Colonial medicine
How did colonial Korea handle malaria?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Japanese malaria work in Korea looked like other Asian empires in burden, but the response differed from European colonies and from Taiwan, against a changing Korean epidemiology.
Study at a glance
- Design
- Qualitative / archival — History of Japanese malaria governance in colonial Korea versus Taiwan and European colonies
- N
- Colonial medical-policy history (c.1876–1945); not a sample N
- Population
- Malaria epidemiology and sanitary-police responses in colonial Korea under Japanese rule
- Outcome
- Distinct Korean (vivax-heavy) pattern and wartime quinine-supply failure under colonial administration
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
Key findings
Before the late 1890s, Western doctors often tied ‘malaria’ to swamps rather than a single parasite disease. Korean malaria was mostly less-deadly vivax. Sanitary police gained wide administrative control. Under the war regime quinine vanished; vivax could winter in human hosts, so interrupted treatment failed.
Methodology
The article tracks what ‘malaria’ meant before Ross’s Anopheles finding, Korea’s vivax-heavy pattern versus Taiwan’s falciparum, sanitary-police governance after annexation, and wartime collapse of quinine supply.
Limitations
This is a colonial-policy history, not a new parasitology survey. It does not estimate a modern incidence series. Comparisons with India and Taiwan are illustrative, not a full imperial census.
How this study connects
Role on claims
Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.
Japanese malaria work in Korea looked like other Asian empires in burden but differed from European colonies and Taiwan against a changing Korean epidemiology.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Open questions
Tensions this paper is part of
From concept pages' “where studies disagree.” Disagreement means the same question; scope means different assays, populations, or outcomes.
Japanese malaria work in Korea looked like other Asian empires in burden but differed from European colonies and Taiwan against a changing Korean epidemiology.
Related papers in this topic
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