Disease, religion and medicine
Smallpox in nineteenth-century Benin
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3084195 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elisée Soumonni (University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | suppl 1 |
| Pages | 35-45 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | História Ciências Saúde-Manguinhos (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0104-5970 • E-ISSN: 1678-4758 |
| Publisher | FapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1590/s0104-59702012000500003 |
| PMID | 23370098 |
| OpenAlex | W2038313582 |
| SCIELO_PID | S0104-59702012000500003 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 12 |
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
Ancient history · Archaeology · Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Criminology · Cult · Disease · Ethnology · History of medicine · Pathology · Political science · Politics · Smallpox · Sociology · Vaccination · African history and culture studies · Classics · History · Law · Malaria Research and Control · Medicine · Virology · Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
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| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.69 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2025 (13) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |