Diseases of ‘warm temperaments’: a modern perspective on Dr Hother McCormack Hanschell’s ‘On the influence of race in venereal disease’ and the legacies of colonialism and scientific racism in tropical medicine
Abstract
In 1925, Dr Hother McCormack Hanschell, then director of the venereal diseases clinic at the Seamen's Hospital in London, published a paper entitled 'On the influence of race in venereal disease' in Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The aim of the study, in Hanschell's words, was to evaluate whether it was possible to 'detect any racial influence on the course of three venereal diseases (ulcus molle, gonorrhoea and syphilis) in the individual patient'. The paper presents a window into epidemiological research, discourses on colonial medicine, and biological theories based on racial essentialism prevalent in the early 20th century. The issues raised by this paper continue to have implications for practice and research in tropical medicine today.
Fields of Study & Subjects
History of Medicine and Tropical Health
Race
Genetics
and Society
Medical History and Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Volume
- 120
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 417–421
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN