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Abstract

Study of parasite control was a product of transnational interactions among scientists, activists, public, technologies and tools, as well as ecological environments such as parasites in the geopolitical context. This study critically reviews the previous historical analysis on public health programs, which was mainly looked at in a national context. Also, this study emphasizes that the practice of knowledge has been continuously transformed by social, cultural, and ecological factors that occur across the borders, with a specific example of Korea-Japan Joint research project in Jeju from 1970 to 1972 on the control of lymphatic filariasis. Endemic Burgia Malayi filaria provided a unique opportunity for both Korean and Japanese parasitologists to secure a valuable study object as well as model organism. The construction of knowledge about parasite control did not consist solely of research in a laboratory or university. Just as parasitologists continually engaged in the parasite control program and built up the knowledge and skills involved, these activities aimed to be applied to and practiced by the general public. In the process where knowledge constructed in a laboratory meets an external environment, researchers modified the practice according to appropriate social, cultural and ecological factors in local field of study sites.