Gilded Disease-carriers Are the Grilles That Adorn the Facades of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Depicting Lice, Mosquitoes and So on

"The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine features a striking Art Deco frieze of gilded bronze animal figures sculpted into its iron balconies, each symbolizing a threat to human health. These ten animals-mostly insects and arthropods like fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks-are known for living close to humans and thriving on the food and shelter we provide. Eight of them are disease vectors, earning the nickname "gilded vectors of disease," though the cobra and bedbug are exceptions."

"The building, opened in 1929 and now Grade II listed, was designed by Verner Owen Rees and Percy Richard Morley Horder, with the frieze attributed to Morley Horder. The sculptures are stylized yet scientifically identifiable, with insects enlarged for visibility and the cobra scaled down. Despite public health campaigns since World War I, these pests remain prevalent today, making LSHTM's decorative frieze both artistically unique and symbolically enduring."

LSHTM features an Art Deco frieze of gilded bronze animal figures on its iron balconies. The frieze shows ten animals, mostly insects and arthropods like fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks, that live close to humans and exploit food and shelter. Eight figures are disease vectors; the cobra and bedbug are exceptions. The building opened in 1929 and is Grade II listed. Architects were Verner Owen Rees and Percy Richard Morley Horder; the frieze is attributed to Morley Horder. The sculptures are stylized yet scientifically identifiable, with insects enlarged and the cobra scaled down. These pests remain prevalent despite public health campaigns, giving the frieze lasting symbolic resonance.

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