Pathology laboratory: An institution of tropical diseases in Medan, East Sumatra, 1906-1942

Abstract

This study aims to explain the history of Medan Pathology Laboratory in the area of health in East Sumatra. The main discussion expressed in this study is the purpose of the establishment and the role of the Medan Pathology Laboratory in the health problems of the population and plantation workers in East Sumatra. The Medan Pathology Laboratory was founded on the initiative of a plantation owners in 1906. Many doctors and experts worked in the laboratory and carried out research on tropical diseases. The research included bacteriology, serology, chemistry, pathological anatomy, and vaccine development. In its development, this institution was able to solve problems related to epidemics in plantation areas such as cholera, dysentery, and beriberi. The experts and doctors at this institution found a relationship between the causes of the disease and the lifestyle of the plantation community and environmental conditions in East Sumatra. The sources used including documents and archives consisting of documents and annual laboratory reports, reports and notes from doctors who worked at the East Sumatra plantation hospital. This study used historical methods consisting of heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography.

Keywords

• diseases
• east sumatra
• health
• medan pathology laboratory
• plantations