Ross Institute and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases

The Ross Institute and Hospital for Tropical Diseases was opened in 1926 on Putney Heath by the Prince of Wales in recognition of the work of Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932), malariologist. The main focus of the Institute was the study of the nature and treatment, propagation and prevention of tropical disease. Due to financial problems arising after Ross' death in 1932, the Institute was incorporated into the London School in 1934, eventually to become the School's Department of Tropical Hygiene.

The hospital became the Ross Ward of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in central London. The Institute added new dimensions to the School's existing departments and brought with it wide-ranging interests in overseas industries from Indian tea plantations to Anglo-Iranian oil companies who requested advice from the Institute on public health and disease prevention for staff in the tropics. The School has undergone several reorganisations since the 1950s which has resulted in the Institute losing its separate identity through its absorption by the School.