Occupying a place in medical history, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine was founded on 12 November 1898, making it the first institution anywhere in the world dedicated entirely to the study of tropical medicine. Based in Liverpool, England, it operates as a postgraduate teaching and research institution with full degree-awarding powers, and is also a registered charity. Its research portfolio now exceeds £220 million, with funding drawn from organisations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
Origins in a Port City
The school’s founding was directly tied to Liverpool’s status as one of Britain’s busiest port cities in the late nineteenth century. Extensive trade with West and Southern Africa meant that patients arriving with tropical diseases were regularly admitted to local hospitals, placing strain on medical staff with little specialist training. Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a prominent local ship owner, recognised the problem and took action. Together with fellow businessmen and health professionals, he pledged an annual donation of £350 for three years to promote the study of tropical diseases in Liverpool. The announcement was made at the annual dinner of students at Liverpool’s Royal Southern Hospital, whose president subsequently proposed that the hospital, given its proximity to the docks, should act as the clinical base for the studies.
Establishing the School
The arrangement of gathering tropical cases into one centre rather than leaving them scattered across general wards proved immediately effective, and the suggestion was made to formalise it permanently. The hospital’s professional committee met to plan the new school and communicated their intentions to the Colonial Office, which was responsible for such matters at the time. The Colonial Office acknowledged the creation of the School of Tropical Diseases at University College, Liverpool and noted how well-equipped it was for teaching, but declined any financial support, citing the recent establishment of a similar institution in London backed by Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain. It did concede that candidates who had trained in Liverpool would receive preference when applying for Colonial Service positions.
Research and Partnerships Today
LSTM continues active research into malaria and insect-borne diseases. In partnership with the University of Liverpool, it co-founded the Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research (CEIDR), which focuses on improving global healthcare and developing medical technologies. The school’s work stretches well beyond the original dockside concerns that prompted its creation, but its foundation as a response to Liverpool’s trading connections with the tropics remains central to its identity.