THERE are more people in Glasgow studying tropical disease per head of population than anywhere else in the world, experts have said.

Professor Mike Barrett from Glasgow University, pointed out Scotland's contribution to a range of treatments for tropical disease ahead of a public lecture tonight marking the 50th anniversary of the British Society for Parasitology.

Mr Barrett will highlight pioneering work carried out by Scottish scientists and doctors on tropical diseases in the past, including the work of Sir Patrick Manson, a doctor originally from Aberdeenshire who became known as "the father of tropical medicine", and the research by explorer David Livingstone, who studied at Anderson's College in Glasgow, now Strathclyde University.

Mr Barrett said: "We have a great deal of expertise in fighting tropical disease here in Scotland and our profile around the world is continually growing."

Strathclyde University is hosting the event tonight in the £36 million Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences.