Sir Patrick Manson at Home: 21 Queen Anne Street as hybrid space

An original research article for the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh exploring the spatial contexts of Patrick Manson’s research in tropical medicine.

Abstract:

Colonial physician and father of tropical medicine Sir Patrick Manson (1844-1922) is most closely associated with his research in China or teaching at the London School of Tropical Medicine, which he founded in 1899. This paper reconsiders Manson's life and work through a new spatial lens - that of his home at 21 Queen Anne Street. Drawing on glimpses of Manson's London house from his biographies and surviving archives, 21 Queen Anne Street is presented as a hybrid space - drawing together scientific, clinical and social networks and activities. Taking the form of a tour, this paper interrogates the internal divisions of the five-story building - focusing in particular on Manson's home laboratory, the 'muck room', and his consulting room. It explores how boundaries between spaces within the house were managed but also transgressed by Manson and his imperial family. It suggests the need to think more broadly about the spatial contexts of medical practice and research in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

J R Coll Physicians Edinb, 2019 Mar;49(1):84-91. doi: 10.4997/JRCPE.2019.117.