1788–1870s: (The African Association, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Age of Exploration — Sir Joseph Banks and the Alliance of Scientific Enquiry, H…

1788–1870s: (The African Association, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Age of Exploration — Sir Joseph Banks and the Alliance of Scientific Enquiry, Humanitarian Endeavor, and Commercial Gain, the Improvability of Africa as a Theme from the Late Eighteenth Century, Africa Imagined as a Medical Experiment Requiring Examination, Diagnosis, and Cure, and Murchison Balancing Adventure, Science, and Empire Until His Death in 1871): From the Enlightenment onward, heightened scientific, intellectual, and commercial interest in Africa manifested itself in the foundation of the African Association in London in 1788 — an association of learned men whose central aim was to diversify African trade, promote commodities other than human beings, and exploit the continent’s natural resources. Founded by Sir Joseph Banks, it embodied the Enlightenment age — scientific enquiry and humanitarian endeavor linked unashamedly to commercial gain. The implicit assumption was that Africa must be improved through energetic outside intervention. Growing opposition to the slave trade would not diminish European involvement but intensify it — representing a growing sense of obligation. The demand for knowledge was intimately linked to legitimate commerce itself, which required knowledge of river transport potential, available raw materials, and population centers as markets. The concept of Africa’s improvability led to the image of a continent as medical experiment — explorers sought to journey to its heart, sometimes via the rivers that were its veins. The Royal Geographical Society, established in 1830, became the driving force behind Victorian exploration. Sir Roderick Murchison provided dynamic leadership until his death in 1871, committed to the notion that exploration served British national interests and that science and empire were indelibly intertwined — balancing public thirst for adventure, scientific enquiry, and commercial interest.