Series VI: Medical Sciences – SUPPLEMENT ... - Krongres

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra�ov • Vol. 2 (51) - 2009
Series 6: Medical Sciences
Supplement – Proceeding of The IV th Balkan Congress of History of Medicine
TRADITIONAL YORUBA MEDICINE IN
NIGERIA: A COMPARATIVE APPROACH
O. AWOJOODU 1 D. BARAN 2
Abstract: From the earliest beginnings of medicine, mankind has
associated the act of curing disease with gods, goddesses and other forms of
divine forces. Deities were greatly thought to be responsible for people’s
wellness and preservation of their wellness. Sickness was regarded as a
consequence of disobedience to or sin against these supernatural agents and
their moral rules. Concurrently, empiric medicine developed, mainly based
on herbs, minerals and animal-derived substances, which were directly
linked to the above mentioned supernatural elements. Spirits, gods and
goddesses had tremendous effects on the early practice of medicine. Magicalempirical
approaches to health and disease, still vivid today, characterized
all archaic civilizations, being also identified in Nigeria. This presentation
focuses on the significance of such comparable behavioural archetypes. An
intercultural and transcultural insight into this early, yet classical, stage of
medical practice in a tribe on the west coast of Africa - the Yoruba Land- is
given.
Key words: magical-empirical medicine, transcultural archetypes, yoruba.
Introduction
African traditional medicine is a
mystery to much of the western world. It is
misunderstood, sometimes to the point of
causing fear.
The traditional medical practices of the
Yoruba in Nigeria, however, offer fresh
outlooks on the concept of health and
unique healing treatment to the world
medical community. [1, 2]
These methods should be examined
with an open mind, further developed, and
finally integrated with western medical
procedures in order to provide the best
medical service possible. [4]
Traditional medicine, as is well known,
represents a cultural gem of various
communities around the world and
encompasses all kinds of folk medicine,
1 Nigeria.
2 „Gr.T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia�i, Romania
unconventional medicine and indeed any
kind of therapeutical method that has been
handed down by the tradition of a
community or ethnic group. [3]
In this study, emphasis will be more on
the history of Yoruba medicine than on the
actual practices and methodology.
A brief insight into these practices will
put popular medicine into perspective
before taking a more detailed look at its
beginnings.
Yoruba medicine and healers in
Nigeria
Among the Yoruba in Nigeria, as in
many African cultures, health and religion
are tightly interrelated. In the Yoruba
mindset, all healing comes from God,
including that of the western medical