An Enquiry into the Indigenous Model of Preventive Healthcare in Western Nigeria

Abstract

The traditional model of preventive healthcare has remained a neglected theme in academic discourse in Nigeria despite the space it occupied in the health practices of the people. This is largely because the system operated with a cultic flavour that tended to defy scientific explanation. This study, focusing on western Nigeria, gives account of developments in this domain of medicine and therefore incorporates elements such as divination, use of amulets and traditional inoculation. The study also examines other preventive healthcare services such as sanitation, isolation of patients and the use of herbal decoctions and the associated taboos. The study relies largely on the information obtained from the national archives Ibadan, Nigeria and oral interviews with some orthodox and traditional healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Preventive healthcare, Western Nigeria, Infectious diseases, Herbs, Divination, Inoculation