Rudolf Geigy was born into a wealthy industrial family in Basel. The Geigys belonged to Basel's economic and political elite. Their name is closely connected to the pharmaceutical firm, J. R. Geigy AG, that revolutionised the fight against tropical diseases with the invention of DDT in 1939. Rudolf Geigy opted out of a professional career within the family-owned firm, though he was a member of the governing body for almost 40 years.

Geigy studied zoology in Basel under Friedrich Zschokke. Later, he joined Emile Guyénot in Geneva and became more interested in physiology. In 1931, Geigy published his PhD research and became well-known internationally.

Extracts of «The Swiss Tropical Institute in Basle presents scenes from its activities in the fields of Research, Teaching, Medicine, Developmental Aid» (1970)

In 1943, Geigy became the first director of the Swiss Tropical Institute, which he subsequently led for almost forty years. In this position, new possibilities for scientific research opened up and Geigy developed an interest in studying the pathogens and vectors present in the transmission of tropical diseases.

Film «Fang eines Erdferkels (Orycteropus afer) im südlichen Tanganyika und Transport nach dem Zoo Basel» (1949)

Geigy was a strong supporter of the Basel Zoo. As the president of the board of governors, he played an important role in extending and reorganising the site. Geigy never shied away from supporting new projects with his own money if he considered it necessary and the animals were always his central interest. Geigy not only introduced new concepts of animal welfare but he also fostered animal behaviour research.

Mister Geigy and Misses Pori
In Africa, the elusive antbear or aardvark – a strange looking, termite-eating animal, as big as a pig, with a trunk-shaped mouth, long donkey ears and a kangaroo-like tail – peaked Geigy's interest. It lives in underground burrows, which it only leaves at night to feast at delicious termite hills. Even Africans do not often encounter the animal and was almost nonexistent in European zoos. During an expedition to Southern Tanzania, Professor Rudolf Geigy managed to catch an antbear and kept it in a huge carrier box for transport to the Basel Zoo.
Professor Geigy had already experienced understanding from airline companies such as Air France with regards to animal transports. Air France agreed to take Miss Pori, as the animal had been named, on one its regular planes from Nairobi to Zurich. This was already a huge concession. More remarkably, as the box turned out to be too large to store in the airplane's luggage hold, the pilot allowed the animal to escape from its temporary prison and occupy a space in the back of the hold where it curled itself up and slept throughout the long voyage. The same evening, Miss Pori (kiswaheli for "bush") arrived at the Basel Zoo, becoming one of its most famous public attractions. Vive Air France! (Rudolf Geigy, Siri. Top Secret, Basel 1977, S. 66)

Extracts of «Protected nature on Cousin Island, Seychelles» (1975)

Geigy was deeply involved in protecting nature. He founded the "Hilfsfonds für die Vogelwarte Sempach", developing the ornithological station into an internationally renowned research institution. Geigy also supported the initiatives of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Two projects in particular were near to his heart: the rhino-conservation project on Java, as well as an ornithological station on Cousine Island in the Seychelles. Without further ado, Geigy purchased this natural paradise in order to preserve it for future generations.

Geigy had a preference for rounded shapes. Elephants, hippos, warthogs and the somehow more modest toad were like fixed stars in his intellectual cosmos.

In 1945, Geigy and his team chartered an airplane that took them to West Africa. There, they installed their tentative field-laboratories and introduced themselves to the scientific communities working in the French and Belgian colonies. One of the expeditions' highlights was visiting Albert Schweitzer's famous bush hospital in Lambarene. Geigy consciously followed the tradition of medical humanists and in so doing he signaled an important characteristic f the still young tropical institute.

Rudolf Geigy actively forged close scientific ties to European and African researchers. The good relationship between Swiss and French scientists resulted in the creation of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) in Côte d'Ivoire in 1951. Geigy encouraged many Swiss STI-scientists to work at the CSRS where they dealt with zoology, nutrition, conservation or agronomy. Later, medical research and public health topics became more relevant. Today, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), as it is now known, is an important partner of the CSRS. The CSRS has developed into an important research and implementation centre not only for Côte d'Ivoire but for the whole region.

The Swiss Tropical Institute Field Laboratory (STIFL) in Ifakara, Tanzania was a hotspot of Swiss science overseas. Tanzania became a second home for Geigy and the Swiss Tropical Institute. There, the most important tropical diseases could be studied: malaria, sleeping sickness, relapsing fever or river blindness. Over the years, STIFL developed into one of the most important research institutes in Africa. Step by step, it was integrated into the Tanzanian health system and turned into a trust in 1996. Today, the Ifakara Health Institute (as the former STIFL is called today) is present throughout the country and has a big role in fighting against infectious and chronic diseases and in strengthening the Tanzanian health system.

Geigy's acquired the nickname "Bwana Ngiri" – Mister Warthog – what at first sight seems quite unflattering became a brand name and part of Geigy's identity. Intrigued by the question of whether or not warthogs constitute a reservoir for African relapsing fever, Geigy had driven many animals out of their holes and later scientifically examined. The hypothesis could not be verified but the nickname, however, remained.

Once back in Basel, Geigy got a lectureship for experimental embryology and genetics at the University of Basel. Three years later, he became an assistant professor and then a full professor in 1952. The highlight of his university career was becoming the universities' vice-chancellor in 1962. In his inauguration speech as a vice-chancellor, entitled "Leap into Self-Reliance", he portrayed African decolonisation as an unfolding process that cannot be stopped. His response to it was unambiguous: development aid.

Inauguration speech R. Geigy, 1962 „Leap into Self-Reliance“

Development aid was Rudolf Geigy's response to Tanzania's independence in 1961. His vision: to strengthen the middle class and train young health personnel "on the spot". Already in 1960, Geigy had created the "Basel Foundation for the Aid of Developing Countries", bringing together five Basel-based pharmaceutical companies. The foundation supported the Rural Aid Centre (RAC) in Ifakara that trained Tanzanian "barefoot doctors". Situated near the mission-led St. Francis hospital and STI's field-laboratory, the RAC was a unique training site for medical personnel. Ifakara proved that combining research training and services could be successfully implemented in rural Africa. Geigy's vision endured: even today, training features prominently in Ifakara. The Tanzanian Training Center for International Health (TTCIH), supported by the Novartis Foundation, recalls Geigy's early initiative.

"It is now necessary to create something like an intellectual middle class, because a modern and solid nation needs thousands of specialised heads and hands." S. 18–19 (Rudolf Geigy, «Der Sprung in die Selbständigkeit. Entwicklungshilfe und Menschheitsproblem» Rektoratsrede gehalten an der Jahresfeier der Universität Basel am 23. November 1962)

The Cold War. The world divided into blocs. Spying. That's the backdrop for the thriller "Siri. Top secret". A yellow envelope of unknown content changes hands. Will it fall to the Russians? Or even to the Chinese? How Geigy found time to write detective stories remains unanswered by this novel. Other questions, too remain open...