The place of African belief and germ theory on the causes of human diseases

Emmanuel C Anizoba

doi:10.4102/ve.v42i1.2366

Abstract

This study looks into the African belief about the mystical causes of diseases and the tenets of Western germ theory. Despite widespread Western medical practices, African people still strongly believe in the mystical causes of diseases. This reveals that as far as the African traditional belief is concerned, Western germ theory cannot satisfy the African belief in the causes of diseases. This is as a result of some of the diseases defying Western healing. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive method for data analysis. Personal interview forms a primary source of data collection while the secondary source includes library resources. The study observes that some mystical agents in African cosmology, such as witches and sorcerers, ogbanje, and breaking of taboos are responsible for untimely deaths, infliction of diseases to humankind and other related ailments which are believed to be traditional in nature.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study recommends that hospitals and healthcare centres, within and outside Africa, should take into consideration the mystical agents as well as the pathogenic agents for good and efficient healing.

Highlights

Medical dictionaries have not articulated a satisfactory definition of the term ‘disease’
The question is: Are diseases caused by mystical forces according to the African belief or by germs? To answer this question, this research wants to perform a comparative analysis of mystical causes of diseases and that of western germ theory in contemporary African belief system
In view of the findings of this research work, it is recommended that hospitals and healthcare centres within Africa, should recognise the mystical agents such as witchcraft, witch doctors, superstitions, breaking of oaths, ancestral curses, fear, and so on, of disease causations as well as pathogenic agents such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and so on, as reflected in germ theory for proper and adequate healing

Summary

Introduction

Medical dictionaries have not articulated a satisfactory definition of the term ‘disease’. Diseases are caused by mystical agents like witchcraft or sorcery, while many believe in germ theory. The question is: Are diseases caused by mystical forces according to the African belief or by germs?

Results

Conclusion