2025 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 156-180
The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries marked a period when Western powers were actively colonizing Asia and Africa. For the colonizers, establishing effective medical and public health schemes in these regions, which differed significantly from their home countries in terms of environment, was of utmost importance. In the early stages of colonization medical and public health systems were non-existent, which makes it crucial to understand how these systems were formed under such circumstances. This is particularly relevant for French Indochina, where colonization began with the military occupation of Cochinchina. This paper reveals the development of medicine and public health in the early stages of colonization, with a focus on the formation of organizations and the development of laws. Additionally, by comparing this process to the US-controlled Philippines, where colonization also started with a military invasion, this paper identifies some key characteristics of French Cochinchina: a strong prioritization of the military, which led to an emphasis on creating organizations for treating soldiers rather than establishing laws; limited medical knowledge, which meant that pathogen-targeted measures were lacking; and limited healthcare initiatives for the local population due to financial constraints.
