ABSTRACT
As Chapter 2 demonstrates, the history of tuberculosis changed at the start of the twentieth century, when the colonial government grew concerned over the high mortality rates in the municipal area. These anxieties culminated in the visit of W.J.R. Simpson, a widely travelled sanitary expert, to investigate and report on the town’s numerous and congested shophouse dwellings in 1906. Although brief and error-ridden, Simpson’s study was pivotal in identifying that tuberculosis among low-income Chinese coolies living in overcrowded shophouses was a leading cause of death. By urging the government to lead major efforts to cleanse the town and improve and rebuild housing, the Simpson report had a long-term impact – hitherto little-recognised – on Singapore’s urban, housing and sanitary history. While a state response to tuberculosis was not immediately forthcoming, Simpson’s proposals led to further studies on the subject by a housing commission in 1918 and a tuberculosis committee five years later.
