7 the state of science in south africa
H E A L T H A N D M E D I C A L S C I E N C E S
flora and the interest shown in its medici- demic Robert Koch visited South Africa) and
nal properties by Europeans, only a limited leprosy in 1891 marked the start of govern-
number of experiments involving folk and ment investment in medical research. This
indigenous plant remedies were conduct- was followed by the establishment of the
ed at this time by Joseph Mackrill, James South African Institute for Medical Research
Barry, William Atherstone and Samuel Bai- (SAIMR) in 1912, funded partly by the
ley. District surgeons showed little interest Chamber of Mines. With the establishment
in responding to a government request to of science councils by the Smuts govern-
submit accounts of their experiences with
ment, the Council for Scientific and Indus-
indigenous plants and their medicinal use.
trial Research (CSIR) was the major source
In the late nineteenth century, most colo-
of state funding for medical research until
nial science was tied up with the objectives
the Medical Research Council (MRC) was
of the British Empire, part of which focused
established in 1969 as an off-shoot of the
on the containment of diseases which af-
CSIR. Given the interest of the mining in-
fected black workers and white colonists.
dustry in maintaining a healthy workforce,
It became policy in the early twentieth
much effort went into producing a vaccine
century to create entities for research and
against pneumococcal pneumonia, a lead-
technical assistance that would serve the
ing cause of death in otherwise fit young
empire’s economic and political interests.
miners. The first pneumococcal vaccine trial
With the advent of the Commonwealth in
was published in 1914, and the research
the 1950s, increasing influence was exerted
continues to this day at the SAIMR - now the
by the powerful scientific community in
National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS)
Europe and the United States of America. A
- part-funded by the MRC. Other diseases
relationship akin to imperialism in research
that affected mineworkers were tubercu-
ensued, with funding, equipment, the re-
losis (TB), silicosis and asbestosis. The re-
search agenda and publication dominated
search response to TB was the institution of
by the more developed countries.
a TB Commission by the Union Government
in 1912, followed by the establishment
of a TB Research Committee by the Union
7.1.2 The driving role of mi-
Government and the Chamber of Mines in
ning in medical research
1926, which culminated in the establish-
ment of a TB Research Unit at the CSIR in
G
iven the mineral-based economy of
1963. Despite the considerable investment
the country, much of twentieth-cen- in TB research, there was very little progress
tury medical research was focused in lessening the TB disease burden because
on supplying a pool of healthy, cheap la- the social and economic circumstances of
bour to the mining industry. Research was the mineworkers and the majority of the
characterised by projects that were urban- population remained largely unchanged.
based. The establishment of the Colonial The South African science community was
Bacteriological Institute for laboratory work also extensively engaged in asbestosis and
on rinderpest (for the study of which epi- silicosis research, but many of the research
188
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