Two Men, One Fate

     David Livingstone,  began his life working at a cotton mill at the age of ten. As he became older his interest developing in the medical field. He began his studies in Glasgow and five years later was stationed in Africa near the Kalahari Desert, the southern end of Africa. "Livingstone became convinced of his mission to reach new peoples in the interior of Africa and introduce them to Christianity, as well as freeing them from slavery."  Besides his discovery of "Victoria Falls" and being the first European to cross the width of southern Africa, Livingstone made crucial medical additions to Africa and his crew. He was one of the few and first medical missionaries to think of going to Africa. A lot of the time he was the first white person to even meet the local tribes. "He won their trust as a healer and medicine man and gained such a reputation amongst the villages he visited that he eventually had to limit his treatment only to those with serious illness." His expertise was in surgical removal of tumors, opthalmology and obstetrics. His amazing observational skills, did not gain him credit, but were true. He connected mosquitoes and malaria more than 30 years earlier than Ronald Ross proved it. He connected environmental and climate changes with dysentery  typhoid and pneumonia. Livingstone was also one of the first to administer the drug known as "quinine" in a dosage that was actually useful. Saving him and his companies from a high death rate. Livingstone was a smart man whose brains brought him far, and would have taken him farther were it not for his poor health. 

From BBC and Livingstone Online

     When Livingstone was not heard from in a long time, Henry Morton Stanley, or rather John Rowlands, came Africa to investigate. Stanley was a special correspondent for the New York Herald. Two years after receiving his position he was sent to Africa to track down the great explorer. However, what he found was less than an exciting story. He found a sick explorer, it was then where he uttered the famous words, 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' After Livingstone passed, Stanley continued to explore Africa. He was funded by the Herald and a British newspaper, enabling to explore vast areas of central Africa, and the length of the Lualaba and Congo Rivers. He reached the Atlantic in 1877, and he later described his journey the "Through the Dark Continent" ten years later. 
    Wanting to continue his explorations and finding little support Stanley turned to King Leopold II who was eager to get Africa;s wealth. With the kings support Stanley worked the open the lower Congo to commerce by building roads. These roads were built against Livingstone's philosophy of freedom, they were built with widespread forced labor.  In later years he spent much energy defending himself against charges that his African expeditions had been marked by callous violence and brutality.  He believed it was necessary in order for the Congo to become a free state under King Leopold II. His successes came from the money of others and his brutality.

From BBC and NWE