Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Soumonni,Elisée
Data de Publicação: 2012
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos
Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702012000500003
Resumo: The essay examines, with special reference to smallpox, the perception and interpretation of disease in pre-colonial Dahomey, present-day Republic of Benin. Because disease is seen primarily as a punishment from the gods and not just as a medical problem or a bodily disorder, traditional cult priests play a leading role in making diagnoses and prescribing remedies, mostly based on medicinal plants. The prominence of Sakpata, god of smallpox, coupled with the influence of its priests is evaluated within the context of Dahomey's political history and the spread of the disease. This pivotal position was to constitute a challenge to the French colonial campaign to vaccinate against smallpox.
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spelling Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century BeninsmallpoxSakpatacult priestsmedicinal plantsvaccinationThe essay examines, with special reference to smallpox, the perception and interpretation of disease in pre-colonial Dahomey, present-day Republic of Benin. Because disease is seen primarily as a punishment from the gods and not just as a medical problem or a bodily disorder, traditional cult priests play a leading role in making diagnoses and prescribing remedies, mostly based on medicinal plants. The prominence of Sakpata, god of smallpox, coupled with the influence of its priests is evaluated within the context of Dahomey's political history and the spread of the disease. This pivotal position was to constitute a challenge to the French colonial campaign to vaccinate against smallpox.Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz2012-12-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702012000500003História, Ciências, Saúde-Manguinhos v.19 suppl.1 2012reponame:História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhosinstname:Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)instacron:FIOCRUZ10.1590/S0104-59702012000500003info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSoumonni,Eliséeeng2013-03-05T00:00:00Zoai:scielo:S0104-59702012000500003Revistahttp://www.revistahcsm.coc.fiocruz.br/PUBhttps://old.scielo.br/oai/scielo-oai.php||hscience@coc.fiocruz.br1678-47580104-5970opendoar:2013-03-05T00:00História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
title Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
spellingShingle Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
Soumonni,Elisée
smallpox
Sakpata
cult priests
medicinal plants
vaccination
title_short Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
title_full Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
title_fullStr Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
title_full_unstemmed Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
title_sort Disease, religion and medicine: smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
author Soumonni,Elisée
author_facet Soumonni,Elisée
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Soumonni,Elisée
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv smallpox
Sakpata
cult priests
medicinal plants
vaccination
topic smallpox
Sakpata
cult priests
medicinal plants
vaccination
description The essay examines, with special reference to smallpox, the perception and interpretation of disease in pre-colonial Dahomey, present-day Republic of Benin. Because disease is seen primarily as a punishment from the gods and not just as a medical problem or a bodily disorder, traditional cult priests play a leading role in making diagnoses and prescribing remedies, mostly based on medicinal plants. The prominence of Sakpata, god of smallpox, coupled with the influence of its priests is evaluated within the context of Dahomey's political history and the spread of the disease. This pivotal position was to constitute a challenge to the French colonial campaign to vaccinate against smallpox.
publishDate 2012
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2012-12-01
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702012000500003
url http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702012000500003
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 10.1590/S0104-59702012000500003
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv text/html
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv História, Ciências, Saúde-Manguinhos v.19 suppl.1 2012
reponame:História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos
instname:Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
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instname_str Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
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reponame_str História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos
collection História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos
repository.name.fl_str_mv História. Ciências. Saúde-Manguinhos - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv ||hscience@coc.fiocruz.br
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