Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine
AITM
1910 – 1930
Medical research institute in Townsville that studied tropical diseases and health conditions in northern Australia, one of the country's first medical research institutes.
How it came into existence
Opened in Townsville in 1910 with funding from the Commonwealth, the Queensland Government and the universities of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, under director Anton Breinl. The Commonwealth assumed full control in 1913, and the institute passed to the Department of Health when that department was created in 1921.
Changes during its life
- 1913The Commonwealth took over full financial and administrative control of the institute, administered through the Department of Trade and Customs.
- 7 March 1921Transferred from the Department of Trade and Customs to the new Department of Health.
How it ended
Closed in 1930, when its work was moved to the new School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Sydney.
- Tropical medicine research
Main functions
- Research into tropical diseases such as hookworm, malaria and filariasis
- Investigation of health conditions in tropical Australia
- Field surveys and diagnostic work in northern Australia and Papua
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Department of Health.
Lineage
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Sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.