Since the mid-19th century,the colonialism has led to the spread of various infectious diseases in the British African colonies,among which the spread of syphilis was most closely related to changes of domestic relation and sexual relation in Africa.The British colonists concerned that the spread of syphilis would affect the supply of healthy African labour,thereby endangering the economic operation and social order of the colonies.Based on racist ideas,the British colonists attributed the spread of syphilis in the African colonies to the Africans themselves,seriously exaggerating the extent of syphilis and regarding it as a manifestation of the'unenlightenment'and'primitiveness'of the African culture.The syphilis prevention and control measures taken by the British colonial authorities,such as the compulsory syphilis diagnosis and treatment,the social hygiene campaigns,the strengthening of patriarchal authority,and the restriction of the influx of the African women into towns were deeply influenced by racist ideas and focused more on the changing individual behaviour,while avoiding the socioeconomic factors that led to the spread of syphilis.Although the British colonists intended to strengthen their control over the African sexual relations and the household sphere through the syphilis prevention and control measures,the actual implementation of those measures were fragmented,uneven,and constantly changing,reflecting the tension between the colonial discourse and policy and the medical science.After the 1960s,syphilis was no longer considered as a serious public health threat in Africa.Nevertheless,the prevention and control of syphilis in the British African colonies still had profound and complex historical impacts.
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