‘Living in a state of filth and indifference to … their health’: Weather, public health and urban governance in colonial George Town, Penang

• Main Authors: WILLIAMSON, Fiona, PROUST, Katrina
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: History; public health; environment; climate; Malaya; Asian Studies; Public Health; Urban Studies and Planning
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2683; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3940/viewcontent/williamson_1536914892971.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article explores the development of public health infrastructure in George Town, Penang, before the 1930s. It argues that the extreme weather of the tropical climate led to a unique set of health challenges for George Town’s administrators, as the town grew from a small British base to a multi-...