28. The tools of the British Empire created scientific breakthroughs that rippled through history.
The development of steamships, railroads, canals, and other symbols of the industrial age are often cited as critical factors in the expansion of the British Empire, as indeed they were. Military strength and the use of Christian missionaries to convert and pacify native populations are also well represented as necessities for the European empires. Often overlooked, are advances in medical knowledge, in particular quinine as a treatment for the tropical disease of malaria. The use of quinine made the occupation of tropical Africa possible by European settlers and the rich mineral deposits of the continent made the occupation desirable. The empires of Europe, Britain among them, divided Africa among themselves.
