Rensch Carola, Bruchhausen Walter
1University of Bonn,Medical Faculty,Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25,D-53127 Bonn,Germany.
Med Hist. 2017 Jan;61(1):1-24. doi: 10.1017/mdh.2016.98.
After losing the importance it had held around 1900 both as a colonial power and in the field of tropical medicine, Germany searched for a new place in international health care during decolonisation. Under the aegis of early government 'development aid', which started in 1956, medical academics from West German universities became involved in several Asian, African and South American countries. The example selected for closer study is the support for the national hygiene institute in Togo, a former German 'model colony' and now a stout ally of the West. Positioned between public health and scientific research, between 'development aid' and academia and between West German and West African interests, the project required multiple arrangements that are analysed for their impact on the co-operation between the two countries. In a country like Togo, where higher education had been neglected under colonial rule, having qualified national staff became the decisive factor for the project. While routine services soon worked well, research required more sustained 'capacity building' and did not lead to joint work on equal terms. In West Germany, the arrangement with the universities was a mutual benefit deal for government officials and medical academics. West German 'development aid' did not have to create permanent jobs at home for the consulting experts it needed; it improved its chances to find sufficiently qualified German staff to work abroad and it profited from the academic renown of its consultants. The medical scientists secured jobs and research opportunities for their postgraduates, received grants for foreign doctoral students, gained additional expertise and enjoyed international prestige. Independence from foreign politics was not an issue for most West German medical academics in the 1960s.
在1900年左右失去作为殖民大国以及在热带医学领域所拥有的重要地位后，德国在非殖民化过程中寻求在国际医疗保健领域的新定位。在始于1956年的早期政府“发展援助”的支持下，西德大学的医学学者参与了几个亚洲、非洲和南美洲国家的事务。为深入研究而选取的例子是对多哥国家卫生研究所的支持，多哥曾是德国的“模范殖民地”，如今是西方坚定的盟友。该项目处于公共卫生与科学研究之间、“发展援助”与学术界之间以及西德和西非利益之间，需要进行多种安排，并对其对两国合作的影响进行分析。在多哥这样一个在殖民统治下高等教育被忽视的国家，拥有合格的本国工作人员成为该项目的决定性因素。虽然日常服务很快运转良好，但研究需要更持续的“能力建设”，且并未带来平等条件下的联合工作。在西德，与大学的安排对政府官员和医学学者来说是互利的交易。西德的“发展援助”无需为其所需的咨询专家在国内创造永久性工作岗位；它增加了找到足够合格的德国工作人员到国外工作的机会，并从其顾问的学术声誉中获利。医学科学家为他们的研究生获得了工作和研究机会，获得了外国博士生的资助，获得了额外的专业知识，并享有国际声誉。在20世纪60年代，对大多数西德医学学者来说，不受外国政治影响并非问题。
