The practice of African medicine is ancient - the source, in fact, of a great deal of Western medical knowledge from the Middle Ages onward. Until the close of the nineteenth century, African and West Indian physicians were able to work freely to protect the health of Africans and Europeans alike in West Africa.

In 1901, however, when colonialism - and pseudoscientific racism - were in full force, British administrative action brought about an era of restrictions and segregation, a time of the "closed shop," as British middle-class policy makers described it in the 1950s. Even African physicians trained in the United States and the former Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries were unwelcome in their countries of origin upon their return home.

This book discusses the role of African doctors in colonial state and society, the emergence of Africa's modern medical service, and the contribution of African physicians to an understanding of African diseases and their treatment. It also deals with traditional African medicine, beginning in Egypt 3,000 years ago. Historians and social scientists specializing in West African history, and African historians in general - especially those interested in medicine - will find the book essential.