Roume prioritized African public health spending above every other colonial service.

Evidence

Nevertheless, in the case of each loan, Roume set aside most of the balance-5,45o,ooo francs in 1903 and 3,ooo,ooo in 1906-for public health projects and medical care for Africans. No other service or inspectorate was granted a similar privilege, although some agricultural research was funded out of the federal budget. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 165

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why did Roume single out health spending above all other services except rail and ports? Was it humanitarian, labor-productivity, or disease-fear toward Europeans driving this?