Ross Institute and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases

Material relating to the establishment and administration of the Institute along with material celebrating the incorporation of the Institute within the School; collection of published papers and articles relating to tropical disease; photographs of individuals who worked at the Institute; papers of the Ross Institute Advisory Committee and the India Branch; collection of correspondence with overseas branches; publications; papers of Professor George MacDonald, director of the Institute; files of Standing Committee members; matters concerning the death of Sir Ronald Ross; files from the East Pakistan and Ceylon branches and details concerning research fellowships granted by the Institute.

The Ross Institute and Hospital for Tropical Diseases was opened in 1926 on Putney Heath by the Prince of Wales as a memorial to and in recognition of Ross' work. The main focus of the Institute was the study of the nature and treatment, propagation and prevention of tropical disease. Due to financial problems arising after Ross' death in 1932, the Institute was incorporated into the London School in 1934, eventually to become the School's Department of Tropical Hygiene. The hospital became the Ross Ward of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in central London. The Institute added new dimensions to the School's existing departments and brought with it wide-ranging interests in overseas industries from Indian tea plantations to Anglo-Iranian oil companies who requested advice from the Institute on public health and disease prevention for staff in the tropics. The School has undergone several reorganisations since the 1950s which has resulted in the Institute losing its separate identity through its absorption by the School.

This collection has been re-arranged as there was no original order for the most part.

This collection is open for consultation. Please contact the Archivist to arrange an appointment. All researchers must complete and sign a user registration form which signifies their agreement to abide by the archive rules. All researchers are required to provide proof of identity bearing your signature (for example, a passport or debit card) when registering. Please see website for further information at https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/library-archives-service/archives

A detailed computer catalogue is available for use in the Archives and the on-line archive catalogue will be available at https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/library-archives-service/archives from 2006

Compiled by Victoria Killick, LSHTM Archivist. Sources: Prevention and Cure. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, A 20th Century Quest for Global Public Health. Lise Wilkinson and Anne Hardy. (2001).

Photocopies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Archivist

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine archives hold many additional collections which relate to the Ross Institute.

GB 0809 MacDonald has similar material.

GB 0809 Draper

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.