices. He returned to London in 1889, and settled at 21 Queen Anne Street, W1. In 1890 he qualified the Membership of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
. He became Physician at the Seamen's Hospital Society in 1892 and also Lecturer on Tropical Diseases in St George's Hospital. In July 1897 was appointed Chief Medical Officer to the
Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...
. It was here that he used his influence to push for the foundation of a School of Tropical Medicine at the Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital. In a speech in 1897, he endorsed a call by fellow Scottish physician Andrew Davidson for courses in tropical medicine at every British medical school. The
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...
was opened on 2 October 1899. He was appointed a Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(CMG) in the 1900 New Year Honours list on 1 January 1900, and was invested by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
at
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
on 1 March 1900. Manson was awarded the
Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh The Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh is awarded by the University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine to a person who has made any highly important and v ...
in this year. He retired from the Colonial Office in 1912.


Honours and recognitions

* Elected Fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
in 1895 * Elected to the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in 1900. * Elected President of the Epidemiological Society in 1900. * Awarded the Fothergill medal in 1902. * Knighted KCMG in 1903 and GCMG in 1912. * Awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1904. * Awarded the Bisset Hawkins Medal by the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
in 1905 * First president of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 1907. * Jenner Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine (1912). * The Manson Medal is awarded triennially by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. * A human trematode parasite '' Schistosoma mansoni'' is named in his honour. * Tapeworm species, ''Spirometra (Sparganum) mansoni'' and ''S. mansonoides'' are named after him. * A genus of mosquito '' Mansonia'', species of which are vectors of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and Brugian filariasis, is named after him. * A genus of filarial roundworm '' Mansonella'' was named after him in 1891.


Family

In 1876, he married Henrietta Isabella Thurbun, with whom he had three sons and one daughter. His daughter Edith Margaret Manson (1879–1948) married Philip Henry Bahr, one of Manson's pupils at the London School of Tropical medicine. Sir Philip Manson-Bahr CMG DSO MD FRCP (Lond) (1881–1966) became a leader in the field of
tropical medicine Tropical medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with health issues that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or are more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions. Physicians in this field diagnose and tr ...
in his own right. In 1995 Manson's grandson, Dr (Philip Edmund) Clinton Manson-Bahr (1911–1996) won the Manson Medal. It is the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine's highest mark of distinction for contributions to tropical medicine, and is awarded triennially. Manson's great-grandson Dr Gordon Manson-Bahr was a GP in Norfolk, UK for most of his medical career and his great-great grandson Dr David Manson-Bahr is a urologist in London. Manson's grandfather (John Manson of Kilblean 1762–1838) and his great-uncle (Alexander Manson b. 1778) founded the Glen Garioch Whisky distillery in 1797, which still operates in Oldmeldrum to this day. 'Manson Road' in
Oldmeldrum Oldmeldrum (commonly known as Meldrum) is a village and Civil parish, parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), North East Scotland. With a population of ...
was named in his honour.


Death

He died on 9 April 1922 after having a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. Following a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral in London, he was buried in Allenvale cemetery in Aberdeen.


Publications

* ''Manson's Tropical Diseases : a Manual of the Diseases of Warm Climates'' (1898);Patrick Manson. ''Tropical Diseases: A Manual of the Diseases of Warm Climates'', pp 635, 12 mo, Illustrated by 88 wood engravings and two colored plates. New York, William Wood & Company. 1898 (See also: JAMA. 1898; XXXI(8):428. )
''Lectures on Tropical Diseases''
(1905); * ''Diet in the Diseases of Hot Climates'' (1908), with Charles Wilberforce Daniels (1862–1927).


References


External links


Dairy Farm GroupRoyal Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneWellcome Trust ImagesWellcome Trust LibraryBiography at Encyclopædia Britannica
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manson, Patrick 1844 births 1922 deaths People from Oldmeldrum Alumni of the University of Aberdeen 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Malariologists Scottish parasitologists Scottish entomologists People associated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George British tropical physicians Presidents of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Recipients of the Jenner Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine