PERKEMBANGAN JABATAN PERUBATAN PERSEKUTUAN, 1896-1910

Abstract

The establishment of Federated Malay States (FMS) on 1 July 1896 had been widely discussed by historians. Most of the writings on the latter tend to focus on the administration history of FMS years after its formation. This article on the other hand focuses on medical administration in the FMS from 1896 to 1910 when the British administrators in the Malay states and the Colonial Office were seriously involved in shaping and determining the development of medical administration. The administrators in the Malay states were the head of federal medical department, the Resident General and the High Commissioner whereas the Secretary of State for the Colonies representing the Colonial Office. Their role became significant with the appointment of federal medical officers and the restructuring of the federal medical department. Both development witnessed the emergence of a new sets of officers and a system established with the objective to ensure that the federal machinery functioned effectively.