Work for the League of Nations

In 1928, Mackenzie was invited to join the Health Organisation of the League of Nations. As a member of the League, he undertook various advisory international missions, where he provided recommendations and guidance to governments on public health matters, such as the control of cholera, typhus fever and small pox.

His first mission as Secretary of the Malaria Commission of the League of Nations was in Greece, advising on a pandemic of dengue. Mackenzie made recommendations to the Greek government on how to control the epidemic and how to prevent a recurrence. In 1929, he returned to Greece to carry out a general survey of the country from a public health perspective, including the study of the incidence of infectious disease in all parts of Greece.

Between 1929 and 1930, Mackenzie visited Bulgaria to conduct a survey on areas by syphilis. While in Bulgaria, he met government officials to discuss the current conditions and environment and produced a report based on his findings.

In 1930, Mackenzie was sent by the League of Nations to Bolivia to make recommendations for the reorganisation of the country's health services. In order to do so, MDM conducted a survey over a nine month period, focusing on diseases in the tropics of the Amazon, including malaria and dysentery. Between 1931 and 1932, Mackenzie travelled to Liberia as Special Commissioner to the Council of the League of Nations.

In 1936, acting as Director of the Epidemiological Bureau of the League of Nations, Mackenzie visited Singapore to manage outbreaks of plague and cholera. As part of the League of Nations Eastern Bureau, Mackenzie collated reports from nearby countries providing local details of the existence of epidemics such as cholera and plague. This information was then distributed by the League of Nations to ship captains, pilots and doctors in ports, in order to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases between countries.

In 1938, the League of Nations responded to a request from the Chinese Government to collaborate in epidemiological work, particularly for the prevention of cholera, small pox, typhus and malaria in the region. Mackenzie visited the country between 1938 and 1939 to report and advise on outbreaks of diseases triggered by the Sino-Japanese war.

The papers include reports, correspondence, personal accounts, transcripts and other papers, relating to missions in Greece, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Singapore and China.

1928-1939

20 files, 4 digital items 217 MB (227920499 bytes)