Patrick Manson was born in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, on 3 October 1844. The Scottish doctor became a key figure in the study of insect-borne diseases and in developing tropical medicine as a distinct medical discipline in Britain.

Manson studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen and qualified in 1865. The following year, he took a medical post in Formosa (now Taiwan) before moving to Amoy (now Xiamen) in 1871.

While working in Amoy, Manson studied filariasis, a parasitic disease caused by worms. He discovered a developmental stage of the filarial worms in blood-sucking mosquitoes. The work provided evidence that an insect could play a part in transmitting a parasitic disease.

Manson later proposed that mosquitoes transmitted malaria. His theory influenced Ronald Ross, whose experiments demonstrated mosquitoes’ role in the malaria parasite’s life cycle.

After returning to Britain, Manson worked in London and became a physician and adviser to the Colonial Office. He helped establish the London School of Tropical Medicine in 1899. He played a central role in developing tropical medicine as a separate field of study and medical practice in Britain.