在1894年到1898年之間，印度的英國殖民醫官羅斯和倫敦的熱帶醫學專家萬巴德，透過大量通信的方式對瘧疾的傳播方式展開合作研究。之前，醫學界大多認為瘧疾是瘴氣引起的疾病。萬巴德和羅斯的研究支持了瘧疾是種寄生蟲疾病的看法，進而闡明了瘧疾的傳播方式以及蚊子在瘧原蟲生活史中扮演的角色。這是熱帶醫學史上最重大的發現之一，羅斯因此而獲得諾貝爾獎。本文分析這個醫學史上著名研究的物質文化，指出其重要元素包括在殖民地的「田野」(field)研究取得研究材料並且發展出相關的材料處理與操作技術，在帝國學術中心透過資料與標本的收藏、分析與展示活動來建立有系統的知識，並且說服歐洲醫學界接受殖民地的研究成果。殖民地和帝國醫學中心之間的合作，則是透過標本與信件的交流所構成的禮物關係來支撐與進行。這樣的物質文化是十九世紀英國殖民科學與醫學的重要特徵。

Research on malaria conducted by the British physicians Patrick Manson and Ronald Ross led to the elucidation of its mode of transmission as well as the role of the mosquito in the lifecycle of plasmodium, which was one of the most important discoveries in the history of tropical medicine. In fact, Ross won the noble Prize because4 of this research. This article investigates this famous collaboration, which was mainly conducted through correspondence between Manson in London and Ross in India, and argues that their work was based on a material culture common to nineteenth century British colonial science and medicine. Their research and collaboration consisted of gathering specimens and conducting colonial "field work." Scientific data and samples were brought back from the colonies to the European metropolis, where they were further collected, classified, and systematized. The collaboration between Manson and Ross was sustained by a gift-relationship involving the generous exchange of samples and data between researchers in the metropolis and the colony.