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HISTORY UNIT 4 #4 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Much of Singapore Town (at least until the 1860s) remained dirty, smelly and surrounded by polluted swamps. Roads were littered with garbage and plagued by stray dogs; there were few if any hospitals, no fire brigade or adequate water supply; and finally there was no sewage system (i.e. night-soil was collected privately to be later deposited in the market gardens). If anything was done, it was largely through the activities of civic-minded philanthropists and in the numerous local associations.
      - The other Asians were not so fortunate. Most of them were poor and could not afford to pay for proper medical treatment. Many sick and homeless beggars roamed the streets of Singapore. Despite the fact that Singapore was a popular growing port, the death rate in the first half of the 19th century was very high.
      - After the British settlement in Singapore was founded, no medical services were provided for the general public for a long time. There were only one or two government doctors who looked after sick soldiers in a military hospital (a hospital for soldiers), and a few European doctors who served mostly the Europeans and rich Asians.
    - - Unlike today where all children in Singapore can attend school and obtain a good education, during the 19th century, the children in Singapore were not so fortunate. Most children did not go to school at all, and schools were mostly little-equipped and attended only by boys. Few girls attended school because most parents thought that girls need not be educated.
      - In 1823, Raffles founded the Singapore Institution, but for many years the school building was not used as a school. Then in 1837, the building was used by another school, the Singapore Free School. This school was founded by an Anglican priest. A few years after the Singapore Free School had moved into the Singapore Institution building, the school was renamed the Singapore Institution Free School. Many years later, the name of the school was changed to Raffles Institution.
      - Beyond Raffles’ initial push for education, the British government did not see an urgent need to provide education for the locals, and were happy to leave such matters in the hands of private organizations. For example, soon after modern Singapore was founded, a small school for Indian children was started by an Indian merchant, Narayana Pillai. Some Christian missionaries opened two Cantonese schools, a Hokkien school and an English school. Missionaries also helped establish several Chinese and Tamil schools. There were also some madrasah schools for Malay Muslim children. They were run by religious teachers and the children were taught passages from the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims, and matters related to Islam.
  - - - A General Hospital, a leper camp and a lunatic asylum for those who suffered from mental illness were also built to provide some form of healthcare to the public. From 1882 onwards, outpatient clinics were also set up to serve the public. A Quarantine Law was also passed to the spread of infectious diseases such as smallpox and cholera. Passengers arriving in Singapore by sea had to be checked by a doctor to ensure that they were not suffering from any infectious diseases. Those found to be suffering from any infectious disease were quarantined in St John’s Island for some time to prevent the disease from spreading to others in Singapore.
      - A wave of public health improvements followed: the first official health survey in 1906, an expansion of the General Hospital in 1907, a campaign to deal with malaria in 1911, and the laying of the city’s first sewage pipes two years later. In 1921, water supplies to the town increased with the opening of a new reservoir, and in 1927 the government began to tackle overcrowding by forming the Singapore Improvement Trust, a body responsible to clear slums and provide alternative housing.
        By the 1940s, public health generally improved and the spread of disease was greatly reduced.
      - In 1887, the government set up a Public Health Department to improve public health in the town. Some of the measures taken by the government to improve public health include setting up a malaria committee to supervise the infilling of mosquito- infested swamps, replacing the pail system with modern water-carriage sewage system and clearing dirty streets and drains. Attempts were also made to improve housing conditions such as reducing overcrowding among the Chinese quarters in Chinatown.
    - - The British government also agreed to the request of Asian leaders to set up a medical school to train doctors. However, it was on the condition that the locals raised the funds to set up the medical college. In 1905, the medical college was built from a fund of about $87,000 raised by Asian leaders. The school became known as King Edward VII Medical School in 1912 and was later renamed as King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1921. Other institutions of higher education were also built when merchants put pressure on the government to do so. In 1928, the Raffles College opened its doors to take in students.
      - At the turn of the 20th century, the colonial government began to change their attitude towards education for the locals in Singapore. This was because the government needed skilled individuals and people trained in English to fill the positions in the government offices and trading companies. To meet the demands, the government set up English and Malay schools, and also provided grants.
        The government also established the Queen’s Scholarship for top secondary school students to further their studies in British universities. Many of the Queen’s scholars returned as doctors, lawyers, and teachers.
      - However, the British did not treat all schools equally. English and Malay schools received more funding than Chinese schools. The British believed that Chinese schools bred anti-British sentiments and the government was often seen as neglecting the Chinese schools.