Dealing with the colonial legacy at the RKI

The decolonization of global health has been a much-discussed topic internationally in recent years. It addresses power imbalances, inequalities, racism, lack of diversity and discrimination from a historical perspective but with a view to current conditions and changes in the future. The Robert Koch Institute has also been increasingly addressing the topic for several years, particularly in light of the founding of the Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG) in 2019 and Robert Koch's ethically unacceptable work on sleeping sickness in East Africa, which had been a recurring public topic in previous years.

In 1906 and 1907, a commission led by Koch was sent to East Africa to experiment with ways of treating sleeping sickness. Koch enjoyed some initial success by treating patients with Atoxyl, a drug containing arsenic. But the parasite that caused the infection was only suppressed in the sufferer’s bloodstream for a short time, so, although he was aware of the risks associated with the drug, Koch doubled the dose of Atoxyl. Many patients suffered from pain and colic, some even went blind. Despite this, Koch was still convinced that Atoxyl could be effective. His final research journey was the most inglorious chapter of his career. The RKI provides information about this on the Robert Koch website and in the RKI Museum. At a series of public events on the history of the Institute to mark its 125th anniversary in 2016, there was a separate event on Robert Koch in Africa and then a separate chapter in an illustrated book on this series of events.

Founded in 2019, the ZIG works on all aspects of public health relevant to international health protection: from surveillance, to diagnostic capacity, programme evaluation, operational and implementation research, public health workforce development, emergency structures and processes, and other relevant functions. The centre integrates and makes available core competencies of the RKI for international health protection. More than 80 experts from all over the world bring their interdisciplinary expertise and experience to bear in ZIG. The activities of ZIG and all other RKI employees in international projects are based on collegial and respectful cooperation with its partners.

By signing the Diversity Charta in 2017, the RKI committed itself to a culture that sees diversity as an opportunity. With this in mind, the RKI is committed to promoting diversity both in the working environment and in public health work, see also the statement of 19 January 2024 (in German): The RKI is committed to a culture that sees diversity as an opportunity.

The activities for dealing with the colonial legacy are coordinated at the RKI by ZIG and driven forward by an interdepartmental working group.

For example an ZIG Talk with Prof Mishal Khan took place on 27 November 2020. Mishal Khan is Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and is involved with the group on Decolonising Global Health there. Prof Khan presented, among other things, the various motivations underlying engagement with the colonial legacy: the desire for greater effectiveness of global public health efforts, the normative orientation toward the ideal of justice, and the fear of loss of reputation. She also described the many processes used at LSHTM to address the issue institutionally, including providing protected spaces for open discussion, fair access for students and faculty, a focus on equitable research partnerships, and leadership commitment.The ZIG Talks 2021/2022 focused on the topic of decolonizing global health (see ZIG Talks archive) with seven further external presentations on the subject.

Gaps in factual knowledge about the medical and health policy activities of Robert Koch and other RKI employees during the colonial period are to be identified in an expert workshop (“Robert Koch and the Robert Koch Institute in colonial times: What lessons can we draw from history for today’s work?”, 29 September to 1 October 2024).

In addition, these activities shall be evaluated historically and on the basis of current ethical considerations, the need for further medical-historical research will be identified and recommendations to the RKI for dealing with the colonial legacy, especially in its international public health work, shall be developed. The workshop was preceded by a virtual meeting on 3 September 2024, which served to get to know each other, clarify the objectives and expectations of the workshop and discuss initial content-related questions. The results of the workshop shall be reported in a scientific journal.

On 2 October 2024, the public ZIG Talk "German Colonial Medicine and its Global Influence and Legacies" with Dr Musa Sadock from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will take place in cooperation with the RKI Museum.