Medicine and Health in Africa: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

by Paula Viterbo, Kalala Ngalamulume

Overview

Over the last two decades, the implosion of economies under the burden of debt, the negative repercussions of structural adjustment programs, the crisis of legitimacy, civil wars, and the collapse of some states have resulted in serious health issues across the African continent. Newly emerging diseases, such as Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS have killed and disabled millions. Some “old diseases,” such as yellow fever, tuberculosis, and polio have reappeared. Malaria, cholera, and meningitis continue to kill thousands. In many countries, the medical infrastructure has collapsed, while an increasing number of physicians and nurses have migrated to more hospitable places. Stigmatization of the affected people has exacerbated social and racial discrimination and has affected the implementation of national and international public health programs. The complexity of the situation requires an interdisciplinary approach. This collection, including contributions by historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and biologists, emphasizes the social and cultural contexts of African health, paying particular attention to the history of the colonial public health system and its legacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870139918
Publisher:	Michigan State University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2011
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Paula Viterbo is a historian of science and medicine, and a researcher in the Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series at Monticello.

Kalala Ngalamulume is Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History at Bryn Mawr College. His research on teaching scholarship, on colonialism and social change in Congo/Zaire, and on colonial pathologies in Senegal has appeared in several scholarly journals.